Mat board is a thick pulp paper, usually white or off-white, with a pigment applied to one side. It comes in both pastel and strong colors in large sheets, which are cut to size as needed. When used in framing, mat board is usually cut on a slant so the white or off-white interior of the board shows and serves as a boundary to each color. This also prevents the pigment from bleeding onto the artwork.
Mat board is used in framing art or photographs to provide a little distance between the glass and the image being framed. This will, hopefully, keep the image from sticking to the glass and separating from the paper on which it originally was created. Artwork of value should be matted with acid-free mat boards to prevent the paper body of the mat from discoloring the art.
Mat board also serves to provide a way to highlight specific colors in the image either by using the same color or a contrasting color. Mats of several colors are often used to bring out the colors of the image and to provide a professional look to the framed piece.
Mat board with a black interior is available. Cut on a slant like regular mats, a black line separates the colors of the stacked mats.
When using mat board in paper crafts, care must be taken. Folding mat board is difficult to control and leaves the white (or black) body showing. There are bound to be projects for which this is a plus, but I cannot think of any just now.
As a craft paper, shapes cut from mat board, overlapped and fixed together with foam adhesive will provide a nice 3-D effect. If the white edge is bothersome, it can be colored with markers or poster paint, etc.
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