Picture mounts - how to cut double mounts from matte board
With the right tools it is very easy to cut a professional looking double picture mount. For a double mount we need two pieces of matte board. First we cut out the top (outer) mat, stick the two mats together and then cut out the bottom (inner) mat. In this case the top mat is white and the bottom mat is blue
These instructions explain how I created a double mount (overlay) for a 12 x 8 inch photograph. The first image below shows the completed mount consisting of a white outer border and blue inner border. The complete mount is 16x12 inches with an aperture size of 11.5 x 7.5 inches. This means the aperture will overlaps the photograph edge by a quarter of an inch all round providing a nice finish
Picture mount cutting tools
The tools required for cutting picture mounts are: Mount Cutter and Guide Rule, Square, Pencil and Double Sided Tape. Mount Cutters are sometimes called Bevel Cutters by the way. The large Stanley Knife is for cutting large sheets of matte board down to size
Step 1 - Mark out Top Mat
With a rule, square and pencil mark out a 2 inch border on the back of the white mat
Step 2 - Cut the Top Mat
The cutter shown below is the left handed model from FrameCo and the cutter handle sits at the same angle as the cutting blade. This particular cutter has a recess along its right hand edge allowing the cutter to be fitted to the guide rule giving a smooth cutting action which ensures that your lines are always straight. If you look closely you will see that there is a marker half way along the base of the cutter. When this line is perpendicular to the pencil line running off to the left then you can begin cutting
To make the cut press down the cutter handle and shove it forwards until the marker meets the next pencil line. The cutting action should be done firmly and with confidence to get the straightest line possible
Rotate the mat 90 degrees and make the next cut then repeat until the centre drops out
Keep the drop out because it is used in the next step
Step 3 - Stick the Mats Together
Place the drop out back in its original position and place snippets of double sided tape on the back of the top mat and on the drop out
Take the bottom (blue) mat and with it facing down stick it to the back of the top mat
Step 4 - Cutting the inner mount
Repeat Step 1 but this time mark out a two and a half inch border then cut it out like you did in Step 2. Now you are done. The image below shows the completed mount along with the drop out
Finishing touches
For prints foam board is a good choice for the base. The print can easily be glued to the surface of the foam board using 3M Spray Mount. I cut foam board to the same size as the mount (16 x 12 inches) and then use the double sided tape to glue the mount to the foam board. The mounted print can then simply be popped into a frame and taped up using framer's tape
Resources
Upload an image to this neat little free picture mounting application Smart Framer - and play around with various matte board colors, border sizes and framing materials. You can also order a framed print. Frameco also provides excellent how to notes on everything to do with picture framing
Recommendation
I bought a Framco left handed cutter and 26 inch rule about three years ago and I am delighted with them. The fact that the cutter attaches to the rule means that this is the easiest tool I have ever found for cutting picture mounts. It is very easy to use and gives professional results every time
