Laminating before Dry-Mounting?

Hello,

I have some prints that already have a protective matte laminate on them. Can I still get

them dry-mounted, or will the already present laminate cause a problem? Thanks for your

help.

Bryan

Bryan,

I've never tried to do what you're asking about and I'm not certain what kind of laminate you have on your prints. I have been dry mounting FB prints using a Seal press for years and I would tend to believe the heat of the mounting press would affect the laminate material adversely.

I have tried to mount color print materials and RC papers and the heat of the platten did damage the print surfaces, causing a slight fogging/hazing of the color print surfaces, leading me to conclude that the high mounting temperatures and certain materials can be tricky to handle. For such materials I have used 3M Spraymount adhesive with good results, though it's not "archival".

You can alway just experiment with a sample, but, if your prints are valuable I would call or stop by a local framing shop and ask them your specific question before proceeding further.

I've always used a "sandwich" of pieces of mat board in the dry mount press. I slip the print to be mounted, tacked on its board, between these sheets.

The two pieces of the sandwich get plenty hot if they're in the press as the press warms up.

I think I might have gotten this idea from one of Fred Picker's books, but I'm not sure. But I suspect it might help in mounting color materials or resin-coated black and white, to prevent damage to the print surface.

Also, the top piece will take any dry mount adhesive that leaks out the side of a print, rather than that stuff getting onto the platen. It's easier to replace a piece of mat board than to clean that stuff off of the platen.

Hope this helps.