If you're not dry mounting how do you get larger prints to stay flat?
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Kevin
Posted by Phillip Noll on March 24, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Some people say that you should do nothing to the artwork that cannon be undone. The "Conservationists" frown on drymounting because it is permanent and many recommend hinge mounting using linen tape instead. But your question is a good one because with hinge-mounting, especially in humid climates, you can get some curling or waviness to the print over time. Drymounting prevents this. (There are some new drymounting techniques which the manufacturers claim is reversible but I have no experience with these.)
What to do?? Ansel Adams drymounted his prints and now they fetch $30k or more! Many folks are now laminating their work or using color-plaque or color-box type mounting which I think would cause a conservator to go into convulsions.! You might also think about sandwiching your work between two sheets of plexiglass. Its reversible and keeps your work flat.
Its really up to you, how you market your work, and how you want it to look once it leaves your control. I hinge mount mine because I can't afford a drymounter. I don't have much problem with waviness but then I live in a climate where 30% humidity is downright muggy!
Weigh your options and pick one. I'm not sure it really matters unless at some point in the future you are considered the Michelangelo of your time! (Then they are going to wish you didn't drymount!! )
In the old days, prints themselves were often the result of a lengthy, one-time process that yielded a unique product. Nowadays they come out of an inkjet or other easily repeatable process, and the uniqueness comes from the work performed in recording the original image and its optimization during post-processing. Giclee helps to ensure longevity. Paper-core dry mount tissue ensures that the adhesive itself does not attack the image. Using an archival mounting board that passes the ANSI IT 9.16 1993 Photographic Activity Test will ensure that you are using a paper product that will not become acidic over time and attack the image or the base. So why not dry mount?
Are you letting your prints dry very very well before framing them? 24 hours at least, is what I have been told… Just in case you didn't know. I sure didn't…
Posted by Jim Bullard on March 24, 2009 at 4:24 PM
I hang my prints with acid free tape on the back of a beveled mat just like any other paper artwork. Print with at least a one inch border, most or all of which will be under the mat. I haven't dry mounted in years.
Posted by Nat Coalson on March 25, 2009 at 7:26 PM
Usually I prefer to use only museum/archival mounting methods, which means that any kind of permanent mounting is ruled out. I like to leave the print able to "live on its own", and everything in the mounting process should be reversible, should the need arise.
But in cases where prints are only decor and are not expected to last a long time or gain value over time, dry mounting and even laminating can be a reasonable solution.
Thicker, heaver papers can hang flat with smaller areas secured to the backing board. Thinner (and usually less expensive) papers need more support to prevent warping, buckling, etc.
Glossy papers show warping more than matte papers. And larger prints need more support than smaller ones. A 20x30 even on heavy paper will eventually warp if not fully dry mounted across the entire back surface. Maybe this will be a problem for a particular print; maybe not.
With all these factors in mind, I recommend that you produce each print job with its own considerations, Some will be best dry mounted/laminated etc., while others you may want to leave in a more archival preservation condition.
It's unlikely that you will find one perfect mounting solution that will work for all jobs. In all cases, though, use "archival" (acid free) materials.
Most importantly, I generally wouldn't recommend any method that puts the face of the print directly in contact with any other material, if that can be avoided.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on March 27, 2009 at 3:24 PM
That's funny, because alot of those prints that are worth alot in the museums... are drymounted.
Dry mounting can improve the longevity of the artwork because it seals the back of the image. But its also got the downside of causing the image and the board to be permanently mated to each other.
As for the prints staying flat, I find that it helps to mount the print by the upper corners only though you might need to put a hinge at the center for a large enough print. This way the print can shrink and swell free through most of its body and the print will change dimensions through the year.
Hey Kevin, Personelly I couldn't stand seeing my prints ripple under the glass in a frame, so I had them drymounted at first. The cost on having prints drymounted from a local framer was costly so I first tried the 3M spay mounts, and those didn't last, I still had prints let loose, so ask at my local framing wholsalers if there were any other options and found out about PMA tape (Positionable Mounting Adhesive) made by scotch or 3M. It comes in a 50 foot roll in 11" to 24" wide. I've never had one of my prints let loose using this product. It's a two side sticky film and no special equipment required.
Assuming a heavy 300+ gsm paper, I dry mount anything over 11x14. I do use Ragmount and mount to Rising Museum Board. So the whole thing is archival, just not reversible. There's nothing worse than seeing a print ripple behind glass. Who cares what the purists think?
Discussion
9 repliesI'm wondering what you guys prefer when framing.
If you're not dry mounting how do you get larger prints to stay flat?
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Kevin
What to do?? Ansel Adams drymounted his prints and now they fetch $30k or more! Many folks are now laminating their work or using color-plaque or color-box type mounting which I think would cause a conservator to go into convulsions.!
Its really up to you, how you market your work, and how you want it to look once it leaves your control. I hinge mount mine because I can't afford a drymounter. I don't have much problem with waviness but then I live in a climate where 30% humidity is downright muggy!
Weigh your options and pick one. I'm not sure it really matters unless at some point in the future you are considered the Michelangelo of your time! (Then they are going to wish you didn't drymount!!
I've noticed problems with curls/waving on prints that I've just hung up, especially when I print on the HP photo satin paper I like to use.
I've noticed on some images I had dry mounted it actually changes the appearance of the print some. Ever noticed that?
But in cases where prints are only decor and are not expected to last a long time or gain value over time, dry mounting and even laminating can be a reasonable solution.
Thicker, heaver papers can hang flat with smaller areas secured to the backing board. Thinner (and usually less expensive) papers need more support to prevent warping, buckling, etc.
Glossy papers show warping more than matte papers. And larger prints need more support than smaller ones. A 20x30 even on heavy paper will eventually warp if not fully dry mounted across the entire back surface. Maybe this will be a problem for a particular print; maybe not.
With all these factors in mind, I recommend that you produce each print job with its own considerations, Some will be best dry mounted/laminated etc., while others you may want to leave in a more archival preservation condition.
It's unlikely that you will find one perfect mounting solution that will work for all jobs. In all cases, though, use "archival" (acid free) materials.
Most importantly, I generally wouldn't recommend any method that puts the face of the print directly in contact with any other material, if that can be avoided.
Dry mounting can improve the longevity of the artwork because it seals the back of the image. But its also got the downside of causing the image and the board to be permanently mated to each other.
As for the prints staying flat, I find that it helps to mount the print by the upper corners only though you might need to put a hinge at the center for a large enough print. This way the print can shrink and swell free through most of its body and the print will change dimensions through the year.