Quote:
Originally Posted by KrozFan
Use the archival materials. Not only is it better for the picture, but if you use a cheap mat board the white you see on the beveled edge will turn brown in less than a year, the acid free stuff stays white. It looks a lot better
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I have to agree. If your spending the time and money on fine art paper or prints then a little extra on the matting is not much. Getting good quality conservation or archival mats in bulk is easy to keep the cost down. The boards referred above that darken are the plan paper mats, often labeled in retail stores as acid-free when what they are is simply a buffered acid-free. The term "acid free" is used all over the mat board industry and means very little. Conservation, archival or museum grade are the terms that have to be asked about.
Use the best 4ply or 8ply cotton rag or alpha-cellulose matting and label your prints as such with confidence. I get my 11x14 mats for less than $2 each.