Mounting prints on foamcore

[Bryan Conner]

I have really been enjoying making prints with my Epson Et-8550.  I prefer to display my prints on the wall, framed and without glass.  I have been printing both A3 as well as A3+ sizes and have been mounting them on A2 size foamcore using 3M Photo mount spray then trimming to size.  I am interested in other ideas or suggestions which might be a better choice than what I currently use.  The spray is a bit messy, but I can deal with that if I need to.  Since I am not mounting prints professionally, only for my self as a hobbyist, I do not see myself buying a 50m roll of something like 3M PMA, which looks to be wonderful.  It would probably take me 10-15 years to use a 50M roll and I would be worried about either it (or me  ) aging too much in the meantime....

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[dgberg]

You want to move away from foam board and that spray if at all possible.
Foamcore sheets come with the adhesive attached. Line it up at one end pull the liner off and brayer it down.
Flip it over and trim it off. We use gatorboard instead of foam core as it is a much better product. Wood fibers in the outer surface.
Cut with a good straight edge and utility knife.
3/16" is good for most projects although you can purchase 3/8" or 1/2". I believe white is also available. Attach a hanger on the back and it should be all you need.
Should stay good and flat unlike foam board.

[Kyle Jackson]

An alternative is peel-and-stick repositionable textile fabric. Very versatile because can stick on anything: walls, doors, cabinets, ceiling, glass, metal, bathtub lol... 

Removable and won't damage wall paint. Easily cut to make your own weird wall decal shapes if you want.

The complete lack of glare makes up for the matte surface, so it often appears clearer on the wall than satin prints behind glass.

I use PhotoTex which is (last I checked) sold under several brands, including Canon, LexJet, Kodak. Not sure about HP's label. I've been using the Canon label for no particular reason other than easy availability for me.

FWIW, I compared it with Breathing Color's Art Peel and the PhotoTex had much smoother surface (finer texture), was brighter/whiter (out of the box; of course none of these are colour stable for long periods), higher opacity (important on glass), and better colour gamut and black point. The BC also separated from its backing in the printer and jammed.

I think I've posted here previously with more detail, check the search if want to know more.

[Jonathan Cross]

You want to move away from foam board and that spray if at all possible.
Foamcore sheets come with the adhesive attached. Line it up at one end pull the liner off and brayer it down.
Flip it over and trim it off. We use gatorboard instead of foam core as it is a much better product. Wood fibers in the outer surface.
Cut with a good straight edge and utility knife.
3/16" is good for most projects although you can purchase 3/8" or 1/2". I believe white is also available. Attach a hanger on the back and it should be all you need.
Should stay good and flat unlike foam board.

Like a lot of things, "it all depends"!

I use 3mm foam board and 3M repositionable spray mount to have prints for showing people that are light and rigid and do not flop around.  I buy it in A1 sheets from my local artists' supplies.  (A1 is 33"x23" approx.) I then cut it to A3+ (19x13"), A3 or A4 with a Stanley knife as I have those paper sizes for printing.   I leave a margin round the image on the print, e.g.on A3+ the image is usually 18"x12" and on A4 is 9"x6" or 10.5"x7".

If I was doing it for putting on the wall, I may well do it differently according to how it is to be framed.

Jonathan



 

[Bryan Conner]

Thanks you to everyone who responded.  I appreciate your thoughts and opinions and will definitely keep them in mind.

I have just ordered some archival self-adhesive A2 size foamcore for my next mounting project.