Framing Terms - Reed Arts Fine Custom Framing Extraordinary Objects

Acid Burn: is often identified by the small yellowish-brown line found on the artwork in many older matted pieces. This is a classic case of what happens when employing lower-quality materials in the framing of artwork. Many older pieces were backed with cardboard, which tends to yellow artworks from the rear of the piece, and if severe enough, to burn through to the front.
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Acid Free: generally used as a reference to higher quality materials use in the origination and production of art images and the framing processes. Most woods, papers tapes and other materials contain at least some degree of acid that will negatively impact art over a long term. The best quality materials are made of components that either lack acids or from which the acidic qualities have been removed. Lesser quality products have had the acids neutralized by buffering, which will last some number of years. We recommend use of non-acidic products for all of our fine art framing. Technically, it is a product that has a pH of 7.0 or greater.
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Acrylic Sheet: a solid thermoplastic sheet made from acrylic monomer. Noted for light weight, transparency, inherent weather resistance, color fastness, rigidity, high optical clarity, and impact resistance (half the weight of glass and many times more impact resistant). It is inherently stable and resistant to chemical changes that may cause yellowing or increased haziness. Clear, colorless acrylic sheet will not turn yellow as it ages like many common plastics. Thickness range from 0.060" to 0.236" for the picture framing and museum industries. Often used in oversized pieces due to weight and strength considerations. Usually a little more expensive than glass for products with similar characteristics.
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Anti-Reflective Glazing (Glass or Acrylic): the highest form of optical clarity in a glazing product, whether acrylic or glass. It is usually created by an optical coating of the glass or acrylic rather than etching, as used in a non-glare product. Exhibits the lowest optical impact of all glazing types, transmitting the highest amount of light without reflection. Will occasionally actually enhance the viewing experience. Also known as Museum Glass.
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Archival Products: in the making of art, refers to the components used for production, such as inks, pigments such as acrylic and oil paints, watercolors and pastels, that meet the highest standards of permanence. Papers, canvas, mounting and matting boards used to display resulting artwork are of the highest quality, free of acids and lignins.
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Archival: refers to both products and techniques, that when used in proper combinations and sequences, will optimize preservation and historical integrity of whatever it is that is framed. In theory, an archivally framed piece of art should essentially be removable in 100 years and show little to no damage accruing from the process itself. Most often damage, if it occurs at all, is from environmental impacts such as light and humidity, which are often beyond the control of the framer.
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Artist Enhanced: usually refers to a limited edition print, either on canvas or paper, which has been modified by the artist through the addition of brushstrokes of paint or pigment. It is often considered to add value to the piece of art.
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Artist Proof (A/P): these are prints in a limited edition that have traditionally been reserved or held back by the artist and or publisher for his or her use. They often consist of a few to a few percent of the production run, and are often sought after by collectors who perceive them to have a slight value premium over the rest of the run. The notation “AP” and an appropriate number are written in pencil by the artist when the piece is signed.
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Backer Board (Filler Board): material such as foam board used to fill the back of the frame when the framing package is complete and ready for assembly. It is held in place by framer's points and then sealed by either a dust cover or heavy duty moisture-activated tape.
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Bevel Board: a board, usually made of foam or primed wood, that has a cut or milled edge that chamfers toward the artwork. Such boards are normally covered with decorative fabrics or papers, and often only the beveled portion shows in the completed framing package.
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Bevel: the angle or inclination of a line or surface that meets another at any angle but 90°. Usually refers to the angle on which the window opening of a mat has been cut, revealing the center of the matboard. Normal cuts are in the range of 45 degrees, with a Reverse Bevel being a cut that slants away from the image so that the center of the matboard faces the artwork.
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Black Core: refers to a matboard which has a center core of black rather than the more standard white or cream cores.
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Bleach(ing): the process of whitening or lightening the color of a material by means of oxidation through the use of chemicals or exposure to sunlight. A chemical high in chlorine content used to remove dark stains from paper, cloth and wood products. In paper pulping it removes the impurities and lignin.
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Bleed: as a printing term, it refers to the technique of making an illustration extend beyond the intended edge of the paper, so that when the paper is trimmed the illustration appears without a margin.
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Blocking: operation by which a distorted needlework is restored to shape.
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Bloom: this is a milky haze that may appear on an oil painting. It is most often caused by water vapor that has been captured in the painting varnish.
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Bole: gilder’s burnishing clay. Clay ground for gold or silver leafing.
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Buffer: chemical solutions that resist change in pH when acids or alkalis are added.
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Compo: a mixture of whiting and glue that is molded and fixed onto a frame by its own glue to create ornament corners, an overall decoration, or a running bead.
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Conservation: framing art and objects with materials and methods that provide a stable environment and minimize the deterioration of the framed item. Synonymous with preservation.
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Conservation Board: a term used to describe a board considered to have good conservation, preservation, or archival qualities. Both terms, Museum Board and Conservation Board, are often used interchangeably to mean the same thing. Many use the term Museum Board to designate all cotton and the term Conservation Board to designate archival quality, non-cotton boards.
