When in doubt, choose white or off-white: it suits nine prints out of ten, keeps attention on the artwork, and never dates. But the other 10% is where mounts get interesting — here are the rules professional framers actually use.
The default: white and off-white
A white mount reads clean and contemporary; off-white (snow, ivory) is softer and flatters warm-toned art and photographs. If the print has a white background, match the mount to it so the image appears to float. This is the safe choice for galleries for a reason.
When to go black
Black mounts suit high-contrast photography, dark artwork and anything dramatic — they make colours glow but shrink the apparent size of the image. Pair with a black frame for a deliberate, moody look; avoid black around delicate pastel work.
Picking a colour
Pull a secondary colour from the artwork, never the dominant one — matching the main colour flattens the image. A double mount is the lower-risk way to add colour: keep the wide top mount neutral and let a few millimetres of colour show at the aperture as an accent line. Browse the full range of plain and conservation shades on our picture mounts page.
Proportions matter as much as colour
A generous mount (60–80mm for an A3 print) looks gallery-grade; a narrow 20mm border looks like an afterthought. Weight the bottom edge slightly heavier if you're adding a caption. All our mounts are bevel-cut to order from acid-free conservation board, 1.4mm thick with a white core — enter your exact frame and aperture sizes and we cut to the millimetre.
Choosing mount and frame together
Decide the mount colour first, then the frame: the mount sits next to the art and does more visual work. Neutral mount + simple frame is the combination that survives redecorating. To see both together on your own photo, try the previewer on our picture frames page.