Artwork Matting Hack

It is art show season around here and while matting a pile of artwork I was getting frustrated at how long and repetitive the process is. Because I want to mat work to the best advantage, the paper is not always the same size. Normally I would trace the opening of one mat onto the next before I mount the art to the mat, but that only works if they are the same size. I started thinking, this would be much easier if I just had the corner and used it 4 times.

So. I. Did.

And I'm going to show you how to do it, too!

Choose your desired mat thickness For this example I'm going to go with 1.5"

On your paper cutter, cut a strip of mat board that is 1.5" wide

Now cut that strip into two smaller pieces.

Tape them together into an "L" shape

All of your next steps are the same. Figure out how big your mat board will be (including the extra 1.5 all the way around) and cut that down to size. Now flip it over and put your "L" in each corner and trace a little "L" in pencil. Do this in each corner. 

Now you are ready to cut your mat.

Be sure to label and save the corner with all your matting supplies and you won't have to do this again. Ever!  Another benefit is being able to see how a certain thickness looks with the art before cutting.

Have fun! Happy Art Show Season