What Is Museum-Quality Matboard?

I use only premium archival-quality matboard to create The Christian Gift's wall art. Why? After all, it's more expensive.

Archival-quality matboard is made of pure white 100% rag core and backing paper. It is both fade and bleed resistant. All components are 100% acid-free and lignin-free. 

Regular matboard is made from wood-based paper, which means it contains lignins (the binding agent in wood). When lignins begin to break down, acids are created. When acid comes into contact with the artwork, it's damaged.

Acid staining is irreparable.

In addition, regular matboard itself yellows over time. Look at the bevel edges of a wood-based mat that's been around for a little while and you'll see that they're yellow. This process can begin to occur in as little as a few months after the matboard was cut.

Wood-based matboard is treated to protect it from acidity, but this neutralization can't stop the process of deterioration - it can only postpone it.

Rag matboard is a step up. Its core is produced from cotton. Cotton is lignin-free; therefore ragmat cores contain no acid. However, ragmat surface papers are wood-based, which means lignin is still part of the equation. Though these papers are treated with calcium-carbonate to neutralize the acid content, they'll eventually deteriorate.

The matboard used here, on the other hand, is made completely from cotton: both the core and surface papers are 100% lignin- and acid-free. Making matboard exclusively from cotton is more expensive, but it's also the safest option for the artwork.

This product will look as crisp years from now as it does today. The bevel cuts will remain white, and the artwork will not end up damaged by acid burn.

Whether you're purchasing a piece to present to someone special to you, or it'll be hung in your own home, I think you deserve the best. You can rest assured knowing the artwork from The Christian Gift will retain its beauty.