Print mounting equipment

[MontrealPaul]

Does anyone have experience with print mounting? I am a former z3100 owner. Now I have many prints kicking around in drawers. I would like to be able to mount them on card, on dibond, whatever. What equipment should I be thinking about?

thank you!

[BobShaw]

You don't say how you intend to mount or what mat boards you will use, but basically ...
A steel ruler in mm, a pencil, a retracting blade knife and a rubber roller of at least 200mm wide. The thicker the paper the easier it is.

[MontrealPaul]

Thanks for your message, I have prints on fibre paper as well as instant dry. Up to 40 x 60 inches. So not sure about a roller and a metal ruler. Am thinking of a laminator but have no idea where to start

[Peter McLennan]

In my distant past, drymounting was the only answer.  Now, a roller laminator works far better.  Cheaper, easier and equivalent results IMHO.
I bought one similar to this, although mine has spring-loaded rollers.  It makes fast work of sticking prints to foamcore or gator.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/29-5-Manual-Cold-Roll-Laminator-Laminating-Machine-Vinyl-Tape-Mounting-Applicat-/322949892438

[faberryman]

In my distant past, drymounting was the only answer.  Now, a roller laminator works far better.  Cheaper, easier and equivalent results IMHO. I bought one similar to this, although mine has spring-loaded rollers.  It makes fast work of sticking prints to foamcore or gator.

What do you use for adhesive?

[Peter McLennan]

Self-adhesive foamcore and Gator. In cases of extreme poverty, spray adhesive.
*edit* I hasten to add that I don't sell prints. I give them away.  It's more fun.

[dgberg]

Seal's Print Mount Ultra for mounting the print to gator board.
Seal's Print Shield Uv matte, satin or luster for over laminating prints. The gloss is polyester and a real bear to mount without dust.
Seal's Print Guard Matte or Luster a hot laminate but the best by far.
Finally Seal's OptiMount UV for face mounting prints to plexiglass.
You can put down Print Mount Ultra on gatorboard without a laminator. Very easy once you have done a few.
Tons of videos on YouTube. If that doesn't work for you come down for a 1 day mounting workshop.

[stockjock]

Does anyone have experience with print mounting? I am a former z3100 owner. Now I have many prints kicking around in drawers. I would like to be able to mount them on card, on dibond, whatever. What equipment should I be thinking about?

thank you!

There are lots of very experienced professional photographers/framers that will probably chime in so I'm just going to give you my perspective as a serious amateur for whom costs and results weight about equally.

1) There is a big difference in mounting a print in the 17-30" width range vs. 40+ inches in my opinion.  The larger paper sizes are harder to handle and require more expensive equipment.  I'm only going to talk about the smaller prints.

2) I have never tried laminating but my sense from reading posts on this and other forums is laminating is very dust sensitive.  Most people seem to recommend a specialized dust removal system roller from Drytac or Breathing Color.  These are absurdly expensive, $200-360 depending on where and what you purchase.  Also, real laminating machines are also quite a bit of money, especially if you want heated rollers.  Bottom line, laminating is too much of an investment for me.

3) I use a cheap 39" cold roll laminator I bought off eBay.  Build quality on these machines is terrible but it only cost $128 a few years ago and it works fine for my purposes.  I'm sure it is possible to do smaller prints with out a roller but this machine makes things so much easier.  I've never had any problems with bubbles or crimps in the paper using it.

4) I recommend mounting on either Sintra or Gator with a pre-applied adhesive.  My preference is Sintra because it is easier to cut but if you need a rigid substrate then Gator is a good choice.  I don't use foamboard because of its tendency to warp.  I have bought from both Artgrafix and Lamination Depot.  Prices vary widely so shopping around is a good idea.

You can buy double sided adhesive film like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O821DHU/?coliid=I8IOOKDBWDY3L&colid=1KDK9TFQHW1AV&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it.  And use the roller to mount that to whatever substrate you want to use but I've never seen the point of that.

There are videos around that show the best way to mount a print.  Basically, align the print and the substrate.  Weigh down the bottom edge of the print.  Lift the top edge and peel back a few inches of the adhesive cover.  Lightly adhere the top edge of the print to the adhesive.  Feed that edge into the laminator far enough to hold it firmly.  Carefully lift print over the laminator roll.  Remove adhesive cover.  Slowly and carefully feed print/substrate through the laminator holding the print so it doesn't rub against the rolls but also doesn't flop onto the adhesive.  Once done pass through the laminator in a couple of different directions and you are done.

5) You need a large self-healing cutting mat.  Prices vary widely and I have no idea if quality also varies a lot.  And you will need a good straight edge.  This one is very serviceable and quite cheap.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0083SGRT4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

6) Cutting the mounted print can be tricky and it depends on what sort of paper you are using.  Canson/Epson Platine is very tricky to cut since it is a cotton rag and the paper tends to shred/tear.  Lots of people recommend the Olfa rotary cutters but I never got good results.  What works best for me is a good quality utility knife and FREQUENT blade changes.  I change the blade every two sides I cut.  So one blade is good for one print.  Blades are the cheapest part of this whole process so don't try to make a blade last.  I use these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BYWIUS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In order to cut Gator or Sintra  you are going to have to make multiple passes with the blade.  Just take your time and be careful and don't use too much pressure which can lead to sloppiness. 

None of this is rocket science but you do need to be careful every step of the way.  It all takes a lot of room and a lot of time but the cost savings of doing it yourself can be substantial.

