Understanding Picture Matting, Mat Boards, and Digital Borders
Matting is the border you see around a photo, picture, print, or other image inside a frame. It creates breathing room between the image and the frame, helping the picture stand out while giving the finished piece a more balanced, polished look.
At Frametolia, we use both physical mat boards and digital borders, depending on the product. Our photo frames use real picture mats, while our art prints and current custom framing options use digital borders. Here is how each works and what you can expect from the finished frame.
What Is a Mat Board?
A mat board is a physical piece of board with an opening cut in the center to display a photo, picture, print, or other image underneath.
The mat is placed over the image so its edges overlap the picture slightly. This creates a clean border around the image while adding real depth and dimension inside the frame.
Picture mats are commonly used for:
- Family photos and portraits
- Wedding, graduation, and school pictures
- Photography and art prints
- Certificates and documents
- Keepsakes and other meaningful pieces
What Does a Mat Board Do?
A frame mat does more than add a border. It changes the proportions of the finished piece and creates visual space that helps draw attention toward the image.
Matting can:
- Give a photo or picture more breathing room
- Draw your eye toward the image
- Add contrast between the picture and frame
- Give smaller photos more presence inside a larger frame
- Create a layered, more dimensional look
Because a physical mat overlaps the edges of the image, the mat opening is slightly smaller than the photo or picture behind it.
Physical Mat Boards for Photo Frames
Each photo frame mat is cut with an opening that displays the picture underneath while creating a border around it.
Because the mat is a separate layer inside the frame, it creates true depth around the photograph. That depth produces a subtle shadow around the mat opening and gives family photos, portraits, and other meaningful pictures a classic framed appearance. Our photo frames use real, physical mat boards.
Physical picture mats are a great choice when:
- You are framing family photos, portraits, or keepsakes
- You want a smaller photo to have more presence
- You like a classic, gallery inspired presentation
- You want real depth and dimension around the picture
Digital Borders for Art Prints and Custom Framing
A digital border is printed as part of the artwork itself rather than added as a separate layer inside the frame. It creates visible space around the artwork without the additional depth of a physical picture frame mat.
For our art prints and current custom framing options, we use digital borders instead of physical mat boards.
Digital borders work especially well when:
- You prefer a clean, streamlined presentation
- You want space around the artwork without added depth
- You are framing larger scale artwork
- You prefer a more contemporary look
Physical Mat Board vs. Digital Border
Physical mats and digital borders both create space around an image, but they achieve the look in different ways.
Physical mat board:
- A separate piece of mat board inside the frame
- Creates real depth and dimension
- Produces a subtle shadow around the mat opening
- Commonly used with photographs and personal pictures
Digital border:
- Printed directly as part of the artwork
- Creates visual space without physical depth
- Has a flat, clean appearance
- Used with our art prints and current custom framing options
Neither option is necessarily better. They simply create different looks and are used with different Frametolia products.
How Does Matting Affect Picture Size?
When you add a mat to a picture frame, the frame size and the visible picture size may be different. The mat takes up some of the space inside the frame, allowing a smaller photo or picture to be displayed within a larger frame.
For example:
- An 8 × 10 frame without a mat can display an 8 × 10 picture
- An 8 × 10 frame with a mat may be designed to display a 5 × 7 photo
- The mat opening will be slightly smaller than the photo behind it
- This small overlap prevents gaps from showing around the picture
Always check the mat opening when choosing or printing a photo for a matted frame. If you want a closer look at frame sizes, outside dimensions, openings, and how matting affects measurements, our Picture Frame Size Guide explains it all in more detail.
Choosing the Right Look
If you are deciding between a physical mat and a digital border, start with what you are framing. A physical mat adds genuine depth and works beautifully with family photographs, portraits, and other personal pictures. A digital border provides similar visual breathing room with a flatter, more streamlined appearance.
A simple way to think about it:
- Choose a physical mat for real depth and a classic framed look
- Use matting to give smaller photos and pictures more presence
- Keep mat styles consistent when creating a photo or gallery wall
- Choose a digital border for a clean, streamlined art presentation
Matting might be a relatively small part of a frame, but it can have a noticeable effect on the finished piece. The right amount of space around a photograph or artwork helps the image stand out and makes the proportions of the entire frame feel more considered.
