Borders on color enlargements?

[Jay Staton]

I am having a small showing of some of my work, both color and B&W. While I think a white border enhances a B&W enlargement(then the mat) I don't have a feel for color enlargements. Should color enlargements have a white border around them?

[Steve Feldman]

Jay,

Congratulations on the showing.

Opinions are like bellybuttons . . . Everybody has one. So here's mine:

Agreed, B & W prints are usually presented well with a white over mat. Nothing wrong with a flush mount either. Most times with color prints I follow the same idea. However, IMHO, a color print can, on rare occasion, benefit from a color mat. I'd pick a very light 'theme' color that is found in the print and match that in the color of the matt. A matt should enhance the presentation and in no way dominate it or even call attention to itself. A good photograph with a poor matt job detracts. When in doubt . . . leave it white.

[neil poulsen]

The problem is that drymounting can affect color. Avoiding that, you're left with other more exotic methods of mounting prints. I leave enough paper around to outside to use archival corner tabs to hold the print and overmat around that which border.

[Scott Davis]

Jay - if I understand your question correctly, you're talking about leaving a white paper border showing between the bevel of the window and the image?

I think it is a question of personal taste. I'm less prone to doing that with color than I am with black-and-white, because I usually print my black-and-white full-frame with a filed-out carrier, so I want to be able to see the margins. With color, I usually print with clean edges, so I mat right up to the edge of the image. Also, with color images, I frequently use black mats because I feel it helps separate the color image from whatever background in front of which it hangs, and prevents the overall room color cast from affecting the image.

[Wayne]

I have never left a border with my Ilfochromes. Of course the Ilfochrome border is black unless you make other arrangments, but I prefer the mat to be the only border anyway. YMMV.