Good luck!

[BobShaw]

Thanks for your message, I have prints on fibre paper as well as instant dry. Up to 40 x 60 inches. So not sure about a roller and a metal ruler. Am thinking of a laminator but have no idea where to start

40X60"!
That is a big print. Forget everything I said. You need proper equipment and even then can wreck prints. I suggest you get a framer to do it.

[alain]

Prints up to approx. the length of you're arm (for me 60 by 110cm max.) are doable, above that size you need to be with two and need more place. 

Some nice and very useful video's :

https://www.zenith-art-system.de/videos/videolehrgang-arbeiten-mit-dem-handlaminator/

They also have the materials to do it (in Europe).

Alain

[MontrealPaul]

WOW!!  Thank you for these most detailed replies, Stockjock et al... I am getting a much better picture of how to proceed. I think starting small will be the best guide. Invest as knowledge grows and need requires. Making a top surface lamination on a large print isn't something you start out with evidently!!

Your links and advice are very appreciated.. Thank you again! and Happy New Year

Paul

[Peter McLennan]

You can easily order self-sticky Gator or foamcore online.  Why not try some small sizes first? You might be amazed.

[BobShaw]

If you go the sticky board way (which I prefer) then be aware that they are generally unforgiving. If the print touches the board then it is down to stay. You can supposedly get readjustable sticky board that allows you to lift it (so they say), but plain board and a slower drying adhesive which allows you to roll it out may work better. Good luck.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Here I mount prints up to 1x1 or 1x1.28 meter quite regularly. Since the bad experience with third party services for mounting my matte art prints. I prefer to mount matte art papers first with a vacuum table and then give an extra pressing through the rollers with some paper sheets extra to protect the surface.

If you have self adhesive boards, dibond, polystyreen, etc then two sheets of siliconized paper with one edge folded back, each covering half the adhesive board side but about 4" left open in the center, allows you to align the print on top. Then get it adhered over that center strip. Pull the siliconized paper away between the print and board for both sides, one after the other. Best is to have an inner curl on the print so the roll off to the adhesive works gradually. Then put it in a cold vacuum table, 20grams tissue paper on top that adheres at the edges and keeps the surface protected in the following steps. Table is easier to make DIY than rollers, welded my 120x160 cm table 40 years ago for other tasks. You may not need rollers at all for matte art papers, the bond is quite good. For RC papers you can not use the cold vacuum table though. Air is not pulled out at all spots. I use the rollers for that paper and it has a tougher surface so less issues. The conventional way as shown in Zenith videos.

I work with polystyreen and dibond sheets of 2mm thick, the first type for framing behind glass. Apply the dual sided adhesive to the mounting boards with rollers, inexpensive Chinese model 130cm wide that I upgraded somewhat.  Thick adhesive for matte papers, thinner for RC gloss etc.  Zenith qualities. Adhesive applied to standard sheets of 244x122 cm (with an assistant) or I use sheets of 101x205 101x150 cm or less cut by the supplier. Both the PS and DiBond can be scored (3x) with a heavy knife at one side, the larger part clamped on a table edge with a thick aluminium profile that serves as the knife guide too and then with a profile (hands) clamped parallel to the score the part taken off is bended so it breaks at the scoring.  Can do that up to 122cm wide. That way both sheet parts do not get a warped shape like it happens with other cutting methods but sawing. Low investment method too. Thinking about a faster pneumatic clamping method though, DIY again. Sheets with the adhesive applied are cut in the same way for smaller pieces, scored at the adhesive side.

Cut the total after print mounting just within the corner marks made with Qimage Ultimate. They are visible through the 20grams tissue paper still adhered at the edges. The edge cutting gives a loss of roughly 7 to 10mm material all around. Cutting is done with a 150cm long boardcutter. Smaller version here: https://www.rob-son.nl/en/book-binding-machinery/guillotines-paper-cutters/karl-krause-board-cutter. Edge is fine, the paper gets extra pressure at the edges in the cutting process, the edge of the boards is smooth. Very precise cut to the image edges can be made too that way, sometimes I add a 1 or 2mm to the image with one of my Canvas Wrap actions to get no loss at all of the image. The boardcutter can not be used for expanded PVC like Forex etc, it breaks near the edges with a boardcutter. After the cutting the matte paper mounts go through the rollers twice for an even better bond.



Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
March 2017 update, 750+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[Kevin Gallagher]

WOW!!  Thank you for these most detailed replies, Stockjock et al... I am getting a much better picture of how to proceed. I think starting small will be the best guide. Invest as knowledge grows and need requires. Making a top surface lamination on a large print isn't something you start out with evidently!!

Your links and advice are very appreciated.. Thank you again! and Happy New Year

Paul

 It's been some time since I've mounted a print but I must agree that there are some very detailed and helpful responses here. Thinking back, I never actually mounted any of my prints, just matted them and bagged them for the bins, but there was a special double sided tape you used to hold the matts together and I struggled with this until I discovered this very helpful Tool

[Herbc]

Being old school, dry mount is still my favorite, no more difficult than dealing with the self adhesive mess IMHO, and you can get some really big dry mount presses cheap these days if you have the means and space to handle one.  The late Michael Smith had one under a table lid which hinged open to allow access to it, thus it was not a tabletop hog when not in use.
Given the 40x60 inch size, how many of those are you going to mount??