Question for Bob: How are you mounting your premium luster prints to Dibond? Vacuum or Roller Press? Have you found a good roll adhesive that is acid free? Finally, if you're laminating your prints, is this done with the same press or are you using cold mount for the aluminum substrate and hot press for the laminate?
I'm using the opaque white version of DK Adhesive:
http://www.dkgroup.com/downloads/18_Film_PS.Mounting.Adhesives.pdfI mount on a roll laminator with just enough heat to bring the material to a little warmer than room temp... not over 100f. The warmth isn't required. I've done it just fine on a pure cold mount laminator but the warmth seems to insure a little better bond.
I haven't laminated any prints yet. I do often spray with Premier Art Eco Shield varnish. I would like to try laminating but just haven't had time to devote to testing it yet.
I've used a good table saw with a proper finishing blade to cut Dibond. It works but it creates piles of fine plastic particles that because of the static generated, stick to EVERYTHING. With a proper blade you get a decent but not perfectly smooth edge. You will have to go over the edges with sandpaper to smooth them. You will also spend a huge amount of time on cleanup to be sure that one of those little plastic bits doesn't wind up between the mounted print and the dibond. It leaves a very noticeable bump in the otherwise fine print. No way to fix it but start over. If you're going to do much of this, a vastly better way to cut is with something like this:
http://www.fletcherviscom.com/viscom/fsc/FSC_Main.shtmlIt cuts with NO extra debris created and it leaves a silky smooth edge.... MUCH smoother than any table saw setup. I bought one almost a year ago. One of the greatest time saving devices I've acquired. Cuts foam, glass, plexi, gator, dibond extremely simply and easily. Very precise cuts. Even just to whip out a fast cut on a piece of foam core for packaging a print. This thing does it perfectly in seconds. Extremely handy. There are a few similar cutters from other manufacturers as well.
I've worked with table saws for years. Heed the warnings. I'm missing part of my left thumb because of a run-in with one earlier this year. It could have easily been much much worse. I was cutting a pile of repetitive cuts on small pieces of gator foam. I was being very careful and had finished the last one just fine. I apparently relaxed a split second too soon and ever so lightly touched my thumb to the blade as I was pulling my hand away from the saw after the last cut. Not a pretty site. I started using the Fletcher-Terry cutter shortly after that.
Bob Smith