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Conservation Quality: a term used to describe products that are designed to be safe for preservation framing. Also a word used to describe materials that are non invasive.
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Conservator: a professional whose primary occupation is the practice of conservation. One who has the training, knowledge, ability and experience to perform conservation activities.
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Core: in matboard, the central or innermost part; the material between the face paper and the backing paper.
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Corrugated Board: structure formed from one or more paperboard facings and one or more adjoining corrugated members (fluted portion), used for making corrugated board boxes and other products.
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Cotton: cotton is used in the manufacture of quality papers and may be introduced into the papermaking process in the form of cuttings from the textile industry or as cotton linters.
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Crazing: tiny, hair-like cracks on the surface of an acrylic sheet resulting from high internal stress. This effect results from chemical exposure in combination with mechanical forces or impact.
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Deckle Edge: the irregular edge of handmade papers. Machine made papers can have imitation deckle edges produced mechanically after the paper is dried. Art on deckle edge paper is often float mounted so that the irregular edges can be viewed.
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Drymount: a method of attaching a photograph, print, or certificate to a firmer background for better appearance and easier handling. The process can involve heat and a mounting film with pressure in a drymount press to achieve a permanent bond.
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Dust Cover: the sheet of paper attached to the back of the frame to protect the artwork against atmospheric pollutants and inhibit the entry of insects.
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Embellishment: a term most often used with mat decoration, the creating of lines, colored panels, applied paper and the like.
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Face-to-Face and Back-to-Back: a phrase to be remembered when two or more framed pieces are being transported from one place to another. Frames should be stacked frame front facing frame front and backs facing backs. This is to prevent the hanging hardware on the back of one frame from gouging into the surface of another frame.
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Fading: a gradual change in color of a paper. It is usually applied to the change produced by light.
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Fillet: a second mat under the first mat, usually of contrasting color. Also, a piece of wood placed inside a mat opening or inside the rabbet of a frame moulding.
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Fitting: putting the frame package together, the operation of installing the artwork and its surrounding frame elements into the picture frame. Also called assembling.
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Float Mount: mounting artwork on a decorative mat so that all the edges are visible after the art is framed. Most commonly done with art on deckle edge paper or very old documents where the edge has deteriorated.
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Foam Core: the board on which artwork is mounted inside a picture frame. It is very light and comes commonly in white and black. Though it is quite stiff, it easily creases and dents with little effort. Foam core is available in an acid-free variety for conservation framing.
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French Mat: a mat decorated with lines and watercolor wash or gilded panels.
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Gesso: thick liquid preparation usually made of white chalk and glue. It is used as a wood primer or as a base for gilding.
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Gilding: the operation of applying gold or silver leaf.
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Glazing: a transparent material used to cover some artwork. The most common materials in framing are float glass and acrylic sheeting. Artwork on paper should always be covered with glazing to protect the paper. A spacer should always be included between the art and the glazing to prevent the art from adhering to the glazing. A spacer can be a window mat or a small strip of acrylic or board.
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Hinge Mount: a low intrusion method that attaches art on paper to the mounting board using Japanese paper and cooked starch paste. A strip of long fiber, acid-free paper is torn so that the fibers stick out well past the edges of the paper. A small amount of cooked starch paste is used to moisten the fibers on one end. The strip is placed on the art so that the fibers touch the paper of the art just past its edge. Another strip of torn paper is attached to the first strip and the mounting board with starch paste well away from the art.
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Hygroscopic: absorbing or attracting moisture from the air.
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Inert: having little or no ability to react, as nitrogen that occurs uncombined in the atmosphere.
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Joining: the operation of gluing and nailing together the corners of a picture frame.
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Laminated Board: paperboard laminated by combining two or more plys of board; the adhesive used may be either a water solution of glue, casein, or starch, or a thermoplastic wax or resin composition.
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Laminated: in general, the adhering of two or more sheets or plys or boards together to make a single sheet with the desired characteristics.
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Lignin: occurs in most plant cell walls and gives structural strength to the plant. Lignin is unstable and becomes acidic as it breaks down. The acid that forms can migrate to framed art unless the mat is buffered, turning the paper brown and causing it to dry.
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Liner: a wood moulding fit inside another wood moulding, often covered with fabric such as linen, silk or velvet. Liners are used as a separation between painting and a frame, or as an insert as an extra decorative touch.
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Lite: technical name for a sheet of glass. Picture framing glass is also called single-strength glass; it is thinner than window glass.
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Mat Board: a multi-ply board usually comprised of a core, adhesive, facing and backing paper, commonly four ply, but available in other thickness. May be rag board or made of wood fiber. The surface paper comes in a wide variety of colors. In framing, used to make the window mat and as a mounting board for artwork.
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Mat: as used in picture framing, a stiff material, such as cardboard, with an opening cut from the center so that it forms a border between the outer edges of a picture and the inner edge of a frame, commonly referred to as a window mat.
