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Overview.
Hinging is a rough term dedicated to the task of attaching your artwork to the mat. The word hinging is used because it is more descriptive than taping, sticking or many other general functions. Hinging is also described by the way in which the picture is "hinged" to the mat rather than merely stuck, which allows several conservational advantages.

There's really not much to learning how to hinge your picture in, & once you've done your first one you should find it a breeze to do your second. Take your time & you should get great results. Then once you are comfortable, you should be able to hinge in a simple picture in around 20 seconds.

You may find this one way of hinging unsuitable or too laborious. Just because we recommend you do it this way doesn't mean you cant find your own better way.

4.1 Key.
The diagrams provided have been made with hypothetical colours so they are easier to read. These colours are not typical of any frame job, & neither are the scales & thicknesses. The mat & papers have been split up into faces to try to make their orientation more recognisable.

	Arrow	Directional indicators of where & how action should occur.
	Foamcore	The backing. Usually white.
	Mat front	The front face of the mat. Can be many colours
	Mat back	The back face of the mat. Usually white.
	Mat core	The bevel & outer edge of the mat show the core of the board. Usually white.
	Light tape	Fine acid free tape. Usually white.
	Heavy tape	Heavy acidic tape. Usually brown.
	Paper back	The back face of the paper.
	Paper front	The front face of the artwork. This is the side with the image on it
	"T" top on back of paper	Indicates the top of the paper, when viewed from the back.

4.2 Things you'll need.
To hinge in your picture you will need

Things that will be helpful.

Things you may need.

4.3 Taping the picture.

The first thing you need to do is to get the tape onto your picture. Flip the paper round so that its upside down & the top is closest to you. It is a good idea to do this on the foamcore backing, because its clean & should be bigger than your picture.

Now get a couple of lengths of tape & lay them sticky side down over the top edge of the artwork. They should protrude at least a thumbs width toward you from the edge, & a fair bit more in over the picture.
The number of tape hinges, & the depth to which they penetrate, will be greatly dictated by the size & weight of the picture. For instance a small card may need 2 lengths that are 30mm long. While a large heavy painting, may have 10 lengths of 300mm.

In stead of doing using several lengths of tape running into the picture, you can simply run one piece across the top edge. This does however promote puckering, especially in large format photos.

4.4 Flipping of the picture.

Simply put this is where you flip the picture over so it is right side up, on the edge of the foamcore, with the top closest to you.

4.5 Placing the mat.

This part of the operation requires the most concentration & attention to detail. Put the mat lightly down, right side up with the top edge closest to you. If you push the mat down now, or drop it heavily, it can stick to the tape & cause an un ideal situation.

Now comes the time to position the mat. Shift it round until you think it is in the right place. This can be tricky as you are looking at it upside down, though you should quickly get the hang of it.

Once the mat is where you want it, press it down firmly onto the tape underneath. You may have to slide the mat & picture toward you to press the tape from the underside, though pushing it from the top usually works.

4.6 First flipping of the mat.

Once you have a reasonable bond between the tape & the mat, flip the mat over so it is upside down again.
It is very important that you flip the picture & mat about the top or bottom axis. If you flip it over one of the sides, the picture can flop out of post ion causing it to become unstuck or rip.
Be careful not to catch the picture under the mat when you are laying it back down. If this happens, you may hard fold your paper.

4.7 Spin the mat & tape the tape.

Now spin the mat flat on the bench, so that the tape & tops of all your components are closest to you.

Once this is done, push hard on the tape & make sure you have the best bond that is reasonable.

Then get out some of the heavier tape & stick it horizontally over the lighter tape, where it sticks to the mat. Do not put this tape over the picture or let it come within about 1mm of the artwork edge.

Rub the heavy tape until you are satisfied it has stuck, & briefly check that everything still looks alright from the back.

4.8 Last flipping of the mat.

The final thing to do with the mat is flip it back over & check that everything still looks fine from the front. Remember to flip it from the top or bottom axis & you should have a properly hinged picture.

If you are going to glue your mat & backing together for presentation. It is at this point that you would jump back one step by flipping you mat upside down Then apply your double sided tapes or glue before flipping it all back over again & weighting the whole thing down.
If you are using wet glues, remember that they will try to warp your boards, so be sparing with the quantities, or weight them down heavily.

4.9 Floating Methods.
If you are not going to place the mat over the paper, there are several methods by which you can secure the picture in place.

The easiest, though arguably the less archival way is to use double sided tape. There are several quality grades of stock in existence, that should make firm & conservational bonds. You should be careful of how strong the tape is, as some are very aggressive & will damage anything if its removal is attempted.

The next easiest way is to use some tape & make a circle out of it by looping the tacky side round & sticking it to the back. I'm sure most year 2 kids have done this at some point in their lives with collotype. Use good quality tape & be sure to use an appropriate amount as compared to the size & weight of the work.

Japanese hinging is where things get tricky. You must first complete first task mentioned in 4.3 Taping the picture. Then you have to fold the protruding tabs of tape over so they are sticky side up. You then flip the paper right side up & position it in place on the mat. Press down over the tape to secure its current spot & use the tape as a hinge to flip the paper over so it is upside down again. To avoid slipping you must then secure the tape along the top underneath where the picture will be with more acid free tape. Then flip the picture back into place & you're done.

Another relatively recent method is to cut a slit into the mat & pass the tape through. This tape is then secured onto the back side of the mat while a tongue of tape protrudes through the front. The picture is then pressed onto this tongue, forming the bond needed to keep the picture in place.

4.10 Alternative positioning methods.
If you are not satisfied with the conservational qualities of using ready made archival tapes, you have some more complicated options. We will not go into detail about these because of the general success of normal materials.
For your interest or research, the main alternative methods generally use mulberry paper, rag, wheat or rice starch, methyl cellulose or rubber cement. You can use many of these products in the steps described above, although it will take time & further knowledge to fully appreciate each procedure & its behavior.

Another specific look that can be used is to hold the picture in place with pins. This has obvious advantages when it comes time to remove the work, however will leave holes in the paper.

Photo corners are a fiddly, though very workable solution for getting pictures sitting in conservational conditions that are easily removable. They are readily available in most photographic shops, though won't work with thin papers.

Many people use blue tack or similar to hold pictures that will be floated. This is not a good idea at all & will lead to a short life for whatever you are seeking to frame. However if you must use it, try not to put any on the bottom part of the paper & let the picture hang much like a curtain. In this way your work should sit better. b

Quick Check
Key.
Things You'll need.
Taping the picture.
Flipping the picture.
Placing the mat.
1st flipping of the mat.
Spin & tape the mat.
Last flip of the mat.
Floating methods.
Alternative methods.

Watch out.
Hinging is one of the trickier parts of framing. When you are cutting frames or mats, there is a certain level of comfort in knowing if anything goes wrong, all you need to do is get more materials. When you come to hinge your picture in however, the mistakes you make impact on the picture itself, which may be irreplaceable.