Understanding Mat Opening Formats


When selecting a NielsenBainbridge Gallery mat, not only should you consider the overall size of the mat and opening size, but in some cases which direction the opening should run relative to the shape of the mat. Here is a quick primer on what the terms Centered, Portrait and Landscape mean, along with the term Weighted Bottom.

Gallery Mat with centered opening

CENTERED OPENING

The most commonly used format for pre-cut mats is a mat with a centered opening. The top and bottom borders are the same size and the left and right borders are the same size. When we indicate that the mat has an opening, for example, for an 8 x 10 image, the actual cut opening is 7 1/2 x 9 1/2. An 11 x 14 opening would actually be 10 1/2 x 13 1/2. The opening always encroaches a bit on the image to prevent the photo from falling through the opening or, at the least, so that you do not see the white border surrounding the photo image.

 

Gallery Mat Line Art-Portrait with b/w PORTRAIT OPENING

A Portrait format mat refers to the fact that the opening of the mat has the longest side of the opening running parallel to the longest side of the mat's outer edge. In the case of the NielsenBainbridge mats, the mats designated as Portrait style have a weighted bottom (a wider bottom border than the top border) as opposed to being centered. The purpose of the weighted bottom is to shift the heaviest concentration of color or darkness in a photo or work of art back up to the visual center of the mat. That is, if the photo being matted is a landscape, inevitably the greatest concentration of color and image is at the bottom of the photo. by using a weighted bottom, it pushes that part of the photo back up to the visual center of the mat. It just looks better that way! Also, if the art is hung up high, the bottom border of the mat gets visually foreshortened. A wider bottom on the mat tends to equalize that problem. 

 

Gallery Mats Line Art-Landscape LANDSCAPE OPENING

While a landscape-oriented mat usually refers to a mat that is longer than tall, the NielsenBainbridge Gallery Mats with a landscape-style opening have that opening oriented at right angles to the longest dimension of the mat's outer edge. This results in a dramatic weighted bottom. It is a wonderful way to showcase important, horizontal photos.