Mat Setbacks and Weighting

Setbacks
  
When designing a double or triple mat, it is necessary to choose a setback size. A setback is the amount of the bottom mat that is revealed at the window edge. The standard setback is ¼” but we can also cut setbacks of 1/8, 3/16, 3/8, 1/2 and 5/8 inches.
 
If you do not request a special setback, you will receive the standard 1/4" setback. Below is a sample of different setbacks with a light green mat as the bottom layer and a darker green mat as the top.
 

setback, setbacks, reveal, liner, double mats, doubles, how to, instructions, help

Weighted and Centered Mats

Unless you indicate otherwise, we will cut a centered mat window. This means that the window will be centered in the middle of the mat.

We can however, create a weighted mat border on request. The most common weighted mat design has a bottom border about ½” wider than the top and sides. A weighted mat border is also called a “drop”. Weighting mats helps to counteract an inherent human visual perception problem. If a picture is placed directly in the center of a mat that has equal width borders, the human eye will perceive that the picture sits oddly below center and it will therefore look top-heavy. A weighted mat compensates for this illusion and better balances the presentation.

It has also become quite popular to weight your mat with a much wider border, so that the window is placed obviously higher in the mat. This is an aesthetic choice and can work well to set off a smaller piece of artwork.

 centered mat, centering, weighted, mat board, matte, matting, how-to, bordersborders, weighting, weighted, off-center, bottom heavy, mats, matting, matboard, mat board