Mat Cutting for pictures

[gad5264]

I have been accumulating lots of photos and posters that I would like to have matted and framed. However after having two picture professionally done I think I will have a small fortune in this if I continue to have someone do it for me. So I am looking for advice on mat cutters. If anyone can point me in the right direction or give other advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Grant

[LCHIEN]

I have been accumulating lots of photos and posters that I would like to have matted and framed. However after having two picture professionally done I think I will have a small fortune in this if I continue to have someone do it for me. So I am looking for advice on mat cutters. If anyone can point me in the right direction or give other advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Grant

You can buy mat cutters that take exato knife blades for around $10-20 at art supply/hobby/craft stores, they allow you to cut bevelled or straight edges. Takes a little practice to get it right but not that hard to use. The bevelled edges look really professional.

[jziegler]

Loring's right about the mat cutters. But, a bit of advice. Don't buy the cheapest ones there. I bought a cheap one, it only cuts bevels (OK with me), but it came with no guide mechanism. You have to run it along a straight edge that you hold to the mat. Not the easiest thing to do. If you have a lot of photos to mat, buy one that has a guide system.

Also, if you have standard sizes photos and are using standard sized frames and don't plan to crop with the mat, you can buy many colors of precut mats at the craft stores.

Jim

[onedash]

i noticed woodcraft now has all kinds of gear from mats to frames...from cheap to expensive....

[HarmsWay]

I'd agre with Jim. Get a full kit with the straight edge and cutter. I can't remember what brand I have but it was cheap. It paid for itself with the first sets of mats I did. I was amazed how easy it made everything.

Bob

My kit is made by Alto.

[scorrpio]

Pick up the latest 'Workbench' issue. A very nice in-depth article there.

[Crockett]

Try a search for Logan mat cutters. They are a very popular maker and are sold at many art stores fro fairly cheap (much less than having a few profesionaly done). they come in different sizes, have a straight edge and rule to make it VERY simple. I have the 40" model and couldn't be happier. Places like AC Moores (if there is one near you) offers 40% off coupon every week. I used one to buy my cutter, making it even cheaper. Rockler also sells mat cutters of another brand, but are a bit more expensive.
Al

[jhgrady]

Here is an interesting site for Logan mat cutters,

http://www.artsupply.com/logan/matcutter.htm

John

[Ed62]

I just checked out the link above, then looked for prices on the web. The Logan 250 usually went for around $59.00, but Adorama had it for $49.00. So I guess it pays to check around (I think Adorama has a decent reputation). I simply did a Google search for "Logan 250".

Ed

[gonesailing]

After you get the mat cutter...

Many years ago when I was doing a lot of photography I did all of my own mat cutting. As someone said, it isn't difficult, but it does take practice. One parameter in how easy it is is the mat itself. I found that some of the cheap boards were so abrasive that the cutter blade didn't even last for a single mat, and it was very difficult to cut.

I found a source of acid free archival board that was wonderful to work with, and it wasn't a lot more expensive then the poor stuff. Sources like that are hard to find. I knew some kids in art school up in New York that lived in the Washington, DC area, and they would load their car up with mat board and resell it at school at fair profit. Oh, those sheets were something like 4x5 feet, so they did take a little room to handle :-).