How to frame a picture with matting? HELP!?

Question

I have a 16 x 20 photo that I wanted to get framed with a boarder around it. It is an expensive and signed photo. I brought it to a few framing stores and the cheapest I could find was $500 :O, so the nice guy at Michaels sold me an 18 x 24 frame and a large sheet of matting paper (I think that's whet its called)

Now I don't know how to go about cutting it evenly and making it look nice in the frame. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is a gift. I wish I had the money to get it done professionally, but I'm working with what I have.

if there is a website or even just a better term I could google, that will work too.

THANK YOU!!!!

Answer 1

You can buy inexpensive matte cutters. They're like 20 or 30 bucks. Buy extra blades. They're all set at a 45 degree angle and all. It just takes a little innovation to get the cuts right without too much extra stuff. An 18x24 frame is a bit small for a 16x20 picture for my money. 20x24 would have been more advisable so you have 2" all the way around the perimeter of the photo.



You can take a regular old utility knife to cut the matte board to the frame size. Measure it and cut it 18x24 or whatever size you have. Laying out the middle part is tricky the first few times. Typically, mattes are cut with the openings about 1/2" smaller than the picture size so 15 1/2" x 19 1/2".



Center the opening size into the matte size. mark at least all the corners and use a straightedge to mark everything out AND cut it. A carpenters square works pretty well. Its thin, rigid and should be long enough too span the length of your opening size. I usually put down a couple layers of cardboard, put the matte down on it, get the straightedge set, then kneel on it and cut the line closest to you. It should go from left to right. Make sure you have sharp blades. Its not uncommon to make a couple cuts and change the blade. When this first cut is complete, make sure its going the right way, the angle that is. You have to be very very very careful when you're doing this to ensure that you're on the right line, that you're cutting the angle the right way, and that you cut a little extra at the beginning and the end just in case. You don't really get a second chance. Its not really that hard to get the matte cut. You can mount it as simply as you want, I've done it with masking tape on a temporary basis. Just make sure everything is straight and square before you get it in the matte. Good Luck.

Answer 2

I measured all the pictures I had in my house - a LOT - and then calculated the next standard size frame to accomodiate the pic. Then I went to an art store and gave them the picture size and the size of the frame I wanted to put it in. Wha-la! Perfect fits! Not terribly expensive and this way I was able to have all oak frames and still keep the pictures I had gathered over the years of scenes etc.

Answer 3

Good answers above, but go here and click on the tutorial pages. Even if you don't buy their equipment, you might find some helpful information.



http://www.logangraphic.com/



Personally, I wouldn't try this without a mat cutter and the Logan Adapt-A-Rule is a GREAT help if you don't have an extremely sturdy straightedge already.

Answer 4

You need a mat cutter. It's certainly not worth buying for just one mat. See if you can borrow or rent a mat cutter that's big enough for the mat you have. An easier solution is to look for a pre-cut mat with a 16x20 opening. Then you can cut the outsides to fit your frame.