I have been dabbling with this form of mounting my prints for over a year now. Here in the UK there are city based print houses that do offer this service at a cost that does not ring my bell.
My strategy is for a method of mounting for exhibition to show off the print. At a price point that is far more economical than full on art framing. I leave any possible customers to decide on their own framing requirements rather than put my work into cheap frames, a tactic by some galleries, or worse still foam board (warps in UK climate ). If they want a finished mounted print thats OK but I need to know what suits their need. It's a matter of taste.
I am surprised that Mark compares the price point of this process to traditional framing. It should be cheaper in my opinion.
Why?
Because we can do it ourselves.
One thing, the term Dibond is used a lot. Never seen it. Everyone seems to use alternatives. In mark's article I spotted the sheet name as Omega Board. Also all these products come painted on both sides. There have been reports I only saw today of bubbling a few months after mounting. Probable cause, surface not cleaned just protective film removed and adhesive sheet straight on to a surface designed for nothing or a solvent based paint. It is possible to get sheets with one side laughingly termed burnished. I am experimenting with this now as this is an unpainted side to the sheet and I am concerned with outgassing through the adhesive layer to the back of my prints from paint. Paranoid or what.
What I am doing is ordering stock in chosen sizes from distributers directly. Having sent a plan of the cuts so that I take delivery of twenty or so pieces cut exactly to my requirements.
I mount flush as per Mark's image right up to the edge. This does look stunning.
I don't use a huge cold press, can't afford toys like that.
Herma adhesive sheets or if lucky the roll version. It's non solvent and claimed archival. It is a gum like substance which even after days has a little pliability. Eeerr useful it the Alu starts to expand or contract due to temperature changes however small. This might save the print long term and stop peeling. Apply by hand. Release paper, tissue sheets cotton gloves, stacking with weights if needed, just be inventive. Not for a large output.
It takes a while to work out a work flow that gets it all lined up and no gummy on the print face but the real problems are in getting this material delivered clean cut and precise as this is key to the look and trimming the edges of the print. I have a batch that I had to smooth off (bad handling by the now ex supplier) and my blade tears at the print if the surface is not perfect. Smaller pieces do not need the mounting on the back to be as full on as the example in the article. I use Key hole plastic hangers, bit tricky to locate a supply. Glued near the top in the centre of width on the back. Some bump stops at each bottom side and thats it.
Just be careful not to cut yourself and the finished results do need careful handling to avoid nicks.
I have mounted;
Hahnemuhle Bamboo and their OBA free Photo Rag Baryta.
Canson Baryta Photographique.
Permajet photo art Pearl (some OBA?). Possibly a surface not in need of protection as it seems a bit tougher and moisture resistant than others.
I really don't see the need to spray everything.
For one thing I was happy to ditch the dark room and all those chemicals for my health and possibly the environments so why now start squirting lord knows what into the air.
Regards
