How to frame fine art photographs

Fine-Art prints, printed on high-quality papers, using wide gamut pigment inks, have the potential for a long life—free from fading and staining—but only if they are framed correctly. An archival print needs archival framing in terms of both the materials used and the assembly method.

The diagram below shows a typical archival frame. So what is different here to any regular frame? The main differences are...

1. The inclusion of a ‘barrier board’ between the print and the ‘backing board’ of the frame. This backing board is usually made of heavy card or thin MDF which both contain chemicals that would cause staining

2. The fact that the print does not extend to the edges of the barrier board to avoid contact with the wooden frame

Diagram showing cross section of archival framing for fine art photographs.

Since the overall dimensions of the print should be smaller than the other frame elements (glass, matt, barrier-board and backing-board will all be the same size) it needs to be mounted to the barrier board. This should not be done by spray-mounting or glueing. Instead it should be hung from two or more ‘T-hinges’ made from archival quality adhesive paper tape. This is shown in the diagram below.

Two short lengths of tape are cut for each hinge. One is fixed to the back of the top edge of the print with just 5mm or so of tape stuck to the print. With the image visible this piece of the hinge will be ‘adhesive side up’. A second piece of tape (more if it is a large print) is fixed to the other end of the top edge of the print. The print is then aligned on the barrier board so that the image area is in the correct position relative to the aperture in the Matt when it is added.

The print can be held in place temporarily with small weights or with easily removable ‘Post-It’ notes. The second piece of tape, for each of the ‘T-hinges’ is then fixed in place on top of the tape attached to the print. The print is now hinged to the barrier board.

Diagram showing use of T hinge for mounting fine art photographs

This method offers several benefits...

1. No adhesive on the back of the print to eventually cause staining and discolouration.

2. Since it is hanging freely the print can expand and contract with temperature changes without any buckling.

3. No contact with a wooden frame since it is centred on the barrier board.

4. The print is easily removed from the barrier board if it becomes necessary to re-frame the print. Just cut through the hinges at the top edge of the print with a sharp knife. If archival gummed paper tape has been used, the small pieces of tape stuck to the rear of the top edge of the print are easily removed by dampening the tape with a moist cloth.

3. The materials used for the Matt and the barrier board should be ‘acid-free’, ‘lignin-free’, contain no artificial ‘brighteners’ and no residues of bleaches and other chemicals—all of which may cause fading or staining.

Lignin is a material naturally found in wood—hence the need to prevent the print from coming into contact with the frame. Wood pulp is also used in the making of normal papers and mountboard.

Most of the ‘fine-art’ papers for watercolours and fine photo printing are made from 100% cotton. Some include wood pulp but the lignin has been removed.

Ideally the backing board and the tape that seals the gap between the backing board and the frame should also be of archival grade materials.

Overmatting and Undermatting (overmounting & undermounting)

Overmatting simply means that the aperture in the Matt (or Mount) is smaller than the image area on the print, so the Matt extends over the image—usually by just a few millimetres on all sides.

Undermatting means that the aperture in the Matt is larger than the image area so that the whole of the image is visible and a border exists between the edges of the image and the (usually bevelled) edges of the Matt aperture.

Which you prefer is likely to be a matter of taste and to some degree the nature of the image. However, each approach has its pros & cons.

For a given paper size, overmatting will provide a slightly bigger image (even though some of this will disappear under the matt) because you can print closer to the edge of the paper. An undermatted picture will require at least 25mm of margin around the image to provide the border and to allow enough overlay for the Matt to keep the print flat. Depending on the print size the white border will typically be between 10mm and 20mm wide all round.

Undermatting is better if there is image information near the edges since everything will be visible. Undermatting will be essential if the image has some form of aesthetic edge treatment. Most fine-art prints will be signed by the photographer and may include a title printed just below the image. Undermatting is essential if these are to be visible.

One downside of undermatting is that more care is needed in mounting the print to the barrier board because the narrow border will make any misalignment very obvious.

We generally have a preference for undermatting because the border looks good—a bit like double-matting** but without the cost, none of the image is covered, the title and signature are visible and some of the printing paper can be seen. A typical undermatted framing is shown below.

**Double-Matting (Double-Mount) - literally two Matts one behind the other with slightly different aperture sizes and possibly with different coloured materials to create a more complex inner frame around the image.

Drawing of framed photograph showing use of T hinges and undermatting to show a border between the image area and the matt

NB: The diagrams in this information have been colour-coded for clarity. Most archival material is available in natural soft shades since the introduction of any strong colour would almost certainly eliminate any archival qualities. For aesthetic reasons also, most photographs will look better with neutral coloured Matts.

Beware the terminology

Unfortunately there is a lot of inconsistency in the terminology used to describe the different parts of a framed print, so take care to ensure that you and your framer are singing from the same book. Differences exist between UK and US English usage, as is normal, but differences also exist within a country and even between framers in the same town! A simple dimensioned sketch marked with what you call the various parts will usually solve the problem.

In the interest of avoiding confusion we have shown each of the more common terms used. Mat (or sometimes matt) is the more common term in the USA and 'mount' is more common in the UK where it is sometimes called a 'window mount'. This differentiates the front mount (with the aperture or 'window') from the solid mount that goes behind the print. This tends to be called the back-mat (in the US) or the back-mount (in the UK). We have referred to this as the 'barrier board' (also commonly used in the UK) since we are talking about archival or conservation framing. The term 'barrier board' makes it clear that this should be an archival quality board to act as a barrier (sometimes called a 'buffer') between the print and the 'backing board' (sometimes called the 'back-board) of the frame, which may not be of archival quality material.

Assembly of the print to the Barrier Board

Framing Recommendations for Fine-Art Prints