Do you cut your own mats or order precut mats?

[Hugh Sakols]

Do you folks cut your own mats or order pre-cut matts?

[Kirk Gittings]

Since none of my prints are exactly the same dimensions, I cut my own mats.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Cut my own, not a difficult thing to do and much less expensive than either buying precut or having someone do it for you. Like Kirk, my print dimensions are not always the same as the print size is based on the image.

[paulr]

i cut them, and hate every minute of it.

first thing i'll do when i'm a mack daddy with a gold tooth is hire someone to take over.

[Henry Ambrose]

I cut them. I don't find it that hard and its cheaper than buying. And the very best reason has already been taken - photos want to be a different size and shape. If I was matting ten of the same I might have those cut on a machine.

[Ralph Barker]

I'm cheap and lazy. I make all my prints standard sizes and buy standard-size precut mats. That way, I also avoid having to make or buy custom frame sizes. I tried cutting my own once, but wiped out any savings with the first mistake.

[Alan Davenport]

I bought an Alto's mat cutter a couple years ago and have had no trouble since. I chose a small assortment of mat boards and laid in a few of each. Now all I gotta do is choose and cut, no more trips to the craft store to find just the right mat for a photo (which they never seemed to have anyway. The "just right" one, I mean.)

My photography is done primarily for my own edification, so gaining control over another facet of the creative process has been a boon for me. YMMV.

[Frank Petronio]

I used to cut for Light Impressions (Slight Depressions) in my youth. Now I make friends with a framer and give him a list to cut when he is slow. He is much more accurate than me. I usually have to wreck a few before I get them perfect, so the DIY savings is wasted, especially on the big stuff.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I cut my own with a Dexter mat cutter, a T-square and a C-clamp. I guess if I were to stick to contact printing and always composing for the format, I could order precut mats, but I don't.

[CXC]

I used to, till I found framesbymail.com, who will cut any size, with window, down to 1/8". For the quantities I need they are plenty cheap.

[Steve Bell]

When I had a basic matt cutter I use to swear and moan when cutting matts, and wasted quite a few. I tried using precut matts, but it meant sacrificing the best crop of a good image to make it fit.

Now I use a cutter that clamps the board and uses preset stops for the cutter, you can't go wrong. As most prints are different sizes it's the only way to go. It's fast, accurate and stressless.

[Richard Schlesinger]

The inexpensive (about $75) Logan mat cutter has served me well. The Dexter requires more dexter(ity) than I was able to manage.

[darr]

I have been using a Valiani (http://framingsupplies.com/Valiani/ValianiMatCutters.htm) (Italian made) mat cutter for a few years. It is one of the nicest mat cutters I've used.

[James Walker]

I cut my own and use a frameco matmaster 660B mat cutter; works very well for me.

www.clubframeco.com/mat_cutters.html (http://www.clubframeco.com/mat_cutters.html)

[Michael Graves]

I've got a frameco as well. Don 't recall the exact model; but its a 12-something-or-the-other. I liked it when I first got it. I like it even better now that my wife has learned how to use it and actually ENJOYS cutting mats. She's better at it than I am anyway.

[paulr]

"now that my wife has learned how to use it and actually ENJOYS cutting mats. She's better at it than I am anyway."

wow, be sure not to let her get away.

[Mark Woods]

I've owned a Dexter matt cutter for over 30 years and it works great.

MW

[John Hennessy]

Evidently what I do is a compromise: I buy precut standard size boards such as 16x20, 20x24 and 22x28 and then cut matts from them with a Logan Compact mattt cutter that is about 20 years old. Buying uncut 32x40 sheets is by far the most economical way but it is hard (for me at least) without a large matt cutter to cut such big sheets down to size and keep the cuts square.

My images are often not a standard size but I like the outer demensions to be standard most of time so they hang together more cohesively.

You didn't ask, but ArtCare™ Mat Boards from http://www.superiorarchivalmats.com/ is a good choice.

[David Crossley]

Invest in a quality mat cutter. It's easily worth the learning curve in maintaining critical creative and continuous control throughout the fine art print process.

David Crossley/Crossley Photography....

[Brian Ellis]

I tried cutting my own for a while using a Logan mat cutter that cost about $150. After almost slitting my left wrist a couple times I decided the risk wasn't worth it, plus I found it very difficult to cut clean corners. Maybe a more expensive cutter or a more mechanically adept operator would have helped.

[Gary L. Quay]

I cut my own. I own an Alto's mat cutter for the windows, and an ancient wall unit to cut the outsides. I need the flexibility due to the varying sized of my photographs. My advice: don't use blades for too long. Trying to get extra life out of a blade will waste a greater value in mat board.

I bought a Logan once and had to return it because the groove was curved. It stuck out 1/16th of an inch past the cutting edge. I think their quality control is shoddy these days.

I also tried building my own mat cutter. I'm good with tools, and I have a small wood shop, yet it was a disaster. If you can convince yourself that your time is worth at least a few bucks an hour, you won't try to build your own.

--Gary

[Nicholas F. Jones]

I cut my own. But since I mount and overmat only a few prints to hang in my home, it's just an afternoon's work every few months or so.

You do have to change blades often; if you wait until the first time you tear the board, it's too late. Somehow I've managed not to waste any materials by recycling mistakes or using cut-outs or scraps for smaller prints.

I don't mind the occasional overcuts, I regard them as signs of hand-craftsmanship--in my estimation desirable.

But pre-cuts are really not an option for me anyway, since (as several posters have said) every print is different. Besides, I look at mounting and overmatting as my final opportunity to correct or improve the composition that came off my enlarger.

[Craig Wactor]

I have always cut my own, and have made some serious money cutting custom mats for others - but I HATE it! I am getting out of it and am looking for someone to cut mine. I want to spend my time photographing and printing, not framing.

I might have to give the framesbymail.com a try. Thier prices seem reasonable.

[John Brownlow]

I cut my own. I have one of those mid-level Logan mat-cutters (without the T-bar). It works great.