Photos pasted straight on gallery wall - which paper to use?

[Phil Hudson]

I recently saw an exhibition where the B/W digital prints of a variety of sizes were pasted straight onto the white gallery walls, on very thin matt paper with no support, frame or backing.

It suited the informal subject matter very well.

Does anyone have any experience of this, or could anyone suggest a suitable ultra-thin matt inkjet paper for this use?

Perhaps I am mistaken and the prints were not exactly pasted onto the white walls (removal might be messy/destructive) but tacked using some spray?

Any pointers?

[Ken Allen]

We make this type of print all the time for museum exhibits, it's fun stuff! Traditionally printers have used self-adhesive vinyl for temporary (1-6 months). We prefer to use a self-adhesive Polypropylene from Lexjet. It prints much better, is thinner, and does not stretch like vinyl. I've printed high quality photographic images on this material with great results.
If you want a permanent image, then I recommend printing on tyvek, liquid laminating it and using a poly wallpaper paste to install it.

[Greg Lockrey]

Dittos what Ken said.

[Phil Hudson]

Thanks for such a precise answer to a rather vague question! Is it the sort of thing that can be put through a regular inkjet printer such as an Epson 3800?

If this stuff is actually a plastic film presumably it can be removed in one piece - and even reused? I had envisaged having to remove it with a scraper like wallpaper.

[Greg Lockrey]

I buy it in rolls but if it's not available in sheets you could cut it to size yourself. Depends on how heavily it is applied.