Which White Matboard - Alpharag, Alphamat, Canterbury, Bainbridge & Crescent Papermat
Customers often describe their ideal mat color as “a nice white”. We joke that if the manufacturers would simply name one of their boards Nice White it would outsell every other color.
Choosing just the right white is difficult, let alone describing that white. In an effort to make it easier to order just the right “white”, we’ve come up with some white categories and offer a couple of examples of ordinary objects that fit within that group.
- Stark White: Could also be called an un-pigmented or bleached white. This includes whites that are as bright as snow.
- Bright White: A step down from Stark White – bright whites are about the same color as cream cheese or marshmallows.
- Soft White: Slightly warmer than Bright White – imagine mayonnaise, pearls or raw cauliflower.
- Antique White: (Could also be called ivory). Antique whites can be yellowish like a manila file folder, or tan like masking tape and French vanilla ice cream.
- Natural White: Like muslin or flour tortillas this white will have a less-bleached, more natural look to it. Natural white might appear gray next to a bright white color.
It’s also a retailing challenge to accurately represent the mat colors in printed catalogs and on websites. We do what we can to render close approximations in our catalog but can’t guarantee that the colors will be exact. The colors that are displayed on your computer can also be “off” since colors can vary from monitor to monitor.
In spite of all of these challenges there are some things you can do to ensure that you get just the right white mats.
- Add a matboard Specifier to your next order. A specifier is a swatch booklet containing actual pieces of matboard – compare the swatches to your image before picking a color. Both Bainbridge and Crescent manufacture matboard Specifiers.
- Order mat blanks in specific colors and keep them in your shop as samples. (Ordering an 8x10 mat blank is less expensive than ordering a mat with a window cut in it.)
- Order a box of corner samples. Corner samples are similar to what you’d see in a frame shop – about 3-4” wide by 11” long. The box comes with one corner of every color in that particular line, from white to black, and every color in between. We currently sell Bainbridge’s Alpharag, Alphamat and Papermat corners.
- Call us, we’re happy to explain further and give more specific advice!
This chart gives some examples of mats that fall within each category.
| Stark White | Bright White | Soft White | Ivory | Natural White | |
| Alpharag | Pure White B8655 | White B8634 | Pearl White B8647 | Antique White B8640 | Heritage White B8652 |
| Alphamat | Spanish White B8463 | Igloo B8465 | Wheat B8462 | Photo White B8559 | |
| Bainbridge Papermat | Extreme White B709 | Porcelain B754 | Fabric White B65 | Ivory B81 | |
| Crescent Papermat | Very White C918 | Arctic White C3297 | Palm Beach White C987 | Pompano Beach White C1000 | |
| Canterbury | White Frost CB373 | Bright White CB228 | Lace CB257 | Magnolia CB212 |
Note: A common question about matboard is if the surface is smooth. Most mats have a slight texture to them and this is considered standard. However, many mats now are available in smooth or vellum finishes. If it is important to you whether your mats have a smooth or standard finish, please order a specifier or call customer service for further help.
