Banquet mat sizes

[Colin Graham]

Curious what those printing pano (7x17, etc) are using for mat sizes. Generally I like very large mats (2 sizes larger at least) but something about the banquet formats looks at odds with really big mats to me, like the wide aspect is competing with all the peripheral matting and loosing. But I'm new to framing this format and may just be unused to it. Any thoughts welcome.

 

[Colin Graham]

Bump, still curious. I made some custom frames 11x18 for 5x12 prints, or did for holiday gifts. Looks pretty good, if a little conservative. But it seems to detract the least from the relative intimacy of the format.

I would have though with all the interest in 2.4:1 formats there would have been some responses. This would also apply to anyone enlarging 6x17cm, or pano 35mm, etc.

 

[jgjbowen]

Colin,

I too am new to 7x17. I looked to Michael Smith's website for information (8x20) and ended up using 13x25 mats. If it helps, I use 14x17 mats for 8x10 images.

 

[Colin Graham]

Hi John, thanks, nice to hear what others are doing.

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Colin, I'm trying to sort this out myself right now. I just started shooting 8x20 and so far I'm using 12x24 mats and I'm living with it for a bit to see if I need to change.

Jim

 

[Kerik]

I like about 4" all the way around. 15x25 is my standard matt for 7x17 prints.

 

[jp80874]

23 3/8 x 14 1/8 inches overall. 3 ¼ on three sides, 4 inches on the bottom. Each film holder is different, but this hole gives roughly half of the notches and not as much black around the rest of the negative as I have seen elsewhere. Just another opinion.

John Powers

 

[Colin Graham]

Cool, nice to hear some more opinions. I've yet to come across any framed panoramas in person, so this is very helpful.

 

[Scott Peters]

13" x 22" - for 7x17 - you will get three mats out of 32x40. In addition, at a recent show the gallery owner/framer who frames for major museums & banks in southwest recommended the 13x22 (previously I was matting at larger sizes). I must admit I did prefer the 13 x 22, fwiw.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I'm only shooting 5x12, but I keep similar proportions - I framed my latest 5x12 to 9x16 (gosh, the same framing as an anamorphic TV screen!). IF you're shooting 5x12, 9x16 makes a really nice size because you can get eight mats out of a 32x40.

 

[RobertP]

Like Kerik....4" all the way around. for 8x20- 16x28 mat.

 

[michael9793]

M&P are using 13x25 inch matts for 8x20, slightly larger for framed work. see their site Dead Link Removed. I use the 13x25 cotton rag matt board which looks good to me.

michael andersen

 

[Deckled Edge]

Aaron Brothers, a chain of art/frame/supply stores nationwide, carries a frame they call "Signature" which is a wood frame 14 x 24. I just found one yesterday, and mounted a 7x17 print in it, and it looks pretty good. It gives 3-1/2 in. all the way around, not quite the Kerik standard, but close and ready made. Only problem is it contains a precut matt with three standard sizes individually cut out of the matt as a three-fer. You will be paying some for a matt you'll throw away, but at $27.00 for the complete frame, that's not too bad.

 

[Steve_7x]

I like a broader boarder around my prints:

4x10 = 10x16 3" border 16x20 which is halved
5x12 = 11x18 3" border cut from 14x18
7x11 = 14x18 3.5" border full sheet of 14x18
7x17 = 14x24 3.5" border cut from 20x24
8x20 = 16x28 4" border cut from 22x28
12x20 = 20x28 4" border cut from 22x28

I use std board sizes and trim for panoramas/banquets because I buy the standard sizes for prints that I make that are not elongated...

Steve

 

[Steve Goldstein]

FWIW, I have a Lois Conner 7x17 print (vertical format), that she matted as 13x24. This also allows you to cut 3 mats per 32x40 sheet.

steve

 

[fdi]

Since I own a picture frame company that specializes in photography I was very interested in this question myself. Unfortunately, there are no standards, mostly just subjective preferences. Our customers will have lots of different factors pulling them in different directions such as cost, display space, printer capability, and their customer preferences. We have decided on our pano sizes to carry for various reasons and list all of sizes here based on image size and final frame size:

Support picture frame sizes