Matting And Framing

It's very surprising that Customer Service wouldn't know that! Rag means acid free, but not sure about the foam core.

Not sure about the acid-free issue. I have personally ordered matted and framed prints from FAA and found them to be of exceptional quality and appearance. Customers who have ordered have bee equally pleased, and took the time to say so.

Back to topic question: @ Joan, they loudly advertise they sell "museum grade" product. Museum-Quality is a bold statement, included in that one should not assume they mean acid-free, one should expect it. Acid -free is especially important as it seems your question to them certainly implies. Not having a qualified answer for you leaves me to shudder :/ "I BELIEVE all our mats are acid free"?? Yikes. LOL, imagine visiting your Subaru dealer and inquiring if their cars use tires..... "I BELIEVE all our models do, hmm."


Anyhow, here is their statement:
Fine Art America is one of the largest, most-respected custom framers in the world. We stock over 250 different frames which can be used to create museum-quality masterpieces from any print. All framed prints are assembled, packaged, and shipped by our expert framing staff within 3 - 4 business days and arrive "ready to hang" with pre-attached hanging wire, mounting hooks, and nails. Our wholesale buying power allows us to offer frame prices which are typically 25 - 40% less than retail frame shops..

From Pictureframes-dot-com's website (they fulfill our orders):

"Rag Mats are made of 100% cotton fiber core and backing which are naturally 100% acid-free and lignin-free. The conservation surface is buffered with calcium carbonate to an alkaline reserve of 3-5%, so you can be sure they won't degrade your matboard or artwork."

Yes, rag is code for acid free
I have a vintage piece that is in the original frame with the original mat whose core has yellowed. I asked an appraiser about replacing it and she said not to. Her philosophy is that other than the core color change, it won't actually eat my lithograph within the next 50 years so don't worry about it.
Unlike photo albums... Remember the cling sheets of the 70s and 80s and how they became part of the photo attached to it?

Frame shop owner here! I'm sure the acrylic is not UV..that stuff is quite pricey.

Regular matboard is not acid free but it's acid neutralized, meaning it's far lower in acid than something like chipboard.

Rag is reference to cotton rags, meaning the board contains cotton fiber. "Rag" generally means the core of the matboard is cotton or contains cotton and is acid free, "Museum rag" (4 or 8 ply) is thicker, all cotton, and also acid free.

It's the wood pulp in non-cotton board that breaks down into acid (lingin, I think is the culprit) and yellows. The discoloration is actually a chemical burn.

I agree with Michelle, the acrylic from FAA is not UV. UV acrylic has a slightly stronger surface reflection (IMO, maybe I'm imagining it but I don't like it) and it's way more expensive.

It's not pointless to print on acid free and then frame with regular materials. The acid free paper will hold the ink color longest, regardless of what it's up against - it provides kind of a barrier itself. Mats nowadays are acid neutralized and will last longer than those of even 15 years ago. I agree if you want a completely archival frame job, you'll need to hinge tape the art (I think the art standard bigwigs consider dry mounting to be destructive because it's irreversible), and you want your image to be completely air tight, which doesn't happen with regular every day framing, regardless of what materials you choose.

True archival sounds like a good goal, but you can buy a $400 print and spend $1400 or more easy having it truly archivally framed.

So choose the best materials you can afford, is the short story. Rag mats will stay white longer than standard matboard and won't yellow. Regular mats may discolor after many years. Make sure the paper dust cover is well attached on the back and keep your framed artwork out of direct sunlight no matter what glazing you choose.

About 25 years ago I sold ordinary wood pulp board mats as did most framers. Pulp board has acids like newsprint and yellows from acids both the mat and the art it is in contact with. Until recently I have not used anything but, "acid free" boards. Alpha cellulose is wood pulp chemically treated to remove the lignin acids. Rag is cotton based not wood. The difference is that cotton is naturally much less acidic than wood pulps. Add to that the buffering as mentioned by others and you get a board slightly into the base range. Yes, this becomes a bit of a chemistry issue. Museum board or cotton rag boards are somewhat better than the wood based products but I believe it an issue of, do you want it to last one life time or two? One other addition to mat boards is zeolites which extend the protective properties even more. The Bainbridge brand is the only one I know of that offers zeolites. Plexiglass comes in just as many versions as glass. The main advantages to plexiglass are that it's lighter and will be less likely to break. The UV is inside the plexiglass not a coating on one side like glass. Plexi can scratch but there are newer versions with anti scratch surfaces all at more cost of course.
All of that said I have artists trying to keep costs down that ask for the pulp board mats and have no care for the acid damaging properties. Once again price is the only measure. I was surprised they still make it honestly. The mass production shops use it to supply the Big Box markets and any others who just want to make a cheap product.
With a UV protection your art can still fade, your papers can still deteriorate from sunlight. Just much more slowly. It depends on the papers and inks/pigments used too.
If cost is not an issue Museum glass or Optium Acrylic have both anti reflective properties and UV protection. If you think Museum glass expensive don't even ask about Optium acrylic.

One other source of acids is your wood frame. There are specialty tapes (metalic) to seal the acids in your frame and keep acids from migrating to the art