Reviews
Part of Displaying keepsakes without wearing them out
Glazing, matboard and hinges for memory display, compared for a first frame
Glazing, matboard and hinges for a first frame, with the named products and acid-free tape worth comparing before you spend anything on a display.
What to take away
- Tru Vue Conservation Clear blocks most ultraviolet below 380 nm; plain window glass blocks almost none.
- Crescent Select and Rising Museum Board are buffered; Rising Photomount is unbuffered for dye-based colour prints.
- Lineco and Gaylord sell gummed linen tape and Japanese paper hinges; 3M Scotch 810 is not one of them.
- The hinge must undo without solvent and without adhesive touching the artifact.
- Buy 4-ply board and a frame with a rabbet deep enough for glass, mat and backing.
Glazing
The Canadian Conservation Institute note on glazing materials for framing works on paper sets the baseline: inert, rigid, impervious to air and water vapor, colourless. Clear glass transmits over 90 percent of visible light and blocks ultraviolet below 300 nm. Filtering glazing removes the 300 to 400 nm band.
Glazing options compared
Conservation Clear
- Material
- Clear glass
- UV filtering
- Yes
- Anti-reflective
- No
- Best for
- Most paper
- Price tier
- Low
Museum Glass
- Material
- Anti-reflective glass
- UV filtering
- Yes
- Anti-reflective
- Yes
- Best for
- Dark rooms
- Price tier
- Mid
Acrylite OP-3
- Material
- UV acrylic
- UV filtering
- Yes
- Anti-reflective
- No
- Best for
- Large frames
- Price tier
- Mid
Optium Museum Acrylic
- Material
- Anti-static acrylic
- UV filtering
- Yes
- Anti-reflective
- Yes
- Best for
- Pastel, chalk
- Price tier
- Highest
What it is
- Tru Vue Conservation Clear
- Clear glass with a UV coating
- Tru Vue Museum Glass
- Anti-reflective plus UV filtering
- Acrylite OP-3
- UV-filtering acrylic sheet
- Optium Museum Acrylic
- Anti-static, anti-reflective acrylic
Who it suits
- Tru Vue Conservation Clear
- Most paper artifacts
- Tru Vue Museum Glass
- Dark or reflective rooms
- Acrylite OP-3
- Large frames, wall anchors that will not take glass
- Optium Museum Acrylic
- Pastel, chalk, charcoal
Pricing model
- Tru Vue Conservation Clear
- Per sheet, by size
- Tru Vue Museum Glass
- Priced above Conservation Clear
- Acrylite OP-3
- Per sheet
- Optium Museum Acrylic
- Highest tier
Filtering glazing earns its cost where ultraviolet exceeds 75 microwatts per lumen and windows and lights are unfiltered. None of these materials removes all ultraviolet.
Static is the reason acrylic is the wrong choice over pastel, chalk or charcoal. It lifts loose media off the surface.
Matboard
The Canadian Conservation Institute's note on matting works on paper lists the mat's jobs. It supports the work during handling, creates an air space so nothing touches the glazing, and gives you a surface for titles instead of writing on the item.
Matboard options compared
Crescent Select
- Material
- Cotton rag
- Buffering
- Buffered pH 7.5-8.5
- Best for
- Documents, letters
Rising Museum Board
- Material
- Cotton rag
- Buffering
- Buffered
- Best for
- Most paper
Rising Photomount
- Material
- Cotton rag
- Buffering
- Unbuffered pH 7
- Best for
- Dye photos
Lineco Buffered Board
- Material
- Purified wood pulp
- Buffering
- Buffered pH 8.5
- Best for
- Economical choice
What it is
- Crescent Select
- Cotton rag, buffered to pH 7.5 to 8.5
- Rising Museum Board
- Cotton rag, buffered
- Rising Photomount
- Unbuffered cotton rag, pH 7
- Lineco Buffered Board
- Purified wood pulp, buffered to pH 8.5
Who it suits
- Crescent Select
- Documents, letters, most paper
- Rising Museum Board
- Same use, sold in 4-ply and 8-ply
- Rising Photomount
- Dye-based colour photographs
- Lineco Buffered Board
- Economical alternative
Buffered board suits most works on paper. Only conservation-quality board, paper and adhesive should touch an artifact. Paper is extremely sensitive to contamination from poor-quality materials. Buy 4-ply; thinner board bows at larger sizes and leaves too little air space.
Hinges and corners
For copies, use anything. For originals, use corners or hinges that undo without adhesive touching the item. Corners hold the object by its edges and need no glue on the object at all, which makes them the safest starting point.
Hinges and corners compared
Lineco Gummed Linen Tape
- What it is
- Water-activated tape
- Reversible
- Yes
- Adhesive on item
- Yes
- Best for
- Larger sheets
Gaylord Archival Hinging Kit
- What it is
- Japanese paper and paste
- Reversible
- Yes
- Adhesive on item
- Yes
- Best for
- First hinging job
Lineco Photo Corners
- What it is
- Self-adhesive corners
- Reversible
- Yes
- Adhesive on item
- No
- Best for
- Photographs
What it is
- Lineco Gummed Linen Tape
- Water-activated, reversible
- Gaylord Archival Hinging Kit
- Japanese paper and wheat starch paste
- Lineco Photo Corners
- Clear or black, self-adhesive to the board
Who it suits
- Lineco Gummed Linen Tape
- Hinges on larger sheets
- Gaylord Archival Hinging Kit
- First hinging job
- Lineco Photo Corners
- Photographs, no adhesive on the print
Never use pressure-sensitive tape on an original, in any form, however it is labeled. That includes 3M Scotch 810 and every craft tape sold beside it.
A first purchase
You will need the following:
- One 4-ply sheet of Crescent Select in white or buff
- One sheet of Tru Vue Conservation Clear at a standard size
- A mat cutter or a supplier who cuts the window
- Lineco Photo Corners
- A frame with a deep rabbet That is a complete first frame.
Our guide to displaying keepsakes without wearing them out covers where to hang the result, and the weekend practice plan covers learning to cut a window before you cut one for something irreplaceable.
Common questions
Is non-glare glass a good idea?
It scatters light and softens detail, and it works badly with a deep mat. Prefer position and lighting changes instead.
Can I use acrylic over a photograph?
Yes for most prints. Avoid it over anything with a powdery or flaking surface, where static lifts the image layer.
How wide should the mat border be?
Wider at the bottom than the top by a small margin, which reads as visually even. Function matters more than proportion.
Do I need a backing board as well?
Yes. It supports the piece and closes the package against dust from behind.
