Im just curious what other people use to mat their pictures. I currently eyeball it using a cutter. But I am hoping that there is a fool proof way to make sure you have all edges the same.

Thanks for the advice

I just eyeball mine. My motto is, if it "looks" straight and square, then it IS.

You could measure.
Or use the magic matter tool. They are little metal disks, in different sizes, that you use to trace around your element, to get that size all the way around. {I checked the superstore here, and didn't see them. A friend has them. They've been around for a long time.}

All too much work for me.

I just stick the pic on the the paper and cut it by hand.

Eyeball mine too! I hate to measure lol!

I measure the photo and then make the mating bigger than the picture (i.e. 1/4 or 1/2"). I then eyeball the placement on the mat.

I just eyeball it .. sometimes I measure it and add a 1/4.. but I'm not patient enough to do that all the time! Eyeball method is fast!!!

Im not to good of an eyeballer..lol. The ones I have done look pretty good, I was just hoping there was a super simple tool.

Thanks everyone!

Eyeballing accuracy takes practice, so do keep trying. It's the fastest way to matte, besides buying matte stacks, and who wants to spend the extra money on that?

You could buy mat stacks.

I glue the photo onto the mat and then trim the mat, using the guides on my paper cutter to keep everything straight and even.

fool proof ways to get even mats

1) I vaugely remember hearing about some "old school" scrapbooking tool/guides that you would line up on the photo and then it would cut the mat around the photo to the exact same size. But I never knew the details. It was some kind of triming guide/cutter that produced even mats 1/8", 1/4" etc. Maybe it was just a giant ruler or template.

2) and I vaugely remember seeing on a scrapbook show some way that you slide your paper and photo under a guide on a paper cutter and it would stop on the photo edge thereby cutting the mat portion to the exact same size each time as you rotated the photo. But again I never got the exact details.

both of these things are triming the mat portion evenly after you have glued the photo to middle of the cardstock. I wish I knew more ... these may even be the same thing.

I usually eyeball it, but also when trimming with my papercutter, if I push it under the bar that holds it to cut, there's a little "lip" that holds it just about 1/4". and if you do this on all 4 sides they'll be evenly cut. Hope you understand my explanation!

• ASiverson Said:

what brand papercutter is this?

• Gelidy Gelato Said:

This may be the Magic Matter. You use the disks to trace around the edge and then cut by hand.

It's especially good for irregular shaped objects (like a flower).

The trimmer I'm using currently is Tonic Studio's paper cutter, but it was also possible to do this with my older fiskars cutter.

You can also measure easily and accurately with the Purple Cows 2 in 1.

I have a set of those magic matters..I hate them!! The slip up over the picture and then you write on the paper your using for the mat, it's hard to get around the corners. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give 'em a minus 5!!

Just learn to eyeball.

I stick my pic on to the corner of the cardstock, in the corner with the sight size of border that I want around the 2 edges, then I use my cutter and trim off the other two edges to the same width.

• SuperAllyFan Said:

me too!

• kuzatab Said:

same here!