Hard matte

Hard matte is a term used to describe prints which are masked close to their intended aspect ratio, as opposed to open matte, which is printed to the full height of the frame, regardless of intended projection aspect ratio. This mask may be applied in the camera, printer, or in a digital intermediate.

In THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE (2000), Shots featuring CGI are printed hard matte and live action only shots are printed open matte.

Hard matte prints are rarely printed to an exact aspect ratio. For example, a 1.85:1 matted print may actually be 1.80:1 to allow for some wiggle room for venues with undercut aperture plates.