A virtual mat is a double mat
created using colors that blend well with your chosen photo and
printed as an integral part of your enlargement.
They look so
real, that the customers who pick up their photos here, want to
feel them to believe they are not actual mats sitting on top of
their photos!
Your matted photo is bigger. For example,
if you order a 16x20 enlargement with a mat, the frame size would be
20x24.
The "virtual mats" won't fade and discolor
over time as paper mats will. If you ever decide that you wish
to cover your photo with glass, which, by the way, is not necessary
unless you are concerned with it possibly getting scratched, you can
use non-glare glass. The glass
will sit directly on the photo keeping the image totally sharp
rather than the diffused look that happens with a regular mat
causing a space between the photo and the non-glare glass.