Question Ink on the back of the mat?

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jim_p

jim_p

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
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Apr 8, 2007
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Natick, MA
The other day we were spec'ing out a job, and my assistant noted that it used the same mat that we'd used for a previous job. She suggested that the offcut might be big enough to do the job. I fished through the offcut bin and indeed we could save ourselves the cost of a fresh mat. I grabbed a Sharpie and wrote on the back of the mat "Reserved for [CUSTOMER]". My assistant said, "You realize you just scrawled over the back of the mat with a non-archival ink!"

In THIS case it turns out that we still had enough on the un-scrawled portion of the mat to do the job, but that made me wonder: what are the conservation implications of writing on the back of a mat? I remember taking apart another project where the previous framer had made heavy pencil marks on the back of the mat which transferred to the artwork... are there any issues with common inks as well? What about the inks used to print manufacturer information on the back of a mat? Are they specially selected as well?
 
my opinion is as long as it doesn't bleed through, it shouldn't matter.

course i don't write on the back of my mats except for a number in pen on the top of it so i can find it again.
 
you just scrawled over the back of the mat with a non-archival ink!

isn't that taking the subject just a little past the edge(of reason, that is)?????????? you breathed on it also/and touched it with bare hands---isnt that contaminating the entire mat(front AND back)--no telling what nasty things now reside on the artwork side of things?? so throw it out(and lots of luck getting one that isnt!!!)
 
I use pencil. Even if it transfers it is erasable and inert.
 
Manufacturers ink has been tested si its not an issue. Any other ink that comes in cantact with the art could be a problem. Writing on the area that will be the fallout is not a problem because it will not be inside of the framing package.
 
Personally I only ever use pencil on matts or frames but i wouldn't get overly excited about the conservation aspects of a bit of ink so long as it wasn't pressed against the artwork.

What could be a worry is a blob of biro ink - you know how hard that is to get off and, like blood, it just seems to have a life of its own and turns up everywhere.
 
Interesting question.

I usually write in pencil, but sometimes when those ##### elves have been around, I can't find either of my 30something pencils and I admit; I then use a sharpie. Will not do so anymore!
 
If you are that worried about it cover it with frame sealing tape.

OR
You could cover it with some of that archival masking tape :D
 
In this case the ink will be cut off the portion of the mat that will be used in the frame, and that's great. I'd prefer not to use ink on mats at all, since you never know how it will act over time, and you don't want unknowns. I recall reading something in an article I believe by Hugh Phibbs about a case in which a number of valuable works were framed. The framer did a great job, except a pen was used to mark the mats on the back when cutting. The ink transferred to the art.

Pencils are safer in the back room anyway. If a pen makes a mark on art, you've got big problems. A pencil mark is far easier to remove, and if it's not removed the graphite, being nothing but carbon, is very stable and will not do anything nasty.
 
I find that Murphys law comes into play here for me. If I marked something on the back of a mat piece, invariably, the mark will be right where the bevel for the opening will be and so after it is cut, I can see the ink bleeding into the bottom of the cut which is of course visible against the nice white interior of the mat.:icon9:
 
Maybe just keep a stock of very hard pencils like 'H'. Then you wouldn't have to worry about a potential transfer either. Anyways pens are for invoices.
 
Awww... come on... H isn't very hard!! :D

I have a mechanical pencil in the shop with a 6H lead in it.
Now THAT'S a hard lead! I used to use that for the cut lines when I did mats the old fashioned way.

I used to use a 9H for the guide lines for when I was lettering on blueprints in one of my former lives.
 
And then when you use such a hard pencil (and no 'h' is not hard, just one step above HB (#2) so not hard at all) you get a nice embossing on the other side of the mat...

Framah, do they even make 9h pencils anymore?
 
Sure 9H pencils are still made... I used them instead of nails to build my house.

;)
 
ahhh

--Right

It is a little confusing, with 'B' pencils the higher the number the softer the led. Whereas an H pencil is the reverse.
 
Bob Hendrixson always taught to mark matting with a 6H pencil so the lines would not transfer to the art. I have been buying them for this purpose for 30 years now.....

Funny - if I have to mark the back of a mat for any other reason I use Post-It notes!!!
 
Hard or soft lead really depends on the person doing the writing. I use a 2B for marking catalogue numbers on archival documents at the museum so at the frame shop i use the same unless I don't care about leaving indents.
 
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