Anyone use Lineco mat board from University Products?

[Steve Goldstein]

University Products is offering free shipping (CONUS only) on Lineco mat board, their house brand, until next Tuesday. The price for the 100% rag board seems pretty good, especially when shipping is free. Has anyone used this product? I've used white Alpharag Artcare in the past and am curious as to how Lineco compares. Unfortunately the duration of this offer is not long enough for me to get samples from UP to see for myself.

[Drew Wiley]

Depends on who actually manufactured it. Different sources of board tend to cut a bit differently, and even respond to humidity differently. There can also be minor color differences or choices. The biggest headache is when there is a big enough thickness difference edge to edge to fool your matcutter blade depth setting. I pretty much regard Rising Museum Board as the gold standard. But all my wholesale sources have dried up. It's astounding to note how all three big distributors of such thing in this major urban market have disappeared. But when a moulding and matboard warehouse is sitting atop a city lot that will sell for fifty or a hundred million dollars, so it can get instantly leveled to build uber-expensive techie highrise condos, that is what is happening all around here. "Gentrification". I'm about to try Archival Methods next, since they have a ragboard shade that almost perfectly matches my remaining Rising inventory.

[climbabout]

Steve - I have used Lineco from University Products exclusively for many years without issue. I only had to send 1 batch back that UPS ruined because they did not put corner protectors on the packages and they were poorly packed. I got a replacement shipment with no questions asked and I have asked for corner protectors ever since and they have always obliged my request and their packing since that incident has been more than adequate. I use 4 ply and 2 ply buffered "pure white" in 16x20 and 11x14. I have had no quality issues with their products ever. Someone once told me that the Lineco brand is made by Rising - not sure if that is true or not.

[Steve Goldstein]

Thanks for the tip about corner protectors! I'll be sure to request them when I place my order.