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Before buying picture frames or framing accessories, it is crucial to understand the size system. We believe buying a picture frame should be simple. You know the size of your artwork, you find a frame that matches, and that's it.
But for many people, that's exactly where things start to feel confusing. Because when you look at a photo frame listed as 40x30cm, it's not always obvious what those measurements actually refer to.
Is it the frame's outer size? The visible area? The space inside? These are fair questions, and honestly, they're questions that trip up even people who've bought frames before.
At ProCut Global, every size we list, whether it's a picture frame, a picture mount, a perspex sheet, or a strut back, refers to something very specific. Once you understand the logic behind it, ordering the right size becomes genuinely straightforward. No guesswork, no second-guessing yourself halfway through checkout.
When we list a collection as 40x30cm picture frames, that size refers to the image it's designed to hold. Many people think it is the photo frame's overall size, but it is not.
The listed size is actually the aperture size. A 40x30cm picture frame is designed to display a 40x30cm artwork, photo, or print. That's the size of the image that sits inside it and faces outward.
The outer size of the frame, the full physical footprint, including the frame border, will always be larger than the listed size, and that's completely intentional.
This system exists for a very practical reason. When you're buying a photo frame, what actually matters is whether your artwork fits, not how wide the wooden border is.
Different frames have different border widths depending on the style, profile, and material. If we listed the outer size, you'd have no reliable way of knowing whether your 40x30cm print would actually fit inside. By listing the aperture size, we take that guesswork away entirely.
So whenever you're shopping with ProCut Global, start with your image size and find the frame that matches it. That's the whole system in one sentence.
Every standard picture frame has a small edge inside the aperture, called a rebate. Don't let the word confuse you. It's simply the small lip or groove that runs along the inside edge of the frame.
It's the part that holds everything securely in place, like your image, the perspex sheet, the backing board, and any mount if you're using one. Without it, nothing would sit properly inside the photo frame.
The rebate on a ProCut Global photo frame is typically 5 to 6mm wide. In practice, it means that when your artwork sits inside the frame, approximately 5 to 6mm around all four edges will sit tucked behind that lip.
So if you order a 40x30cm frame and slide a 40x30cm print inside it, the visible area of your image will be very slightly smaller than the full 40x30cm. The reason behind this is that the outer edges are sitting behind the rebate.
The image fits neatly in the photo frame, stays securely in place, and looks well presented. It's worth noting that if the very edges of your artwork contain something important, such as a signature, a border detail, or a map element, you should remember this 5 to 6mm-wide area.
For most prints and photos, this does not make a noticeable difference. However, for made-to-measure picture frame orders, this measurement becomes important, especially for items like maps or artwork that extend to the edges of the paper.
Made to measure picture frames are where the rebate becomes important. When entering a custom size where the full borders need to remain visible, you must allow for a 5-6mm rebate. For example, if you want a visible area of 83 × 78 cm and order that exact size, the outer edges will sit behind the rebate and may slightly cover the image borders.
If your artwork has plain edges that can sit behind the rebate, this will not be an issue. However, if the borders include important details, it is crucial to factor in the rebate when ordering the custom-sized frame.
To ensure the artwork, including the borders, remains fully visible, add 5-6mm to each dimension before placing your order. This allows the rebate to sit over the edges without covering any key details.
This is something that you can easily overlook. In some cases, customers have framed items like maps and later noticed that the rebate slightly hid important details near the edges.
This does not mean anything was wrong with the frame. It simply means the customer did not consider the rebate at the ordering stage. Keeping this small measurement in mind can make a clear difference to the final result.
Picture mounts follow a slightly different sizing logic in our system. When you see a mount collection listed as 50x40cm picture mounts with a 40x30cm aperture, those are two separate measurements doing two separate jobs.
In the example of a 50x40 cm mount with a 40x30 aperture, the mount will fit perfectly in 50x40 cm picture frames and display an image measuring 40x30 cm.
Unlike picture frames, there's no rebate to factor in with mounts. The aperture cut is precise, which means a 40x30cm aperture will show exactly 40x30cm of the artwork. There are no hidden edges, no overlap. What's listed is exactly what's seen.
This thing makes choosing the right mount very simple. Match the mount's outer size to the frame size, and match the aperture size to the artwork size, and everything lines up perfectly.
Perspex and acrylic sheets follow the simplest rule of all. A 100x70cm perspex sheet is cut to fit perfectly inside 100x70cm picture frames. There is no need to trim, adjust, or perform calculations.
The sheet sits neatly within the frame's rebate, sitting flush against the artwork and backing board to keep everything protected and in place. They are designed to slot straight in, making it very clean and hassle-free to build a complete photo framing setup.
So, when ordering a perspex sheet, simply match it to the size of your picture frame. That’s all you need to do.
Strut backs and backing boards follow the same logic as perspex sheets. An A4 strut back fits perfectly inside any style of A4 picture frames. You just need to slide it in, and it sits flush, clean, and secure without any trimming or adjusting.
This consistency across all framing accessories is what makes putting together a complete framing package. Every component, the perspex, the backing board, the picture mount, is sized to match the frame it belongs in.
So, just like with perspex sheets, the rule is simple: match the accessory size to the frame size. When you do, everything fits together perfectly as it should.
Clip picture frames work a little differently from every other frame in the ProCut Global range. That's because they have no rebate. Instead of a lip holding everything in place, a set of clips runs along the edges, gripping the perspex, artwork, and backing board together as one neat sandwich.
As there's no rebate, nothing overlaps the edges of the image. The size listed is still the image display size. So, an A0 clip frame is designed to hold and display an A0 piece of artwork, but every millimeter of that artwork remains fully visible.
It's a small but important distinction worth keeping in mind when deciding which type of frame best suits the artwork.
Understanding how picture frame sizes work isn't complicated. It just needs explaining clearly once. Every size listed at ProCut Global is built around the artwork, not the frame itself. It means that finding the right fit always starts with knowing the image's dimensions.
The rebate is the one detail worth keeping in mind, particularly with custom orders. A small adjustment of 5-6mm at the ordering stage ensures the finished frame displays the artwork exactly as intended.
Everything else, mounts, perspex sheets, strut backs, and backing boards, is sized to work seamlessly with the picture frame. It's a system designed to make framing feel less like guesswork and more like a straightforward, confident decision every time.