Easy Way to Mount a Poster with Mat Board Yourself

A mounting picture with mat board is a nice way to keep the artwork from the environment and improve the appearance of art, by creating a field between the piece and the frame. The work mounted on the mat can be to frame and put on the shelf without a frame. Mat board (or mat) is a thick piece of cardboard with cut out area in the center. 

Below I will give you some verified links of picture mats based on customer reviews or go directly to Amazon (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).

If you have not yet decided on the choice of art for your home, check out our art prints.

There are many ways to mount the poster with a mat. I’ll show you one of the simplest and most effective ways that you can use yourself too.

So, you will need:

  • matboard (mat)
  • poster (artwork is slightly larger than the cut-out hole in matboard)
  • art sticky tape
  • cardboard (or plastic, thick paper or foam board as a base) of the same size as the mat
  • photo corners for mounting pictures (optional)
  • rubber gloves (optional)
  • clean and smooth surface

mat1

1. Wear rubber gloves or wash your hands thoroughly to avoid leaving fingerprints on the poster and mat.

2. Place the mat (face down) next to cardboard (face up). Connect the mat and cardboard using art sticky tape. (I myself made the mat and you can see the auxiliary lines on the back of mat).

Poster with mat board 3

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3. Then put your poster on the cardboard so that it was under a mat. Move your print so long as it will not look great in the cut area of the mat. (Note my poster has a white field for better framing, as well as all the posters in the ReStyleGraphic store).

Poster with mat board 5

4. Place any heavy objects on your piece, that it does not accidentally shifted. I used a clean glass a bottle paint.

Poster with mat board 6

5. Carefully attach photo corners to every corner of your poster and glue them to cardboard.

6. If you do not have photo corners as well as I do, you can cut the paper triangles, put it on the corners of the poster, and connect with cardboard using sticky tape. This method enables you to avoid damage to your art.

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7. To connect the mat and poster, I put the double sided tape on cardboard on each side near the poster. Avoid contact the tape and the arts.

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8. Carefully connect the mats and cardboard, press down and straighten. Voila! Your poster is ready to hang or to frame.

mat2

With this method, you can use your poster with other mat or frame, if you want in the future, as your art will not be damaged. To use your pic mounted to the frame, check my post How to choose the right frame size for your wall art.

Now I will give you some picture mats that have been approved by many Amazon buyers.

Schliersee 10 Pack White 18x24 Picture Mats, for 16x20 Photo with Core Cut Picture Frame Mats

Schliersee 10 Pack White 18×24 Picture Mats, for 16×20 Photo with Core Cut Picture Frame Mats

These fit perfectly and worked great. Make sure you know your mat size as all 4 sides do not have the same width depending on the frame and picture size. They don’t seem to be the highest quality, but are absolutely fine if you are just mounting pictures in a standard frame. I would probably use something else (besides a $3-4 mat) for any artwork or photo of value.  —Amazon Customer

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Pack of (2) 20x24 Acid Free White Core Picture Mats Cut for 16x20 Pictures in White

Pack of (2) 20×24 Acid Free White Core Picture Mats Cut for 16×20 Pictures in White

Perfect fit and exactly what I needed to frame my limited edition artist prints! A slight bevel at the inner edge makes the transition between art and may well defined. Arrived quickly and packed securely in a very study box, no bending or creases!  

ricebowl32

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24x36 Cream White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 20x30 Pictures - Pack of 10

24×36 Cream White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 20×30 Pictures – Pack of 10

High quality 24×36 picture mats ideal to showcase your 20×30 pictures in the frame of your choice. Perfect when creating a wall gallery in your home. The perfect accent to any photo or frame. Have also purchased 8X10 and 5X7 mats from same vendor with same great quality and satisfaction.
 

Morelli Bass Girl

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Craig Frames B459 24x36-Inch Mat, Single Opening for 20x30-Inch Image, Deep Red with Cream Core

Craig Frames B459 24×36-Inch Mat, Single Opening for 20×30-Inch Image, Deep Red with Cream Core

I ordered this mat in the deep red color to compliment a print I have had for several years. The mat is beautiful, the deep red color is exactly as shown on the website, AND the vendor did a fantastic job of packaging the mat so that it did not get bent during shipping. Awesome!

Amazon Customer

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White Photo Mat with Black Core 28x40 for 24x36 Posters - Fits 28x40 Frame

Poster Palooza White on Black Double Photo Mat 24×36 for 20×30 Photos – Fits 24×36 Frame

Bought mat and frame separately, hoping everything would fit properly for a watercolor print that I got for my wife for Christmas. Everything was shipped separately, perfect condition on arrival, and did fit together perfectly! Very pleased! —Terry Pyle

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11x14" White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 8x10" Pictures- Pack of 12

11×14″ White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 8×10″ Pictures- Pack of 12

I had the kids each decorate these picture mats for their school pictures. We used colored pencils, but crayons or markers would also work well. The mats fit our frames perfectly. They are sturdy and held up well, even with the kids playing with them while decorating.

