Custom Mat Design Center
At Documounts we cut each custom mat to your order. Because of this you can choose to have any outside dimension, any opening dimension, your choice of layers, colors, setbacks and weighting. This may seem overwhelming. So, this page will break it all down for you in one place.
1. Calculating Window Size - This first thing you need to figure out is the size of your artwork. Measure your art, making sure to include room for a signature or border if you are choosing to leave one on. When you know what this size is, then you can estimate what your opening should be. We recommend taking 1/2" off your image dimension, so that the mat window comes in 1/4" all around your image. To learn more about this see Mat Basics.
2. Calculating Outside Dimensions - Once you know what the window size is, you then need to decide what you want the outside dimension to be. This is what the overall mat package (matboard, backing, glass and frame) will be.
What you need to decide before going further is if you want to have your outside dimension be a standard size. It is especially helpful to keep your outside dimension a standard size if you are selling your work unframed. Letting customers know that the matted artwork they bought will fit in a standard size frame is a good selling point and gives them an easy solution for framing.
You can see a list of standard size outside dimensions here. Keep in mind that you can still keep your outside dimension standard, even if you inside dimension is not.
3. Borders - If controlling the size of your borders is more important to you than keeping your outside dimension standard, your next step is to decide what you want your mat borders to be.
Take out a measuring tape and look at what it would look like to have a 2" border or a 3" border or a 4" border. Measure some mats around your house that you like the look of. Some people like a wide bold border and some want to keep it small. We recommend having at least 1 1/2" border. You can learn more about mat borders here.
4. How many Layers? - Do you want a single mat or a double mat? A double mat is when there is another mat underneath the top mat that you see a small amount of - usually a 1/4". Some people even get a triple mat, and you can do that at Documounts, too.
When ordering custom mats, you can specify if you would like a different setback then the standard 1/4" (the setback is the amount that you see of the bottom mat).
A double mat can really add a lot to the presentation. A different color choice on the bottom can pull out a focus color from the image. And using a mat on the bottom that is the same color as the top mat can give the presentation a richer deeper feel.
5. Mat Colors - Before you choose a mat color you need to determine what kind of mat board you want. Take a look at out Matboard Options guide to help you determine which quality matboard is right for your projects. Once you choose the quality matboard you want, you will then need to determine which style you want within that quality (I know, so many decisions!)
Choosing a color can be tough, especially off a website. However, even the catalog has limitations in trying to get across the true color of a matboard. Remember when choosing a color that you are looking at our best effort to duplicate the color on a computer screen or catalog and it is not a exact representation. If you need an exact idea of the color, you can add a specifier, mat sample pack or matboard corners to your next order.
6. Backing board - Now your mat should be complete! Don't forget to get a matching mounting board for each mat. You will order the mounting board the same outside dimenstion as the matboard.
7. Finishing it up - Are you selling these matted artworks unframed? If so you need our quality Clear Bags to protect and show off your matted art.
If you are framing the matted work. You can find custom metal frames and custom wood frames on our site.
If you want some help deciding. We have a list here of our most popular products, a page with frame and mat choices for photographers and a page with frame and mat recommendations for watercolor artists.
There is lots more framing and matting information for you on this site. Please check out our tutorials on Documounts 101 and on the Documounts blog.
