Mounting and Matting

[Crias]

As I am preparing my entries for the fair I have some questions about mounting. I will be using acid-free matt board, like I use for my artwork, but am unsure what teh best method to attach my photos to it is (Rubber cement, a glue stick, etc.)? I would like to be able to take them off of the matt board after the fair if possible.

Also with matting and mounting do you attach all four edges? I learned in High school that with art on paper when matting and mounting you should only attach the top edge since paper changes size and shape with humidity and temperature. Is this true with photos as well?

How do you decide on the size of mat board to mount a piece on? Do you follow a rule of thumb or vary it depending on the piece? What is the minimum edge you would leave? Maximum? Do you like to leave more space at the top than the bottom (this seems common).

Any other tips and tricks to make my mounting go smoother??

Thanks in advance!

[Crias]

hmmm....that last sentence doesn't sound right:evil: :angel: !!

[SunnyJon]

I think it's common to hinge the top & I use acid free 3M tape for photos-it can be removed easily and yes pics do the same with different humidity & such. You can also get archival corners like you might use mounting pics in a photo album but I don't like 'em. Sometimes I use linen tape but it is very difficult to remove.
As to mat-I generally go up one step in size like for 8 x 10 I go to an 11 x 14 but 2" edge is a common rule of thumb. You can leave a larger bottom like 3" on bottom & 2" all the way 'round or you can use a very large matt with even sides & even top & bottom. No rules just a matter of taste and artistic definition.

More space at the bottom not the top.:D

[Crias]

Originally posted by SunnyJon
More space at the bottom not the top.:D

Doh...I knew that....just typed it wrong :D:rolleyes:

[tmcclary]

I have been mounting and matting today also. Some for the fair (maybe, I haven't decided if I want to drive all the way out there 2-3 times), some for the next photography club competition. It is all new to me, but I have been doing basically what Sunny described. I am using the 3M removable tape made for photos to stick all the pieces together...using 11x14 mats for 8x10 photos. The photos for the photo club will be manhandled a little bit when they are passed around for judging, so they are getting some extra tape.

[MissMouse]

I also use tape :-)

"manhandled" by judges at a photography club! They should be ashamed.

Remember when in competition you should keep it very simple - you want to show off you skill and art to it best not the mat and frame.

[drapier]

I was thinking about posting just such a question.
When you say you hinge the tape on the top, do you run the tape along the whole top edge ? then how do you secure the bottom edge ?

[SunnyJon]

Mike-Yes a piece of tape all the way across the top and don't attach the bottom as the pic will be held in place by the matt & backboard; which most people use foamcore for but any stiif board will do I s'pose. The pic will possibly warp if you tape it all down.

[Crias]

Originally posted by SunnyJon
Mike-Yes a piece of tape all the way across the top and don't attach the bottom as the pic will be held in place by the matt & backboard; which most people use foamcore for but any stiif board will do I s'pose. The pic will possibly warp if you tape it all down.

What about for mounting though Sunny, where there is nothing to hold it down??

[tmcclary]

"manhandled" by judges at a photography club! They should be ashamed.

They are judged by the entire membership in attenendance so they are passed around the room. For standardization they are all either solid black or white, most people reuse the same mats from month to month. They do stick them in an envelope with a window which protects the mat a little, but it still gets handled by 50-60 people.

[geckonia]

Cathy, take two small pieces of tape and stick them to the top edge of the print, about an inch in, from behind, so they stick up about an inch. Then take two more pieces and cover the tabs you just made, right up to the edge of the print, so they attach to the board. The print is now hinged. Place the mat on top, and use two more pieces to connect it to the board on the longest side.

I use archival linen tape to hinge and museum board as the base.

