Art on paper usually has a glass or acrylic covering to protect the surface.

A mat is often used for decorative purposes or to keep the artwork from touching the glass.

Typically the mat covers a small amount of the edges of the art but the art can also float on the mat 

so that nothing is covered. This can also allow for interesting dimensional effects in the presentation.

Valuable art must be carefully attached to an archival acid free backing with reversable hinges.

Usually posters and family photographs are mounted to a backing to flatten them for best appearance.

Canvases are normally stretched onto a wooden frame if they arrived to you rolled. They require no glass.

These are very general guidelines. We will help determine what is best or appropriate.