What Size Mat for 7x17

[Richard K.]

do you use? I also recall (but can't find) something about clam-shell boxes for mounted 7x17 prints? Can some kind soul, who has better luck using the search function, please tell me where to find this information? Thank you!

[Scott Davis]

I'd probably use a 12x24 mat for a 7x17 print. It's not a standard size, but it will give you 2(top)x3(bottom)x3.5(L)x3.5(R) borders, which is enough to not crowd the image.

[Kirk Gittings]

I personally prefer a little more breathing space around my images, 4 to 5 inches. I would look at 15x25 with the window cut 1" around the image and 1/4 of an inch above center.

[Mark Woods]

Here's a source for the clam shell boxes.

http://www.universityproducts.com/ca...entId=&navTree[]=1260&navTree[]=1364&navTree[]=2088

My wife is a research librarian and deals with archiving all of the time.

[John Jarosz]

That URL is truncated but I can't find out what is really supposed to show. It does take you to clam shell boxes but not the sizes we're after.


A real long time ago light Impressions (it may have even been with the original owner, not the current guy) had panorama boxes. I always meant to get a couple but never did. Now they've disappeared.

[Colin Graham]

I like big margins for square and the shorter rectangular formats, but to me banquet formats start looking a little lost on larger matts, like the image becomes subservient to the optical tricks of the surrounding white space.

[Mark Woods]

I'd contact them and see what they can do. I thought their inventory was pretty extensive.

[Vaughn]

I like big margins for square and the shorter rectangular formats, but to me banquet formats start looking a little lost on larger matts...

Good point. Just did some math. I am quite happy to put an 8x10 in a 16x20 frame, but prefer 4x10 in a 12x16 frame. With the former, the image occupies 25% of the area and the latter 20%.

Never mind -- I think I just proved my own point to be incorrect.

But I would probably mat 7x17 to 14x24. Or maybe 16x24...I seem to like to contrast the shape of the long image with a little fatter mat. I'll have to draw it up one of these days.

Vaughn

[Kerik Kouklis]

15"x25" is the matt size I used for 7x17 for years. I like breathing room around the image.

[Keith Pitman]

I use 14x24. How did I arrive at that size? I had 20x24 mat board on hand, and 14" and 24" frame sections. Regardless, it looks good with plenty of breathing room.