Artists: Cutting your own mats?
 I have quite a few pictures that I want to frame. They are odd sizes and it would cost a fortune to get mats special cut at Michael's or JoAnns. How hard is it to cut your own mats and what tools are needed? I did a basic Google search and found a tool that is about $70. Advice? |
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| Well, depends how picky you are. If you want a bevel cut, then you need a mat cutter that will do bevels. Otherwise, you can use an exacto knife and a good straight edge, but it won't be perfect the first but probably not too bad. Round and oval cuts........have someone else do them. |
| No kidding, when I saw the title for this post I thought it was going to contain some kind of mat topiary picture. I feel slightly disappointed! |
 Now there's an idea! Poodles can have the poms.........sheepies can have mats....we need a better name for them. |
| I have an old mat cutter that I used in the days when I developed negatives, made prints and framed them. Find some old mats and practice on them. The first couple of tries on the corner are definitely practice. But it is fun to know that I made it from start (took the picture) to finish (framed it). |
Mady wrote: No kidding, when I saw the title for this post I thought it was going to contain some kind of mat topiary picture. I feel slightly disappointed! I kind of thought the same thing but I don't know if I was disappointed.  |
| I have a Logan Compact Mat Cutter that I used while in college to do photo projects. Honestly, with the half-off coupons that Michael's and JoAnn's offer routinely, I'd just opt for having them cut on more professional equipment. While the DIY approach sounds great, mat board itself is very expensive and it only takes one slip to trash an entire sheet. Needless to say, I bite the bullet now and have all my stuff done professionally at a local framing shop. |
| I also wait for the half off coupons and have them do it. |
| I used to be a professional picture framer- cutting mats can be frustrating and difficult if you don't have the right tools. And learning to get the mats right, you'll go through quite a lot of mat board learning. Better, I'd think, to wait for the Joanns and Michaels 50% or even 60% off coupons and get them inexpensively then. |
| Oh sheesh!!! You know you've been around dogs too long when I saw cutting your own mats - I thought whazzat? You mean tangled hair? Ha Ha! Good luck with your mat cutting! |
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