Mat board (32x40) 4-6-8 ply

[Lawrence Francis]

Any suggestions on where the best values are right now on buying mat board. The freight cost are getting ridiculous from Light Impressions. Thanks for your suggestions.

[Gem Singer]

Hi Lawrence,

Since Light Impressions is located on the West coast, I assume that you are located closer to the East coast. I'm sure you realize that even 4ply 32X40 mat boards are large and heavy. Freight charges are based on weight and distance, hence the high cost of shipping.

B&H, in New york, handles mat board, up to 32X40 inches. They also have very reasonable prices (www.bhphoto.com). You may not be able to get the exact brand you are used to using, but that's the trade off for the lower price. If you live close to N.Y., you can save the shipping charges by picking the boards up, yourself. If not, at least the shipping charges will be lower.

Good luck.

[Ted Harris]

You can beat Light Impressions prices from a variety of sources and you will find at least one thread on the topic in the archives here. Without knowing where you are located I hesitate to make too many recommendations. I believe that one source you can count on since they have warehouses around the country is Charrette (http://www.charrette.com). Just for kicks I sat down with the Light Imporessions catalog and the Charrrette catalog a couple of weeks ago and did some straight pre-shipping price comparisons and Charrette was 11% ot 13% cheaper across the board AFTER I took off Light Impressions current 15% off. Additionally, at least in my case, they ship from a nearby warehouse and I get the goodies the next day at ground shipping prices.



Until recently the only thing that I just couldn't find anywhere but Light Impressions was archival separation sheets/tissue and I now have an East Coast source for that .... see http://www.pfile.com/index.html

[CXC]

32x40 is the standard size for matboards. They are available in a wide variety of colors and textures and ply counts from any art supply or drafting store. So I'd do a little local searching to see if you can't pick some up directly in your car rather than having to go the expensive mail-order route.

[John Boeckeler]

Try Talas in New York (www.talasonline.com). I buy most of my mat board from them. They sell Rising museum mat board, which in my opinion is at least as good as the Westminster board sold by Light Impressions. Their prices are lower and their service is excellent.

[william_3670]

check out superior archival materials inc. their in philly.

[lee\c]

Since Light Impressions is located on the West coast,

I thought Light Impressions was located in upstate New York. Did they move? Have I been asleep that long?

leec

[John Boeckeler]

Yes, they moved, and it takes a lot longer to receive an order from them here, in Maine, than it used to. Just one of the reasons they are my supplier of last resort.

[Scott Walton]

http://www.archivalsuppliers.com/about.html http://www.superiorarchivalmats.com/sam/index.html

[Ed Pierce]

Another vote for Talas. Great service & selection, low prices. They pack very well so the boards arrive in good shape. Since shipping is a major part of the cost, it makes sense to order as much as you can at once. Ask them about this; they'll walk you through it.