Sarah

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Golden State Art, Pack of 20 Mixed Colors 11x14 Picture Mats Matting with White Core Bevel Cut for 8x10 Pictures

Golden State Art, Pack of 20 Mixed Colors 11×14 Picture Mats Matting with White Core Bevel Cut for 8×10 Pictures

I absolutely love these the Quality is very high you will not be disappointed in this purchase. I am in artist, and the selection of color mats are perfect for me. I have my art in several art studios, and change them out every other month if they’re not sold. I am very pleased with these and order them regularly!!  —Artist Jan Beasley

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Golden State Art Pack of 10, Acid-Free White Pre-Cut 8x10 Picture Mat for 5x7 Photo with White Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes

Golden State Art Pack of 10, Acid-Free White Pre-Cut 8×10 Picture Mat for 5×7 Photo with White Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes

Another company dropped the ball and didn’t send half my framing order but Golden State Art came through for me. Not only are these better quality, they are also a better price. I ordered the whole pack because I’m framing a show for my artworks. I plan to to order from them in the near future! — Foxy Kimmy-

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Golden State Art, Pack of 10, 12x12 White Picture Mats Mattes with White Core Bevel Cut for 8x8 Photo

Golden State Art, Pack of 10, 12×12 White Picture Mats Mattes with White Core Bevel Cut for 8×8 Photo

I purcahsed these for a last minute art show I was a part of, shipping cwas super fast and quality is excellent. Mats are white all the way through the core white. I like that the core isn’t cream, which is often the case when using non-archival mat board. Mats are sturdy, clean and have a kiss if greyish blue white tone. Definitely pick up the matching bags as it will keep your artwork cleaner and safe. Would definitely buy from this vendor again! —SB

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Golden State Art, Pack of 20 11x14 BLACK Picture Mats with White Core Bevel Cut for 8x10 Pictures

Golden State Art, Pack of 20 11×14 BLACK Picture Mats with White Core Bevel Cut for 8×10 Pictures

Came well packaged and the mats were a true black, they were not a greyish black, like the black mats I have purchased at a big box store in the past. would definitely purchase again. I just planned on putting my pictures in a frame, so no need for a backer board. The pictures I entered into our county fair show, i just purchased a $1 poster board to protect the picture. –Beth–

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18x24" White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 16x20" Pictures- Pack of 10

18×24″ White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 16×20″ Pictures- Pack of 10

Arrived well-packaged, free of damage. Color is a true bright white. Made of thick quality mat board. I will purchase again.

Von.G Art (& Arts)

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16x20 Cream & Gold Double Picture Mat, Bevel Cut for 12x16 Picture or Photo

16×20 Cream & Gold Double Picture Mat, Bevel Cut for 12×16 Picture or Photo

My watercolor rose study looks great in this frame! Very happy with this purchase. —Amazon Customer

Love this , the gold was shinier than I had expected but it ended up looking superb! —Terry Breezee

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Golden State Art, Pack of 10, 16x20 for 12x16 White Color Picture Photo Mat -White-core, Acid-Free - Great for Frames, Artwork, Prints, Pictures

Golden State Art, Pack of 10, 16×20 for 12×16 White Color Picture Photo Mat -White-core, Acid-Free – Great for Frames, Artwork, Prints, Pictures

These mats are perfect for 16×20 frames. My watercolor paintings are usually painted on larger sizes and the mats the come with other 16×20 frames cut off too much of the artwork. —Jason

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16x20" White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 11x14" Pictures- Pack of 10

16×20″ White Picture Mats with Core Bevel Cut Frame Mattes for 11×14″ Pictures- Pack of 10

These are great! Especially for how cheap they are and how many you get, and they look great in a frame (pictured with review). However, they do not come with backing boards if you want to mat the photos for a show or as a gift or anything of the sort. Those need to be purchased separately. —Jared Winslow

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Mat Board Center, Pack of 10 16x20 Mixed Colors White Core Picture Mats for 11x14 Photos

Mat Board Center, Pack of 10 16×20 Mixed Colors White Core Picture Mats for 11×14 Photos

The mats were just beautiful! I used them with some cross stitch projects I had completed. The variety of colors were great, and the addition of them to my projects really made the framed item extra special and individualized.

MLou

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Poster Palooza White on White Double Photo Mat 16x20 for 12x18 Photos - Fits 16x20 Frame

Poster Palooza White on White Double Photo Mat 16×20 for 12×18 Photos – Fits 16×20 Frame

Great product, fast delivery! One came in damaged and seller was very responsive to questions and issues. The undamaged one looks great on my wall, I’m very happy with my overall experience and would buy again. Buy with confidence!

Amazon Customer

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