How to frame a diploma
Framing a diploma comes down to four things: materials that will not harm the paper, glazing that keeps out the light, a mat that leaves the seal and the signatures alone, and a mount you can undo if the diploma ever needs to come out. The moulding is the part everyone sees and the least important of the four.
Acid-free, back to front
The mat and the backing touch the paper for decades. Acid in a mat or a backing board can burn a brown line into the edge of the paper over the years, which is why our store is completely acid-free, mats included. An original you cannot replace is hinged from behind rather than glued or dry-mounted, so it can come out again.
Glazing that blocks UV
Ink, signatures and colored seals fade in daylight. UV-protective glazing filters most of the ultraviolet light; museum-quality glazing does the same and cuts reflections, so the diploma reads clearly even opposite a window. Museum glass vs regular glass explains the difference.
The mat and the school colors
A single mat in white or cream is the classic choice; a second mat lined in one of the school colors adds a thin line of color around the opening, the way a navy and gold jersey gets a navy and gold fillet. The opening is cut so the seal and every signature sit inside it with an even border. A deeper frame can hold the tassel or a medal beside the diploma.
Measure the paper, not the folder
Schools do not all use the same size, so measure the diploma itself. Our frame and mat size guide explains how frame sizes are counted and how much mat to allow. Wood and black frames suit most offices; gilt and wider profiles read more formal.
Graduating in Orange County
Every spring Orange County sends home diplomas from UC Irvine in Irvine, Chapman University in Orange, Cal State Fullerton, Vanguard University and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, and the county’s high schools. They are all framed the same way at our counter on Placentia Avenue in Costa Mesa; if the frame is for a graduation or another date, tell us the date when you bring the diploma in. See diploma framing for the options.
