tips for dry mounting ink jet prints

[Raymond Bleesz]

I have been dry mounting traditional silver gelatin prints to archival boards for a good number of years & I have my "system" down pat.

However, I will have ink jet prints now--for display.

What suggestions do forum members have regarding "dry mounting", "floating", hanging prints or other? I still like the idea of dry mt overall.

The use of ink jet prints for display is totally new to me. If you can provide info re: this matter, it would be appreciated.

Raymond

[Gem Singer]

I haven't found the need to dry mount my inkjet prints.

Since they don't curl like fiber base prints, I have been mounting them on baseboards with small squares of thin archival double-backed tape.

The 1/2 inch squares of DB tape come in a roll. Using 5 squares to hold an 11X14 print onto the baseboard. Then covering with a cut-out mat and framing the print.

So far, so good.

[Brian Ellis]

As Gem says, the paper on which you make ink jet prints doesn't curl so there's no need to flatten it in a dry mount press. I attach the print to the mat board with two short strips of an "archival" tape that I buy from Light Impressions and place it at a 45 degree angle across the upper left and right hand corners of the print. That seems to do the job just fine. One of the better days of my life was the day I sold my dry mount press and all the related paraphernalia.

[Steven Barall]

I have never put an inkjet print into a dry mount press and I probably never will because several months ago I gave my Seal press to a scrap metal guy. It certainly is worth a try though so just do it. I would be curious about the result and please tell us which paper and ink you used for the print. Good luck and have a nice day.

[rdenney]

Ditto for me. I have noticed that the inkjet prints are not perfectly dimensionally stable, however. This is to be expected with any paper product. So, I mount the picture using photo mounting tape in a strip across the top, only covering about half the print. That way, the print can expand and contract between the mount board and the mat without wrinkling or buckling. The key is to only use one piece of tape.

Also, don't stretch the tape. Just lay it along the edge under its own weight and then press it straight down. When I've accidentally stretched the tape, I've had it pull wrinkles into the paper as it has tried to relax to its original length. The objective for me is zero residual stress.

Rick "who does not miss working with the big Seal press" Denney

[Jeremy Moore]

I have drymounted prints on Epson Luster paper and Museo Silver rag. They were all printed with an Epson 7800 or 9900 and still look fine. These were just for display so I don't know what happens to Epson inks when heated up for drymounting.

[jim kitchen]

Dear Raymond,

I dry mount every image, whether it is an inkjet image or not, and my conservationist uses a vacuum dry mount press, such as this one:

http://www.laminatorstore.com/VacuSe..._51_10150.html

That said, it is a low temperature vacuum press, which employs a protective cover over the image during the mounting operation. Unfortunately the protective material, which is similar to parchment paper happens to be costly, never reusable, and adds a ten-dollar touch to each mounted image. My images are free from any visual defects, above and below the surface of the image, where the defects could be imprinted by the pressure of the platen surface upon the image. The most obvious side benefit this low heat vacuum process provides happens to be the complete removal of any hot iron platen's direct contact with the finished image's surface.

I am not a fan of hinge mounting, nor taping an image, or using corners to locate the image within the matte, since too many of these configurations can become very unkempt over time, resulting from imperfect handling, imperfect bonding, humidity, and careless action from an incompetent "get-by-product" framer. Image presentation is extremely important to me. Dry mounting happens to be my only preference, and a preference that I enjoy continuously, as do my clients. If you are convinced to use another method, compared to dry mounting the finished image, I would humbly ask you to verify the author's qualification regarding that process, since your return rate may reach an uneconomical level, depending on your sales volume. This condition would be true for any dry mount process you may contract to a third party too.

Again, my opinion, my process...

jim k

[Bruce Watson]

[quote=Raymond Bleesz;495946]What suggestions do forum members have regarding "dry mounting", "floating", hanging prints or other? I still like the idea of dry mt overall./QUOTE]

The Library of Congress system works just fine for my inkjet prints.

[vinny]

I'd like to know more about dry mounting inkjets as well. While I don't print my work on inkjet paper I may have a few to mount in the near future. I dry mount my lightjets and fiber b+w prints with a 1/2" border between the print and matt. I'm not the only one doing it this way with photo papers but I've yet to see anyone do it with inkjets. Is there a source for more info online about this technique?

[paulr]

I've done all mine exactly the same as my silver prints, with archival corner mounts. No glue has to be applied to the print.

This works fine up to 16x20 ... I imagine after a certain paper size you'd need something more supportive, like linen tape across the top.