Reference
Framing & printing glossary
47 trade terms in plain English.
- Acid-free
- Material with a neutral pH (around 7) that won’t yellow or transfer acid to artwork.
- Acrylic (glazing)
- Plastic glazing, about half the weight of glass and shatter-resistant; available with UV filtering and anti-reflective coatings.
- Acrylic face-mount
- A print bonded face-down to clear acrylic for a deep, glossy gallery finish.
- Archival
- Materials made to last without degrading or harming the artwork — acid-free, lignin-free, pigment-based.
- Artist’s proof (AP)
- Prints outside the numbered edition, traditionally kept by the artist; usually up to 10% of the edition.
- Backing board
- The rigid board at the back of a frame; should be acid-free for anything valuable.
- Baryta paper
- Fine art paper with a barium sulphate coating, giving a traditional darkroom look and deep blacks.
- Bevel
- The angled cut edge of a window mount, usually 45°, revealing the board’s white core.
- Bottom-weighting
- Making the lower mount border slightly wider so the artwork looks optically centred.
- Box frame
- A deep frame with spacers keeping glass away from the artwork or object.
- Canvas stretching
- Pulling canvas taut over a wooden stretcher frame and stapling it at the back.
- Certificate of authenticity
- A document stating a print’s title, edition, size, materials and signature.
- ChromaLuxe
- A widely used brand of coated aluminium panels for dye-sublimation metal prints.
- Conservation framing
- Framing where every material is archival and every step reversible, with UV glazing.
- Cotton rag
- Paper made from cotton fibres rather than wood pulp; naturally acid-free and long-lasting.
- Deckled edge
- The natural, feathered edge of handmade or mould-made paper; often float-mounted to show it.
- Dibond
- Aluminium composite panel used for mounting prints and for UV printing.
- Double mount
- Two mount boards layered to show a thin reveal of a second colour.
- Dry mounting
- Heat-bonding a print to board. Fine for posters; never for originals or editions.
- Dye-sublimation
- A process where heat turns ink into gas that fuses into a coated surface — used for metal prints.
- Edition
- A fixed number of identical prints of an image, numbered and signed.
- Fillet
- A thin wood or gilt strip set inside the mount or frame for a decorative inner edge.
- Float mount
- Mounting artwork raised on the backing so all its edges are visible.
- Floater frame
- An L-shaped frame for canvases with a gap between canvas and frame, so the painting appears to float.
- French cleat
- Two interlocking bevelled rails for hanging heavy frames and mirrors securely.
- Gallery wrap
- A canvas stretched over deep bars with the image wrapping around the edges.
- Giclée
- Fine art inkjet printing with pigment inks on archival media; from the French gicler, to spray.
- Gilding
- Applying gold, silver or metal leaf to a moulding by hand.
- GSM
- Grams per square metre — paper weight. Fine art papers are typically 190–350 gsm.
- Hinging
- Attaching art to the backing with Japanese tissue hinges so it can be removed without damage.
- ICC profile
- A data file describing how a specific printer, ink and paper reproduce colour; used for accurate proofs.
- Lignin
- A wood compound that turns acidic and yellow over time; archival board is lignin-free.
- Mount (mat)
- The board border between artwork and frame, usually with a bevel-cut window.
- Moulding
- The shaped length of wood, aluminium or composite from which a frame is built.
- Museum glass
- Anti-reflective glazing with under 1% reflection and up to 99% UV filtering.
- OBA (optical brighteners)
- Additives that make paper look whiter but can yellow over time; OBA-free papers are more stable.
- Pigment ink
- Ink made of solid colour particles, far more fade-resistant than dye ink.
- PPI
- Pixels per inch — the resolution of a digital file at print size. 300 ppi is standard for fine art.
- Rebate (rabbet)
- The recess on the back of a moulding that holds the glass, mount, art and backing.
- Shadow box
- An extra-deep frame for three-dimensional objects like jerseys and medals.
- Soft proofing
- Previewing on screen how an image will print on a specific paper using its ICC profile.
- Spacer
- A strip hidden under the frame lip that keeps glazing off the artwork without a mount.
- Stretcher bars
- The wooden frame a canvas is stretched over; can be keyed to re-tension.
- Tru Vue
- A leading manufacturer of picture framing glass and acrylic, including Museum Glass and Conservation Clear.
- UV glazing
- Glass or acrylic that filters ultraviolet light — the main cause of fading.
- UV printing
- Printing with inks cured instantly by UV light, directly onto rigid materials like wood, glass or aluminium.
- Washi
- Traditional Japanese paper made from long plant fibres; strong, light and translucent.
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