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Mat(ting): a border, usually made from one or more window mats, placed around a print, photograph, etc., to serve as a spacer or separation between the picture and the frame.
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Miter or Mitre: the angle cut of the moulding to form the corner of the frame.
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Moulding: lumber milled and shaped to a profile. Picture frame moulding is specially shaped to be made into frames. It usually has a rabbet into which the artwork is fitted.
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Mount or Mounting Board: a sheet of board or a rigid support onto which the artwork is attached.
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Mounting: the operation by which the picture is adhered to a firm support, or a canvas is attached to a stretcher frame. The term “mounting” is often used by conservators in reference to hinging.
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Mylar®: a registered trademark of Dupont for polyester films. Mylar-D is the most stable polyester film and is used by picture framers to encapsulate art on paper, paper documents or other objects where it is important to view the entire object.
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Neutral pH: a pH factor 6.5 to 7.5.
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Non-glare Glass: glass where one or both sides have been treated chemically or mechanically to slightly roughen the surface, causing reflected incident light to be dispersed in all directions. Because the glass surface is not smooth, art images behind the glass tend to be softened. The level of soft focus depends on how far the art is from the glass. Objects in shadowbox or deep frames should never be displayed with non-glare glass.
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Ogee: a moulding profile shaped like the letter “S.”
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Overall Dimension: the outside size of the art including the frame.
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Off Square: term applied to sheet materials (paper or glazing) which have been cut or trimmed so that two or more corners deviate from an exact 90º angle.
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Offset: in matting, an additional dimension added to the bottom margin of the window mat to balance visual proportioning.
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Outgassing: the release of gases from a material.
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pH (potential for Hydrogen): pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. This measurement indicates, on a scale of 0 to 14, the relative acidity or alkalinity of a given solution. pH values from 0 to 7 indicate acidity; from 7 to 14 alkalinity. 7.0± .5 is considered the neutral range-also called pH Neutral.
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Ply: one of the separate webs which make up the sheet of paper. One of the sheets which are laminated together to build up a pasted board of given thickness. The sheets which are laminated together to build up a solid fiber or pasted board of a given thickness.
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Pollution: the presence of matter or energy whose nature, location or quantity produces undesired effects (i.e., environment, art, paper, books, framing materials).
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Polyvinyl Adhesive: a water-based adhesive made from polyvinyl acetate. It is used to bond porous and semi-porous materials such as wood, paper, cardboard, cloth and leather. When dry the adhesive remains flexible for long periods of time, perhaps 300 years according to some experts. Universally used to join picture frame corners.
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Premium Clear Glass: float glass without special treatment. It reflects about 8% of incident light and blocks about 42% of incident ultraviolet light.
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Preservation: as used with framing for display: work done using methods and materials designed to maintain the conditions and longevity of the item. Preferred to the term Conservation which is most often used when there is treatment to the artwork or item.
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Pressure Sensitive Boards: any of a variety of paper or foam boards with a adhesive surface to which another material may be adhered by the application of pressure.
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Pressure-Sensitive Tape: also called double-faced tape, as it is impregnated with adhesive on both sides. Useful for adhering mats together, or dust covers to backs of frames.
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Profile: the shape or cross-section of the moulding. A picture frame’s profile includes the height, width and rabbet depth, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
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Rabbet: the cut-out portion on the inside of the frame that accommodates the art.
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Rag Board: matboard from non-wood products such as cotton linters, or cotton which are naturally lignin free, stable and durable.
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Sight Measurement: measurement of the exposed part of the art inside the frame.
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Starch Paste: paste made by cooking rice starch or wheat starch granules with a small amount of water until they burst and a gelatinous paste is formed. The paste is used as a hinging adhesive in preservation framing.
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Stretcher Bars: wooden sections with two notches in each end that are fitted into each other and the four sides squared. A canvas is then stretched and stapled to the stretcher bars and wooden keys are pounded into each corner, providing a completely taut surface. These may also be used to stretch stitcheries or tapestries.
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Stock Sizes: common sizes of papers and boards which are usually stocked by producers, distributors, or consumers. Examples are 8 x 10, 16 x 20, and 24 x 36.
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Turnbuttons: metal hardware of various sizes with a hole in one end allowing for attachment to the back of a frame with a small screw. At right-angle position, half a dozen turnbuttons can hold the glass, mat, art and backing into the frame. With a loosening of the screw, easy removal of the frame components can be removed, eliminating the need for professional fitting and backing in the future; useful when rotating of art in and out of the frame is necessary.
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Ultraviolet Blocking: glass that is treated, usually with an applied coating, but may have a plastic fitter sandwiched between two pieces of glass, that prevents 97% of ultraviolet radiation from being transmitted through the glass. UV blocking glass is the glazing of choice for art that will be displayed in daylight, fluorescent or halogen lighting.
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V-Groove: a type of mat decoration where two bevels are cut in opposite directions to form a v-shaped furrow in the surface.
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