Planetography offers you the choice of matted prints with or without frames, or unmatted prints that haven't been mounted. Framed prints may be configured with or without glass.
Canvas prints are stretched using Fredrix stretcher bars. The canvas is gallery wrapped on the stretcher bars, with staples on the back. The stretched canvas is then mounted in black gallery float frames. The frames are roughly 2 1/2 " inches larger than the print size.
Traditional prints are mounted on special acid-free adhesive coated mounting board to prevent shifting or buckling of the print over time. A print that is framed with glass has the back of a frame sealed with a special frame sealing tape to keep out air impurities which can damage a print over time. A print that is matted but not framed, is ready to put into a frame.
When a print is matted, the width of the mat is determined by the size of the print. The following table displays the mat widths for various print sizes.
| Print Size | Mat Width |
|---|---|
| 8" x 8", 8" x 10", 8" x 12" | 2.5" |
| 12" x 12", 12" x 15", 12" x 18" | 3" |
| 16" x 16", 16" x 20", 16" x 24" | 4" |
| 20" x 20", 20" x 25", 20" x 30" | 5" |
| 24" x 24" | 4" |
To calculate the total print height and width you add the twice the mat width to the print height and width. For example, a 12" x 12" print would be 18" x 18" (12"+3"+3") when matted. This calculation does not take into account the width of the frame.
IMPORTANT: Please note that if you are purchasing your own frame we recommend you wait until you have your print in hand to get precise measurments.