Planetography uses Bainbridge Alphamat Artcare archival mats. These mats are museum quality, helping to protect the artwork. The mat board is made using alpha cellulose, a natural product that has been chemically altered to remove the acid and lignin, then cleaned, bleached, and buffered to remain stable and safe for artwork. Bainbridge Alphamat Artcare Mat Board uses micro chamber technology which is intended to trap pollutants in the air that may damage artwork, and is especially suited for photographs.
Mat boards typically have a white core, which is exposed at the angled cuts surrounding the print. Planetography also uses some black core mats for certain images where it is enhanced by the black core, especially images with darker colors where a white core mat distracts from the image.
Planetography always double mats prints. Double matting means that there are two mats used for the print. One of the mats, the bottom or inner mat, is only slightly exposed. The top or outer mat is exposed more fully. This gives the print a sense of depth, and the colors of each of the mat boards enhance elements found in the print. Double matting also makes the print look much more professional. Planetography does not apply other effects to the mat board, such as grooves.
The selection of mat colors is a very complex process, since the colors of the mat have to work together with the print and frame. It is very difficult on the web to convey exact mat colors properly on various computers. An in-person matching session, using mat samples, is the only way to get a proper selection of mat colors.
To solve this problem, Planetography offers two possibilities. First, all prints can be configured with a standard "white on white" double mat. This mat goes with any print or frame since it is a neutral color.
Alternatively, if Planetography has chosen a mat combination for a particular image, we make that choice available in the content of a corresponding frame choice as an Artist's Choice selection. Not all images have had mat selections made for them.
Prints do not have to be ordered with a mat. The Print Only configuration option specifies an unmounted, unmatted print. See Print Only Configuration for more information on this option.