Mounting Epson "Plastic" Papers (ie Luster 260)

[deanb2010]

Is there any good way to mount the Epson RC papers such as Luster 260 to foam board?  Everytime I have tried I end up with a print that has a bunch of bubbles.  I have been using 3M spray adhesive (77) but it doesn't work at all even though it is pretty sticky.  I don't have a vacuum press or a dry mount press. Any suggestions would be appreciated.  If it really can't be done, is there a paper based Luster that is similar in finish to the Epson RC Luster?

Thanks.  d.

[dgberg]

Your doing something wrong with the 3m adhesive if you say it is just sticky. All spray adhesives (3m 77) included must be put on both pieces. But beware when you put them together you cannot move or pull them apart ,period. The big question is I am not sure thats how you want to mount your photo. I am a canvas specialist so will need to let someone else chime in on proper dry mounting.

[BobbyT]

I use 3M #568 Positionable Mounting Adhesive and it works very well.  It comes in a roll and has complete instructions.

[deanwork]

I've looked into this several times with galleries and framers. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've found no good solutions to mounting any glossy type inkjet prints. The 3M 77 is indeed very permanent but really a form of rubber cement and totally not a good archival solution if you want the prints to last. The repositionable 3M is less destructive but will eventually pull up, just when you least expect it.  Drymounting with a thermo plastic can work well, clean and permanent, but not for rc or any gloss materials. The heat from the dry mount press will alter the look of gloss surface fiber media and totally warp and ruin rc inkjet media. I've found no answers at all out side of lamination, which can be a whole world of trouble in and of it self. That is one of the main reasons for the popularity of canvas and canvas varnishing.

j

I use 3M #568 Positionable Mounting Adhesive and it works very well.  It comes in a roll and has complete instructions.

[deanb2010]

I spray the adhesive (3M 77) to both pieces, and you are quite right.  Once they are together they are stuck, but even so, because the paper can't breathe and apparently the foam board doesn't breathe well, I get bubbles. I'm just looking for something that works (if such a thing exists). Also, I'm not particularly concerned about the archival nature of the adhesive (these are for personal use and only need to last a few years).

[framah]

Bienfang makes a product called quick stick foam board. Just peel off the protective sheet and apply the photo.

 It's always best to burnish the print onto the board to help the adhesive work. That includes the PMA also.  PMA includes a release paper for burnishing as well as a squeegee thingy.

You burnish the PMA to the back of the print, then after laying the print onto the foamboard, you lay the release paper down and burnish it into place.

Spray 77 is probably the WORST thing to use!! First, it is pretty messy due to overspray onto everything remotely nearby and second the fumes can kill you or at the least really mess you up.

[bill t.]

I got pretty good at dry mounting Luster RC.  The Luster surface comes through dry mounting looking great, but as has been said glossy will develop eggshell texture.

You need a press with a good thermostat.  RC can survive 190F for hours, but at around 220F it will delaminate in a few seconds.  Most old presses with mechanical thermostats will swing their temperatures far and wide, including well into the way-too-hot range.  My used Seal (aka Bienfang) 500T-X press has an electronic thermostat with very tight temperature control and was bought for the price of about 50 ugly cans of 3M 77 spray.

If your thermostat does swing around quite a bit, you can mitigate things by pressing a dummy package of reject mattes or something just before pressing your art.  That will theoretically soak up excessive temperature buildup, but will also trigger the thermostat so don't delay or temporarily turn down the temperature.

Always use a thickish cover sheet, like a thin matte.

Pre-press the print on top of the mounting board for about a minute to drive out moisture from both, and to absolutely flatten the print.  RC prints are basically rigid but somewhat ripply.  If you try to dry mount them without pre-pressing you will get ripples or bubbles both from not being flat to start with, and from moisture being caught under the print.  Right after pre-pressing lift the print off the board for a moment to let moisture escape.  If you place your print on the flat backing and check the edges for ripple before and after pre-pressing you will be impressed by the improvement.

I strongly recommend "Super Mount" tissue, United Manufacturers #4368.  Best RC bonds I have ever seen.  180F for 2 minutes with a cover sheet.  Ordinary dry mount tissue should not be used with RC.  Tack the tissue and print at two points along one edge only, tacking multiple edges almost guarantees you'll get ripple.

There's a lot of other things, like the tiniest piece of grit caught under your print will show up big-time, or if it is caught on top of the print during pressing that will also kill your print.  You have to be super fastidious which will wear you down after while.

If you dry mount RC in sections, be sure your cover sheet extends past the edges of the platen to avoid getting an impression of the platen on the print.

I kinda hate to buy stuff from these guys, but this little temperature probe is small enough to fit under the platen of my press and is good way to verify those somewhat speculative temperature dials on most presses and to scan for nasty hot-spots in certain areas.  Also good for figuring out how fast the temperature penetrates the cover sheet.  http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=93983

[Gemmtech]

Bienfang makes a product called quick stick foam board. Just peel off the protective sheet and apply the photo.

 It's always best to burnish the print onto the board to help the adhesive work. That includes the PMA also.  PMA includes a release paper for burnishing as well as a squeegee thingy.

You burnish the PMA to the back of the print, then after laying the print onto the foamboard, you lay the release paper down and burnish it into place.

Spray 77 is probably the WORST thing to use!! First, it is pretty messy due to overspray onto everything remotely nearby and second the fumes can kill you or at the least really mess you up.

That's really a ridiculous statement, you put your piece in a spray booth (even if it's a homemade unit made of plastic is fine) spray it with the 77, put it through a pinch roller and you are done, the darn thing will never come apart.  If your surfaces are clean, free of grease and oil, dirt and dust and you get a great bond, you will be fine for a very long time.  And as far as the fumes, walk downtown in any city without a mask on and you are breathing in some pretty bad stuff.  That's not to say that I don't use good ventilation, but I've been working with adhesives, lacquers, acrylic urethanes etc. for 30 years and know the importance of good ventilation!  I have images that were clued down to hardboard 30 years ago that still haven't lifted.

[petermarrek]

The siplest way IMO is to use cold mount adhesive ( Drytac ) It has a release liner on it, peel back a 1inch strip of the rease material, place your print in the correct position, pull odd the rest of the release material and slowly roll your print in place. You don't need a cold mount press, a small foam roller will help to put some pressure to get a good bond. No mess.