Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 25

Thread: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    15

    Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    I'm having some difficulty deciding what adhesive to use for mounting my fine art photography prints. All prints are 20"x30" and 16"x24" printed on Kodak Professional Endura metallic VC digital paper. The exhibition is my first and is set to be displayed in multiple venues. Forty-five images all limited edition prints (15 or less per image.)

    On one hand I think I should use Bienfang BufferMount for preservation reasons. Some of the archival stuff I have read suggests not to dry mount. Specifically noted by one source "Prints in museum and archive collections should not be dry mounted. Likewise, valuable prints purchased by private collectors should not be dry mounted."

    From this resource: http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/..._HiRes_v1a.pdf

    So my question is for exhibition purposes is Bienfang buffermount the answer or the permanent Bienfang colormount?

    And looking beyond exhibition purposes to print value/sales, archives, and collection which is suitable? I'm worried the buffermount might peal at the corners and/or not have a long lasting professionally smooth surface.

    Additionally I am planning on stamping the images with a copyright stamp using Crown super marking ink. If I remember right it is an alcohol based ink intended for photographs. My concern now is if it will degrade the photograph over time. I've considered that instead of stamping the back of the print to stamp just the mounted surface - assuming I am using buffermount (non permanent mounting).

    Ideally I'd like to stamp both the mounted surface and the back of the print and use buffermount to mount all my images (exhibition & sales). The fusion by Bienfang sounds like a pain and inappropriate for my purposes.

    Any ideas are appreciated.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    15

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    Quote Originally Posted by frankrizzo View Post
    I'm having some difficulty deciding what adhesive to use for mounting my fine art photography prints. All prints are 20"x30" and 16"x24" printed on Kodak Professional Endura metallic VC digital paper. The exhibition is my first and is set to be displayed in multiple venues. Forty-five images all limited edition prints (15 or less per image.)

    On one hand I think I should use Bienfang BufferMount for preservation reasons. Some of the archival stuff I have read suggests not to dry mount. Specifically noted by one source "Prints in museum and archive collections should not be dry mounted. Likewise, valuable prints purchased by private collectors should not be dry mounted."

    From this resource: http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/..._HiRes_v1a.pdf

    So my question is for exhibition purposes is Bienfang buffermount the answer or the permanent Bienfang colormount?

    And looking beyond exhibition purposes to print value/sales, archives, and collection which is suitable? I'm worried the buffermount might peal at the corners and/or not have a long lasting professionally smooth surface.

    Additionally I am planning on stamping the images with a copyright stamp using Crown super marking ink. If I remember right it is an alcohol based ink intended for photographs. My concern now is if it will degrade the photograph over time. I've considered that instead of stamping the back of the print to stamp just the mounted surface - assuming I am using buffermount (non permanent mounting).

    Ideally I'd like to stamp both the mounted surface and the back of the print and use buffermount to mount all my images (exhibition & sales). The fusion by Bienfang sounds like a pain and inappropriate for my purposes.

    Any ideas are appreciated.
    I just read this http://www.rangeoflightphotography.c...on#drymounting after posting. It answers almost all of my questions with the exception of how safe I am using buffermount at 20"x30"

    My ink/stamp question is still in need of debate.

  3. #3
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,337

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    You need to test this specific paper and ink combo to see if it will tolerate the heat,
    or talk to someone who has specific experience with it. Low-temp reversible drymount tissues sometimes fail, especially if the prints are shipped during hot weather or displayed under excessive heat. As far as what's archival or not, that is
    a very complicated subject, but I've never heard of that being a negative to the value of typical photographic prints. In certain special cases, there can be an incompatibility with the type of board. Heating a print will also cause it to conform
    to any texture present on the board and cause "orangepeel" under some circumstances. Save some of your "dud" prints for testing any hypothetical system
    before you dive in.

  4. #4
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,337

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    I wouldn't worry too much about copyrighting unless your name is Uncle Earl. A
    copyright mark on the image itself might just be a visual detraction. I don't know
    of any serious artist who bothers with it anymore. Yeah, if you've got the only known shot in the world of Bigfoot hugging Elvis aboard a UFO, it might make sense,
    but someone has probably already come up with a Photoshop version of that.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    grand rapids
    Posts
    3,851

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    What drew said. I'm in the process of switching to PMA adhesive for color work. Just too many issues with dry mounting them.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    1,545

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    While I always dry mounted GS prints, I use archival linen tape to mount inkjet prints. A simple hinge with an appropriate overmat makes this a much simpler and I believe better solution.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    15

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Wiley View Post
    I wouldn't worry too much about copyrighting unless your name is Uncle Earl. A
    copyright mark on the image itself might just be a visual detraction. I don't know
    of any serious artist who bothers with it anymore. Yeah, if you've got the only known shot in the world of Bigfoot hugging Elvis aboard a UFO, it might make sense,
    but someone has probably already come up with a Photoshop version of that.
    The copyright is for the back of the image - more for sale/inventory purposes.

    IE:
    http://www.rangeoflightphotography.c...nanceLabel.jpg

    That's not mine but it's the same idea.

    I also have a 24"x96" image I need to mount. The PMA might be an option?

    I have no idea what to use for a backing mat with such a large print. The only thing I could think of is splicing gatorboard/matboard/foamcore.

  8. #8
    Mike Anderson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    681

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    Quote Originally Posted by frankrizzo View Post
    ...

    I also have a 24"x96" image I need to mount. The PMA might be an option?

    I have no idea what to use for a backing mat with such a large print. The only thing I could think of is splicing gatorboard/matboard/foamcore.
    You can get a single piece of gator board big enough:

    http://www.artsupply.com/foamcore/gatorboardsheets.htm

    ...Mike

  9. #9
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,337

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    Mounting large prints with a pressure-sensitive adhesive is really a job for the pros.
    You need a big roller press and some experience. It is really easy to screw things up. Low-tack adhesives are only good for relatively small prints. For big ones you
    need hi-tack permanent adhesive foils or you will eventually get blisters all over the place, and that kind of adhesive is absolutely unforgiving.

  10. #10
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,337

    Re: Dry mounting a photography exhibition and sales

    I should have added a positive comment: You can buy an extremely smooth board
    called Ultraboard from Oregon Lamination. They will UPS small fixed quanitites
    precoated with adhesive anywhere in the country up to about 32x40. Much better quality than precoated fomeboard, and no need to presand like Gator. Coating the board itself is the trickiest part. But you will still need a high-pressure roller device. Daige sells them relatively inexpensively for around a couple thousand bucks. After that, its practice, practice, practice. Expect to lose some prints and money to the
    learning curve.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •