iancoxleigh Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I am going to enter some prints for exhibition in about a month and I'm in theprocess of gathering supplies and making my final prints (and deciding what tosubmit!). The exhibition submission rules are very strict. All prints (regardless of sizeor aspect ratio) are to be mounted onto 16x20" photographic presentation/matboard. There will not be a window mat over the print. When I have framed in thepast, I have taped (with linen tape) my print to the window mat and then notmounted to the backing board at all. Any suggestions on what works best? What are the pros and cons? I have seen awide variety of options: 3M Photo Mount, acid-free roll-on glue, dry-boundsheets, repositionable dry mount sheets, etc . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike kwan Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I don't know if it's the best solution, but I've used Scotch Tape Runners for similar applications in the past. They make two kinds, one of scrapbooking, and one for general use. Both are archival-safe and acid-free, so I really don't understand why there's a difference. The stuff is hair-thin, and goes on very easily. The only problem is that it's a permanent mount (initially you can remove the piece, but after a while it cures and becomes permanent), so if you ever want to remove the prints from the mount, you're out of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j.lee Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 have you tried lineco transparent corners? i use them to mount prints in backing board when i frame with window mats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Dry mount would be best for this, I think, but it can be difficult without a press. How many are you doing, and do you have access to a press? An iron might do for just a few, but try it out now so you have time for something else if it doesn't work out. There are dry mount sprays, but I've never especially been pleased with the appearance of the final. You want that print to look like it had been created right on that surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinteo Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Do you need the process to be reversible? Dry mounting is permanent, but it achieves highly uniform flatness of the image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancoxleigh Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thank you all for the suggestions so far. Some further information. 1. I plan to mount some 15 prints. Most will be either 11x14 or 12x18. 2. It does not need to be reversible. I suppose it would be nice, but, I can't think of a good and yet reversible mounting method. 3. I don't have access to a dry-mount press immediately. My mother recalls dry mounting in the past (not photographs though) and doing it by using an iron. I'm willing to give that a try. If that doesn't work, I could join Gallery 44 ($75 membership) in Toronto here and use their dry-mount press. So, Dry mounting is a possible option. It does seem like a lot of work and full of potential for failure. Is it worth it? I suppose that is a subjective enough question that only I could really answer it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans_waterlander Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I'd go with drymounting (easy for me to say since I have a Seal drymounting press). I'd put a thin black border around the images and print them on paper large enough to cover the whole 16x20" area for good looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 >>It does seem like a lot of work and full of potential for failure. Is it worth it? << If you don't try, you'll never know. Moreover, you will learn from the process. Beware of "it's good enough for government work" attitudes in approaching this. Give it a full commitment and at least you'll know you did your best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelfoster Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Let us know how it goes! How exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonjb Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Ian, I did quit a lot of dry mounting back when I was in school. It is quite simple to do if you nave access to a press. I have also used 3M Photo mount adhesive. it is messy and a lot more hassle and risk of screwing up than dry mounting. If you are careful and have a good hard rubber roller to work out any air quickly then the 3M method looks quite similar to dry mounting in fact I do not believe there is any noticeable difference. I think your best bet would be to pursue the use of a dry mount press. This is very outdated information but back when I was young ( I warned you it was outdated ) a dry mount press was a pretty common item in graphic arts companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alberta_pizzolato Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Several notable photographers recommend dry mount tissue. "The dry mount tissue I use is Beigang BufferMount, a fully archival and removeable dry mount tissue." Read here for the full story and technique: http://www.paulwainwrightphotography.com/new_framing.shtml Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans_waterlander Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 But... be careful with drymounting! Some inkjet papers cannot handle the 170 degrees F or so needed for drymounting as I found out again yesterday. Epson and HP satin papers in particular have given me problems: fine dark lines in blue sky areas, fine dark lines that were not there before drymounting. As far as I know there is no solution to this problem other then using cold methods like vacuum mounting, basically the use of pressure sentive adhesives in a vacuum press. Epson matte papers work fine in my drymount press and that's the paper I prefer to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancoxleigh Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 Alright, alright, I'll dry mount! LOL. Gordon, thanks for giving a comparison to using the 3M Photo-mount. I wouldn't have bet that it would be more problematic. Frans, I print mostly to Hahnemuhle Museum Rag or Photo Rag and they should be fine. If I print something on a glossy or lustre finish, I'll try it out with a scrap first. Thanks for the heads-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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