Digital BW, The Print

Hello,

I've got my cutting tools to give cutting matboard a shot.  Now I need some
advice on which matboard to go for and was hoping someone here might be able
to help with a debate in my head.  Sometimes, I get the feeling I might be
getting carried away with some things, and I immediately think I have to get
the best since I do like my prints.  At the same time, however, I know I'm
still learning and that some, or many could be reprinted as time goes on.
So I'm stuck deciding whether I should get museum-grade matboard, or go with
something a little cheaper.  I will be showing my current run of prints to
people of some importance in my life, so either way I want a good quality
matboard, but I might be able to go without the archival quality of 100% rag
acid-free.  I'd like to hear opinions.

Mats will be non-standard window sizes, so I'm not positive I'll be able to
re-use cut mats on future prints (unless its for the same photograph).

Regardless of which route I go, I'll be getting enough cheap matboard to
practice on before making the final mats.

If you shop on Dickblick.com (where I will probably be ordering from), which
do you buy?

Ideally, I'd like to get 40"x60" sheets to cut down (though I'm wondering
whether I'll be able to handle that size - I have the work area - but my
straightedge is only 36" - I'm not sure if I'll have problems cutting along
the 40").  32x40" sheets will give me fewer usable mats in the sizes I see
myself using most.

I'm leaning towards 20x24" mats for images in the 11x17" range (printed on
13x19").  Is that a decent size or do you think the borders will be too
large?  When viewing prints, I like a nice balance between the image and
border size, I don't like it when the border does more than present the
image.  I'll probably end up doing a quick test mat using poster paper or
something similar, but if anyone has experience with this window and mat
size...does it scream BORDER?

And a special thanks to everyone who's replied to my past posts.  All your
advice has lead to much improved prints.

Regards,
Guhan