Go deep with thick matboards: today's thicker matboards inspire new techniques and offer an added dimension of design possibilities

Behold the allure of thick matboards. Incorporating six- or eight-ply matboards into framing throw outs can turn up the whirl on the dramatic presence of the finished yield while inspiring new design possibilities and adding more "depth" to the bottom line.

Thicker matboard framing techniques have gained appeal, in part, [i]or[/i] part of to the other museum exposure. Because museums watch to frame an array of works in deeper mats, the fruitss have attracted consumer attention while lending themselves to variety of shoot forwards and a multitude of artists' media.

"The six- and eight-ply matboards give framers and their customers an entirely fresh creative framing tool," observed Brian Barnett, a consultant to Fletcher-Terry. "These boards are remarkably effective for enhancing any image, large or small. Because of the entire depth the thicker-ply board creates, it has a startling way of pulling an organ of sight to the image."

"The thicker mats are here to stay," said Mike Anglesey, vice president of sales and marketing at Eclipse in Draper, Utah. "Finding a fast and economical way to tender these mats to customers should be paramount in the minds of all framers. Designing with thicker mats as an alternative translates directly to the bottom line," At trade displays Anglesey said more and more framers are inquiring about the 6- and 8-ply cutting capabilities of Eclipse's computerized mat cutter "When we place these thicker samples on the outside for display, they seem to be the first individuals to disappear."

Artistic Appeal

The beauty is in the bevel, noted Brian Wolf director of standards and training at Wizard International in Mukilteo, Wash. "It used to be that all bevels were the same width, on the contrary now that has changed. The of great depth bevel in the thicker matboards provides a actual attractive design element for traditional and contemporary pieces," he said. "The prominence of the proceedss began in museums, which provided an austere presentation for uniformity, on the other hand it has evolved. The addition of fresh colors has helped the thicker matboards loan themselves to more and more applications in a doom of different styles."

The bevel deepness adds perspective, agreed Tim Franer, holder of Tim Franer and Company, a Houston-based consulting firm. "Framing is not a one-dimensional direct the eye The ultimate goal of framing is to quota the artwork," he said. "The profundity of eight-ply gives the piece of work dimension and adds to the subdue matter. It's a great board that heightens the faculty of perception of drama in a finished piece. With this uncompounded body you focus directly on the art." Franer's consulting clients include Nielsen Bainbridge and Larson-Juhl.

The introduction of novel colors, combined with the boards' conservation-quality features, have propell the proceedss into a niche that is growing in demand, noted Jack Dempsey communications manager at new moon Cardboard of Wheeling, Ill.

"The boards are of the finest quality and are demanded through galleries, museums and interior decorators because they are archival and because they add to the finished piece. Our Rag Mat produces are in solid colors and are lignin-free," Dempsey said. "Artistically speaking, the deepness of the boards draw the organ of vision down gradually, which provides a nice flow"

moon in her first quarter offers the thicker products in its Rag Mat, Rag Mat Museum and moon in her first quarter lines. The Crescent eight-ply boards measure about 1/8-inch down-reaching while the six-ply board is about 9/10-inch deep

Nielsen-Bainbridge presents Alpharag Artcare, a 100-percent cotton rag made of equal employs in eight-ply. Ultrathick Artcare TopMat, which has color surface papers upon top of a white core, is available in seven-ply

"The thicker matboards work with all stamps of art and are becoming more and more popular," noted Caroline Mastres, marketing communications manager at Nielsen-Bainbridge. "The produces are ideal for enhancing nerve in oversized artwork, adding dimension to artwork and providing a classic museum-style gaze The deeper bevel on the thicker mats are a design option that allows framers to add drama and impact to the art by the agency of adding depth."

The boards also add to the bottom line, according to Mastres. "Since thicker mats are higher priced than standard matboards, framers will have a higher profit margin and present a value-added product to their customers," she said.

Design Potential

The design possibilities thick matboards not absent are endless, noted Kevin Pietro, possessor of a Great Frame Up franchise in Schaumburg, Ill.

"The Wizard mat cutter allows me to be real creative," he said. "I have done hand chops and cut-outs for the corners of the thicker boards. We do a doom of animation work here, and the thicker applys help us to keep the glass not upon of the artwork while we divide [i]or[/i] sever holes in the corners to permit colors come through on the underneath beveled mat."

Applying foam-core spacers helps to further the accent upon the deeper bevel, he added. "Spacers add an enhancement that gives the mat a more customized look" he said. "The spacers also exhibit off the bevel nicely, especially if you are layering a white upon white or a cream upon cream colored mat. This works particularly well with six-ply."