Insights That Bring Your Print Life
To highlight the best features of your selected print artwork, we offer two options when it comes to mat-making decisions. Providing both mat and full-bleed (no mat) offerings, there are considerations for each preference, and we’ve provided some helpful tips to create your ideal outcome below.
Before we delve in further, here are three practical questions that will guide you along the path of your decision making.
1) What size print do I want?
2) Where will my special print be hung?
3) Will this artwork stand alone, or have other framed prints nearby?
Mat Backgrounds
For smaller pieces, adding a mat behind the print can be a valuable asset. The spatial effect of the added mat gives the image breathing room by providing a clean border that allows the artwork to shine. Larger prints will also benefit from a mat setting, and in both cases, mats provide a special refined appeal.
To evoke a clean and classic timeless artistic sensibility, we offer white mats that give a gallery museum-like charm. Quality is key, so all of our mats are acid-free to preserve the artwork for years to come. Over time, the white mats also maximize versatility with changing palettes and room décor, while ensuring your framed design endures the test of time - thriving in twenty years just as it does now.
Giving tiny masterpieces the wall space they deserve, mats also add to the overall finished frame size. For instance, if you order a 11 x 14 inch print, your final frame size will be 17 x 20 inches in total. Be sure to keep this in mind when organizing how your image will ultimately accommodate your designated locale.
(Our FAQ’s page provides more in depth details on final frame sizes of our print options with a mat.)
No Mat Backgrounds
Known as a full-bleed framed print, images that are without a mat backdrop also come with a host of profound visual benefits. Generally, the no mat option is a boon for larger prints with grand landscapes or wide open skies that brings a layer of intensity with cinematic allure. Adding a mat to larger pieces is still a valid possibility, but we recommend a narrower mat in proportion to the overall size of the artwork.
An open wall poised with gallery prints can also look fantastic with either a mixture of matted and full bleed framed (no mat) styles, or simply one or the other.
Advantages of Both Options
Regardless of your final mat vs. no mat decision, both are gorgeous options with endless possibilities. Our print shop expertise is here to guide you for further questions that may come about. Contact us at support@sealightprintshop.com
