What is it called when a small photo is displayed in a much larger frame?

Asked 5/12/2012

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I saw a 5x7 photo displayed in an 8x10 frame with a wide empty border around the image. It looked unusual to me, but I was told this is a common presentation style. Is there a name for using a larger frame or border around a smaller print, and is it a normal way to display photos?

matting printing framing photo-display

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

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That's a perfectly accepted and normal style of mounting a print - known as 'matting' a print. The border around just further draws your eye to the photo.

Originally by user1917. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1917

14y ago

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Yes. This is a normal and widely accepted presentation style called matting a print. A mat creates a border around the photo inside the frame, and that extra space is often used deliberately to draw the viewer’s eye toward the image. So the “empty space” isn’t usually considered wasted—it’s part of the display and framing design.

What is it called when a small photo is displayed in a much larger frame?

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