Tip Top Tuesday – Mats and Layers Made Easy. For years I have used standard sized mats and layers for almost all my card projects. I have many of them cut and ready to go when ever I need them. If you have followed me for any length time you will know that I can rattle the dimensions off without hesitation. I have seen others share their sizes, so I thought it was time for me to do the same.
As I am in the UK, our standard card size is International A4, so logic would say that I would use metric measurements when cutting my mats. But I am an Imperial girl at heart, so I use inches for my mats. That said, I am happy to convert those to metric for those who are fully immersed in cm. While I was at it I also thought I would give you my suggestions for mats and layers if your standard paper is 8-1/2″ x 11″. The idea is that you can either use neighbouring sizes, or if you want a wider gap, miss one or two. So here we go, for each set I have made 6 nesting sizes.
Metric Mats and Layers for A6 Card bases
In case you don’t know what an A6 card base is, this is what you get if you cut a piece of A4 card in half and then fold that in half. I have started with the largest mat and then reduced the dimensions by 0.25cm on each side for each smaller layer. This gives you the following sizes:
- 14.5 x 10.25 cm
- 14.25 x 10 cm
- 14 x 9.75 cm
- 13.75 x 9.5 cm
- 13.5 x 9.25 cm
- 13.25 x 9 cm
Imperial Mats and Layers for A6 Card bases
Again, these are for a standard A6 card base. For these I have reduced the measurements by 1/8″ each time, giving you these sizes:
- 5-5/8 x 3-7/8″
- 5-1/2 x 3-3/4″
- 5-3/8 x 3-5/8″
- 5-1/4 x 3-1/2″
- 5-1/8 x 3-3/8″
- 5 x 3-1/4″
I know I am probably odd to want to mix units of measurements, but I was brought up using Imperial, so these are my comfort space.
Imperial Mats and Layers for 5-1/2 x 4-1/4″ Card bases
Just for those of you based in North America, I have worked out the sizes that I would use if I used your standard card base. All of these are going to be shorter and fatter than the International A4 versions, and here they are:
- 5-3/8 x 4-1/8″
- 5-1/4 x 4″
- 5-1/8 x 3-7/8″
- 5 x 3-3/4″
- 4-7/8 x 3-5/8″
- 4-3/4 x 3-1/2″
So what do you think? Will these be helpful for you? As you can see, I have cut my standard sizes and added them to book rings so they are now always going to be on hand. If you are one of those people who spends time trying to work out what size mats and layers you should use, then this is for you. Just decide which set of measurements are most appropriate for you. Cut them and punch a hole in the corner, tie them together and you will always have them on hand. Easy! Take a look at the video for more information.
https://youtu.be/zb0NjOZW67c
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Hi Liz…this is a fantastic resource. I am in Canada, and our paper is 8.5 x 11 inches….