Does anyone here know how to get photos not to crinkle up in a frame? I have dozens of nature shots framed but a lot of them have so many waves you need a Dramamine to view them at a certain angle. Is there any kind of backing that will keep them flat? Some of my shots have no waves and are in the same room, same kind of frame and on the same paper. What's up with this?
This is an issue for everyone. The best way to prevent waves is by dry mounting the photo directly to the backing board. There are several methods of doing this, I use a local framer to do mine. Some people never mount their images because they say it's not archival. You are dammed if you do, and dammed if you don't.
The bigger the print, the bigger the wave isssue becomes. I use tape to mount 16x20's and smaller. I hope this helps.
Shirley, I am not sure what kind of paper you are using for your prints, but you might want to switch to something heavier. Very thin paper has a greater tendency to buckle up.
I print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag (308 gsm) and just affix it to the backing board from one edge. The heft of the paper ensures that it hangs flat. Nerver had any problems in the last 9 years.
As a professional picture framer these pictures should be glue mounted. This will resolve this issue. It does not matter which paper you use. There is too much humidity where these pictures are hanging, that leads to the wavy pictures. They will stay this way permantly. This will not really effect the archival part of this since ink jet papers on the market are generally coated on the back.
Thanks for the replies. I do keep all my unframed prints in bags with posterboard. The printer place I use atm has only one kind of paper/finish offered for poster sizes. I may need to find another printing service at a higher price. That makes me cringe. Does using foam board for a backing help or does the shot have to be mounted?
> ... As a professional picture framer these pictures should be glue mounted ...
I disagree with Ken's stance that prints should [necessarily] be glue mounted. That is certainly one way of doing things and I agree it will eliminate the issue of wavy prints. However, I prefer using a more non-permanent mounting option, which is why I rely on tape hinges. BTW, hinge mounting is an accepted practice followed by many (several framing shops here in the San Francisco Bay Area offer this service).
In my experience with using tape hinges to mount prints, thicker paper always fared better. Several of my framed prints are hanging in India, in some of the most humid conditions immaginable, and they haven't shown any problems.
We have a long history with framing prints in a very wet climate. We too have found heavier papers best, along with tape hinge mounts. But we go one extra step. We back each frame with craft paper. That last bit really seems to make all the difference.
Discussion
6 repliesThe bigger the print, the bigger the wave isssue becomes. I use tape to mount 16x20's and smaller. I hope this helps.
I print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag (308 gsm) and just affix it to the backing board from one edge. The heft of the paper ensures that it hangs flat. Nerver had any problems in the last 9 years.
As a professional picture framer these pictures should be glue mounted. This will resolve this issue. It does not matter which paper you use. There is too much humidity where these pictures are hanging, that leads to the wavy pictures. They will stay this way permantly. This will not really effect the archival part of this since ink jet papers on the market are generally coated on the back.
Good Luck, Ken Johnson Photography
I disagree with Ken's stance that prints should [necessarily] be glue mounted. That is certainly one way of doing things and I agree it will eliminate the issue of wavy prints. However, I prefer using a more non-permanent mounting option, which is why I rely on tape hinges. BTW, hinge mounting is an accepted practice followed by many (several framing shops here in the San Francisco Bay Area offer this service).
In my experience with using tape hinges to mount prints, thicker paper always fared better. Several of my framed prints are hanging in India, in some of the most humid conditions immaginable, and they haven't shown any problems.