I'll take a photo for you so you can see what I mean... brb... :)

[geckonia]

OK.... here's how I hinge the top.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Jul-2003/3996-geck_01_hingedemo.jpg

I use a small piece of linen tape stuck to the back, sticking up about an inch, then cover it with another piece, which attaches it to the board.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Jul-2003/3996-geck_01_hingedetail.jpg


This way it hangs freely and can expand and contract with the changes in humidity. If you tape the entire top edge you run the risk of buckling, and you waste a lot of tape.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Jul-2003/3996-geck_01_hinged.jpg

Then I put foam core behind, in this case I used black, and a mat on top, or a double mat, as I've done here.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Jul-2003/3996-geck_01_layers.jpg

And then the frame...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Jul-2003/3996-geck_01_final.jpg

If I were to sign this, I'd sign the print under the image area and also the mat. The signature on the print would be covered by the mat... that's why I'd sign the mat too.

Oh yeah.... if I wasn't framing it I would hinge the top of the mat to the board too. Just open it up like a book and lay down three pieces on the seam.

One more thing I mentioned in your other thread.... the heat from dry mounting will ruin inkjet prints. If you want to mount the print to board as if it had been dry mounted, use pressure sensitive 3M PMA (positionable mounting adhesive) to do the same thing.

[SunnyJon]

Geck-I stand corrected. Sounds good to me.:)

[geckonia]

;) Thanks Sunny... you gave a lot of good info here, I just use a little less tape. :D

[meriadoc]

I'm ashamed to admit that the photo I just framed was held in place with the photo corners. For now anyway. When I mat frame the prints for christmas, I'll remat it.

[HMG]

I think this thread is very helpful and should go in the "Hallway." Thanks for posting all the info especially Geckonia's pictorial guide.

Holly

[Crias]

Geck thanks so much for showing me what you do! It looks very professional and I had forgotten all about hinging....something I did years ago in high school art! What type of tape are you using? It looks like the same type I used in high school too...but don't recall what it was called. Also where do you get it?? And just to show how much of a novice I am...what is dry mounting and how does it differ from what you showed?

[tmcclary]

Thank you for the pictorial tutorial (hehe... I ryhmed) Geck.

The timing of this thread couldn't be better. I was having coffee yesterday at a place with a little informal art gallery attached. The owner has seen me drawing in there before. Yesterday I was looking through some prints trying to decide which ones I wanted to enlarge and enter in the fair. The owner saw them and asked me if I would be interested in hanging some painting and photos there. It is just a small place, but it is one of the few gallery type places showing more contemporary work (as opposed to realistic maritime, which is extremeley prevelant here, nice...but not my style) in this little community. I was flattered and I am definitely taking her up on the offer. I don't want to spend fortune on framing, so I am tring to give my self a crash course in it today.

[geckonia]

Vega.... glad this info was useful to you! That sounds like a great opportunity. Is this your first show? Be sure to take pictures for us!

Cathy, I use linen tape (http://www.dickblick.com/zz173/08/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=1057) that I get at the art supply store. Like Sunny said, it's almost impossible to remove, so you have to be careful with it. You cut the pieces you need, and peel the backing off.

Dry mounting is the big (expensive) machine that heats and melts a sheet of dry adhesive between the print and the board. It's used in photography because often when your darkroom prints dry they warp and get all wonky. Dry mounting flattens them out, and attaches the entire print to the board. I have a small press here that I use to stick two mats together when I want an 8-ply (double thick) one. BTW, I get all my mat boards cheap on ebay (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&query=mat+board&ebaytag1=ebayreg&ht=1&st=2&from=R9). I like getting lots of assorted colors, up to 16x20 blanks, and use the museum board when I just want white. I buy my museum board sheets locally in 32"x40" sheets. DB has it too. (http://www.dickblick.com/zz130/01/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=1076) Makes a beautiful surface for graphite drawings as well.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/03-Jul-2003/3996-23101-OA3ww.jpg

I also tell people when they buy one of my prints to ask the framer not to use a dry mount press. From what I've read, the heat will prematurely age an inkjet print. They can hinge them instead. Or use PMA. PMA (http://www.dickblick.com/zz231/07/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=2506), which comes in a huge roll is "cold mounting." I cut the size I need, burnish it to the print, remove the backing and burnish it to the board. Works great if you want to mount a big poster sized print to a piece of foamcore. (I hate spray mount.) The Epson papers are nice and thick though, and hinging usually is fine. I leave room around the edge so the mat can hold it down. If you don't leave a border the bottom edge can rise up in the center of the mat window, which is noticeable.

