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When it comes to decor, everyone has their own taste. For this reason, I have chosen not to provide a framing service. I suggest finding a local framer that is well recommended, and work with them to achieve your desired presentation. However, here are some recommendations that will hopefully help you when meeting with the framer.

Matting

Many people look at mats strictly for their aesthetic qualities, but mats do serve a purpose beyond just looking good. In fact, the primary purpose of a mat is to protect a photograph by creating space between the photograph and the frame glass.

What else do they do? Mats express importance by indicating the photograph is worth that "little extra touch." Matting helps draw the viewer's eye into the picture while at the same time providing a neutral setting in which the photograph can be appreciated.

My preference is to select an over-mat that is white, or sometimes slightly off-white, but definitely not an off-white that tends to appear yellow. If possible, view the mat samples and frames in the light where your print will be presented. Different types of light, like incandescent or fluorescent, will cast a different color of light. This is also known as change in color temperature.

Some people like to make the bottom mat border a bit larger, to an optically perceived center. It is argued that the larger bottom of the mat gives the photograph a base, which creates an aesthetically pleasing presentation. Like many aesthetic aspects of framing, this, too, is your preference.

Keep it Simple

To allow the photograph to have presence, I tend to keep the mat and frame simple. For the frame I tend to use natural wood with a rich walnut or matte black finish.

Glass

There are several reasons to frame photos with glass. The first is to keep viewers from examining your print with their fingertips. Second, having the prints behind glass and framed using conservation methods protects them from airborne pollutants. I often use glass instead of plexiglass because the glass is much more scratch resistant. Ideally the glass should have some UV blockage, which helps preserve your print.

If I'm framing a photograph to be shown in a room with a lot of natural light coming from different angles, I may choose to use anti-reflection glass to cut down on the glare and reflection. Caution: anti-reflection glass is expensive. When specifying anti-reflection glass, make sure it is coated, anti-reflection glass, and NOT non-glare glass. Non-glare glass cuts down on the amount of light reaching the print, while the anti-reflective glass does not cut down the light. Since a photograph is a reflective media and requires light to look good, the non-glare glass will lower the apparent contrast of the print as less light is reaching it.

Print Mounting

I strongly suggest you have your framer dry mount or vacuum press your print to acid free Fome-Cor (yes, this is not misspelled). Fome-Cor is a very smooth surface with a stable foam core. After adhering your print to the mount board, the smooth surface Fome-Core prevents the rough, orange peel surface. If you mount your photo to regular mat board, and since the mat board is not completely smooth, the mat board's rough texture will show through the mounted print and appear rough, similar to the outer surface of an orange. Many framers like to use Gator Board for the smooth mount board, but remind them that Gator Board is not archival.

I do not suggest mounting your print by hanging your print with tape on the back side of the window mat. This is also called hinge mounting. With hinge mounting, the print often does not lie flat, and is distracting to the viewer.

Suggested Mat and Frame Sizes

print size	mat size	y-margin	x-margin	size framed	frame stock
8 x 12	14 x 18	3	3	15 x 19	1/2"
12 x 18	18 x 24	3	3	20 x 26	1"
16 x 24	23 x 31	3.5	3.5	25.5 x 33.5	1-1/4"
20 x 30	28 x 38	4	4	31.5 x 41.5	1-3/4"

If you absolutely must use colored mats and frames...

For photographs, I do NOT suggest using color in your mat or frames, but if you insist, here are a few suggestions. If you need help with your color schemes, the color wheel provides an easy way to see how colors relate to one another. Using one color, with a range of shades, tints and intensity (monochromatic color), is soothing to the eye. Colors next to each other on the wheel (related colors) have a calming effect when the colors are dull or muted. Colors directly across from each other on the wheel (complementary colors) create more visual impact because of their obvious differences in hue and intensity.