We’ve got a new feature that lists out everything you”ll need for framing your art in a wood frame.

There are links to help you with each step and you can print it up to take it into the studio with you.

We hope you find it useful. Look for more in this series in the future.

Take me to What You’ll Need for Framing Artwork in a Wood Frame.

The beginning of the new year is often a time when we’re extra motivated to a create a more simple and organized life. To help you achieve this, we’ve created a basic printable worksheet for you.

Use this Go-to Guide to keep track of your favorite mats and products. Fill it out once and always have it on hand when you are ready to order.

It’s just a pdf form you print and  fill out, nothing too fancy, but sometimes the simplest things can jump start us to get more organized.

Happy New Year to you all! Here’s to a successful and fun 2011.

The confirmation email and the final invoice you get from Documounts has to contain a lot of information. On that seemingly simple invoice you will find the products you got and the dimensions you chose. If you’re getting custom mats you will also see the color name and sku, the layers, the borders and the setback.

Your past invoices are a great tool to use in the future when you’re preparing orders. We recommend making notes on them to help you determine what products and sizes you want for your next order.

Because there is so much information to include on your invoices we do need to abbreviate things. Fractions also have to be listed in decimal points. These two things could make understanding your invoice a little difficult.  Here is a handy guide for you to use.

Use this Documounts Invoice Key to help decode our abbreviations.

Out: = outside dimension (same as frame or glass size)
Op: = opening size (the size of your mat window)
Layers 1 = a single mat
Layers 2 = a double mat
#1 B754 = top mat color (this number will change depending on the color)
#2 B61 = bottom mat color (this number will change depending on the color)
SB = Setback (amount of the bottom mat showing)
BD: = border of the mat
L–2 = the left border is 2”
R-2 = the right border is 2”
T-3.25 = the top border is 3.25”
B- 3.5 = the bottom border is 3.5”
Dbl = double
Opng = opening
Opng: 0×0 = you’ve ordered a blank mat without a window.
VG: = L-1 R-1 T-1 B-1 = V-groove is cut 1” from window
CB204, C1610, B574, etc. = this kind of number identifies the mat color:
CB = Canterbury, C = Crescent, B = Bainbridge

Fractions-to-decimals key

1/16  =  .0625
1/8    =  .125
3/16  =  .1875
1/4    =  .25
5/16  =  .3125
3/8    =  .375
7/16    =  .4375
1/2      =  .50
9/16    =  .5625
5/8      =  .625
11/16   =  .6875
3/4       =  .75
13/16    =  .8125
15/16    =  .9375

Tip: If you want to figure out the decimal equivalent yourself, simply divide the numerator (number on top) by the denominator (number on the bottom).  Example:  3/16 (or 3 divided by 16) = .1875

People often ask us what the most popular mat color or frame is.  You can pretty much bet that if something is the stand-out that there is a good reason.

We’ve compiled a list for you of the most popular products we sell. Feel free to start with these tried and true items in case you’re unsure of where to begin.

And just a heads up that if you are not following the blog or newsletter, you should sign up now. We know things have been a bit quiet on our side here, but that is only because we are gearing up for some new products, some specials  and a new catalog soon. Stay tuned!

We often get calls from people who want to know what they need for a gallery show.  They want to know what most people use and what the standard is for most galleries.  Many galleries do have guidelines for what they want in the way of frame and mats. Some are more open to your choice.

We’ve created a page with the most popular mat and frame combination. If you are wondering which way to go for you gallery show, start on our Gallery Picture Mats and Frames page.