Thanks again for asking so many good questions... we're building quite a database! :D

[tmcclary]

Is this your first show?

Yes and no. I concentrated heavily on needlework for many years. I did have one showing in a gallery and couple of pieces that where in some national shows and ended up in permanent collections. By the time my needlework started to be recognized I had really lost the passion for it. I have had to work very hard to break myself from the idea that anything I create must be utilitarian in nature. The idea that anything that is purely an expression of the art inside of me was a waste of time to create was drilled into me as a child. So the fact that I actually have enough pieces to show now, let alone muster up the courage to do it is a big step for me. My husband is wonderfully supportive and has been strongly encouraging me to do whatever is necessary, even going as far as altering his schedule at work to give me as much time to create as possible without having to worry about the kids. My goal is to be able to participate in the local arts festival next August.

[drapier]

A couple of more questions I think might be suitable for this thread.
How difficult is cutting your own mats? (a big monesaver I think)
And after mounting and matting, what type of protective bag is best to use so people can view the print without damaging it ? (this assumes no frame of course)

[meriadoc]

Mike :

I used to matt my own prints back in high school - it can be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it - it isnt' too hard.

I used to use a logan mat cutter - i'd love to get one again.

[pierak]

Hello!
I am not a photographer, but my husband is. He got his work in his first gallery about three months ago, and then in an art shop. Now we are trying to get enough inventory to do some shows. So for the last two months we have been matting and framing like crazy! We had not done it before, so we learned from scratch as we went along. We figured out that cutting our own mats would save quite a bit of money and it would not take many prints to make up the purchase of the equipment.
We bought a logan 750 (semi-professional, I guess) and the v-groover. I choose the colors, and help assemble the pictures, my husband does the mat cutting.
Anyway, all this is just to let you know that my husband (Eugene) says it really is not difficult, and after you get the hang of it, it goes pretty quickly. The logan is really nice because the blade is attached to a grove-guide, so it really helps to do it right. We buy the mat board mail order, from the same place we bought the cutter. They have the best prices we have found so far (dick blick is also pretty good when they have a sale).
The catch is the 25 sheets minimum.
The web site is:
http://www.framingsupplies.com/
We use the linen tape for hinging, just as shown in the pictures from a previous post.
We highly recommand the longan system, it is working beautifully for us. If you are interested about the v-groover, let me know and I'll give more details.
Hope this helps, Piera

[geckonia]

Thanks for the info, Piera... That's the same mat cutter I have... I really love it, and it's at a good price.
http://www.dickblick.com/zz171/14/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=1023

Mike, to answer your other question, I get my clear, flapped, archival bags from www.clearbags.com

[Stiggy]

Hi everyone, only my 2nd post to this board. When I lst got into photography I had the pleasure of using the dry mount press at the college I was attending and then found a used one for myself. I love the fact the the entire print was secured to the mount board, the print was quite smooth and looked great. Of course once mounted you could never take it off, unless of you went thru some great pains to do so. I ended up selling the press along time ago, as it was quite heavy to move and I started hinge mounted my prints. This is quite easy, however if the print gets warm or moisture gets to it, it becomes wavey. These days I use the old corner mounts that alot of folks used in their old family albums. Works great, easy, but then again the print can buckle after time. Tapeing it down on the edges would work also, with acid free tape. I generally double mount and sometimes triple mount the outside of the print and like alot of space around my photograph, with white only mount board. Example: 5X7 print in an 11X14 mount, 5X7 print in an 14X17 mount. 8X print in an 14X17 or 16X20 mount. I use LightImpressions for all my mounting and framing needs, they also sell lots of other stuff, plus mat cutters. The mat cutter I have a present is ok, however when I put a small print into a large mat I run out of space on the mat cutter and have to take measurements and then move the board passed it's guide to cut it. This cutter runs only $100 and is easy to use otherwise.

The presentation of your prints is worthwhile and of extreme importance. I generally WOW folks not only with image content, but also how I present the work.

Hope this helps, Stiggy