A Dirt Cheap Display System For Large Prints

[Peter McLennan]

This is plastic clip material for retail display of poster advertising.  $1CDN per foot.  The pix here are of a 40X24 print on Inkjetart Microceramic Lustre.  The material is quite rigid. I see no reason why I can't display prints six or eight feet wide with this system.  The hanger hooks slide into the extrusion and can be positioned anywhere along the clip.

While this might not be a gallery quality presentation, it's far cheaper and easier than any other alternative I've found. I don't sell prints, I give 'em away to friends, so I'm always trying to keep costs down.  This system allows me offer a wall-ready fine art print without the time, hassle and cost associated with conventional behind-glass framing or gallery wrap canvas. The entire assembly can be rolled up and shipped in a conventional mailing tube, ready to hang.

It's a little tricky learning how to insert the print, but after a few tries, I was able to get it to hang ripple-free.  I did de-curl the print for a day before this test.  The extruded plastic material is re-usable, making it easy to change prints.  I did multiple insertions with two weights of canvas and conventional print materials and the retention system didn't suffer at all.

I did trim the unprinted white print borders - about 1/2" each side because I didn't make a borderless print.The sample material I received was 44" long and I didn't bother to cut it to length to match this image so the poster holders extend beyond the print in this test. I haven't tried cutting the clamp material, but it appears easy to cut to length with any saw.  The supplier cut this sample to my specified length.

End caps and hooks come with the system and it's also available in white or clear.





My sample was the "KUDACLIP Heavy Duty Poster Holder"

http://www.shelftalkers.com/carttest2.aspx?productline=posterhangers

I have no association with this supplier other than the phone call to order the test pieces.

[Mark D Segal]

Good to know about Peter. Thanks.

[mikev1]

Sweet.  I have been looking for something like this.

[GrahamBy]

Nice one The foamcore hanging clips look interesting too, but it seems you need to by them by the thousand...

[dgberg]

Very nice.
Just a thought. Can you slide the hanging clips upside down?
The hang hole is now positioned behind the upper rail and will now hide the hanging hole attach point and bent wire end which is the only thing that looks a little cheapie.
Otherwise I like.

[Peter McLennan]

Very nice.
Just a thought. Can you slide the hanging clips upside down?
The hang hole is now positioned behind the upper rail and will now hide the hanging hole attach point and bent wire end which is the only thing that looks a little cheapie.
Otherwise I like.

I don't think you can attach the supplied hooks so that they're behind the rail.  I agree, the bent wire hanging system is not pretty.  I'll use fishing line or something less visible in the next iteration.  With a "poster hanging" system like this, the hanging points both on the wall and on the upper rail are going to be visible.  It may be possible to attach (glue?) hanger points to the back of the extrusion.  It's plastic, so an appropriate glue would need some testing.  It may also be possible to drill through just the wall-side surface of the plastic and hang the rail that way.

Next test for me will be a BFP.  Say six by four feet.  For that, I gotta order more rail materials.

[aduke]

How thick are the rails? I am currently bonding my 16" x 24" prints to gator board and using foamcore hangers with 1.125" L-pins to hand the prints.

This system would be much easier and less expensive if I would be able to continue to use the L-pins.

Thanks

Alan

[Peter McLennan]

The rails are a complex structure.  They hinge open and latch closed and when closed are about half a centimeter thick.  What's an L-pin? Not sure how they'd attach.

By foamcore hangers, I'm assuming you mean those little sharp things that you jab into the foamcore that enable hanger wire across the back.

[aduke]

The rails are a complex structure.  They hinge open and latch closed and when closed are about half a centimeter thick.  What's an L-pin? Not sure how they'd attach.

By foamcore hangers, I'm assuming you mean those little sharp things that you jab into the foamcore that enable hanger wire across the back.

You've got it right about the hangers. An L-pin is rather like a finishing nail with a right-angle bend at the head end. I drill a small hole in the wallboard and insert the pin into the hole. For use with this hanger system, I could use either of the hanging accessories since the L-pin is about an inch long.

Thanks for the information.

Alan

[elliot_n]

An interesting test, but I'm afraid it just looks cheap. This is how we hung posters in the 80s.

[Peter McLennan]

Of course it looks cheap.  It IS cheap.
For my next test, I'm going to try some steel wool on the plastic.  If it was matte, I think it'd look much better.

[aduke]

Yes, of course. I'm interested in it because of that and that, if I were to use it, I could store my prints flat in a minimum of space. It will not be too long before I have more to keep than I have room for.

Alan

[BrianWoolf]

Also, check out something called Poster Hangers, very similar idea, About $20 for a pair of 24" wide aluminum tubes(actually 25" wide). much more finished than those above, has a hole in the center of the top tube for hanging on almost any type of hook. Simple to change out the image.
Brian

[gchappel]

I have used the poster hangers for a wall full of large images- up to 40x60". 
They are expensive for what they are, but they work fine.  Mounting is easy- one nail.   I am using the dark/black ones. They do look better than the plastic ones.
Gary

[kuau]

Is this the same picture hanging system that is shown in the Print Video Part 1

https://luminous-landscape.com/epson-legacy-paper-print-discussion-dan-dano-steinhardt-jeff-schewe-kevin-raber/

The one hanging behind Jeff S.