I love to research — everything from sippy cups to sunscreens to sofas (I mean this is a total mom thing, right?!). So you can probably appreciate how I want to have the top of the line products when it comes to what I offer my clients. My whole goal is to capture moments you’ll want to cherish forever and ever… and part of that “forever” is having your images printed into tangible heirloom pieces that you can hand down to your children some day (and to their children after that!). Cheap, chain store stuff just isn’t going to fly here!

So after conducting that extensive research, I settled on these beautiful mats. You’ve probably heard the term “acid free” before, which is of course really important when it comes to paper and protecting things for the long haul. But these mats go beyond that… they’re actually made from 100% pure cotton (not paper). They call it “cotton rag” or “museum rag” and these mats and backing boards are the choice of museums and libraries when it comes to preserving historical documents and works of art. Both of which are categories I put your images into when it comes to preserving your own family history! If you’ve ever opened up an old photo album or photo box to find the images yellowing, degrading or stuck together, then you know how important it is to preserve them the right way for future generations to discover and enjoy someday.

The mats that I use are 8-ply in thickness (compare this to the ones you might see in stores, which are 4-ply or even 2-ply). I really like the look of the deeper setting. I also take a full conservation approach to how I mat. I use top of the line linen tape to secure your images to the backing board in such a way that the adhesive never touches the front of the image. I also attach the mat to the backing board with a hinge mount so that the two pieces can contract and expand as needed.

Matting not only makes your images look like high quality art hanging on your walls, but it also serves a useful purpose, which is to create a buffer between your image and the glass. I can’t tell you how many beautiful prints I’ve had stick to the frame glass when I’ve gone in to switch out images a couple years later. It’s such a bummer! Especially when I’ve invested in high-quality prints! And speaking of prints… of course your images are printed on gorgeous archival paper. The official name is “Fuji Crystal Archive Professional Deep Matte” paper. The colors are warm and rich and the smooth surface is truly non-reflective. The archival life is over 100 years in a typical home display (200 years in dark storage).

Above you’ll see a few prints I matted recently for a family. This mom wanted to gift these to the two grandmothers in their life and keep one for her own nightstand. All prints are individually packaged in plastic slips and then placed inside a photo box. I just designed these canvas bags, too, which I think are too cute!