Matching mounting board; maybe splitting an order

[Ulophot]

Okay, this is a long shot, but why not? Does anyone know an open outlet that will ship board samples, such as Strathmore, Rising, etc.?
I recently ran out of a mounting board that I like very much for my llford WTF prints. It is just a bit warmer than the paper and has a fairly smooth grain finish. Problem: I don't recall where I got it or what it was. I had thought it was a conservation board, but when I sent a sample to Archival Methods last year, they said it matched their Warm White 100% Cotton Museum Board.
Of course, most outfits are closed now, and the open ones that will ship (e.g., Dick Blick) don't offer board samples. I'd rather not trek into Washington , D.C. just now to see if they have a match in stock.
The other problem is that a single minimum order 15 32x40 sheets is more than I care to pay for right now, given my meagre output, so I was going to look for someone local to split an order with me (northern VA area). But I first need to find a board I like. It could be a little brighter than the one I have but not much.
Ideas?

[Drew Wiley]

All the sources I've ever dealt with with send small samples. Archival Methods seems to be stocking Rising Board - seems identical to me. They provide samples. Crescent rag board is softer, cuts differently. Strathmore colors are distinctly different. Pricing is a different topic, but it's related to volume. Even 15 sheets is a downsized repack.

[JMO]

I would expect that you could find a store in the greater DC area that caters to artists who use pencil, watercolors and oils (etc.) that carries papers, mat boards, canvas, frames and all the other things that such artists need (sort of like a Dick Blick store), and that store should have a selection of better quality mat boards. For example, there is such a store I patronize in So. Milwaukee, called Tradewinds Products, that carries all colors of Rising and some other brands, so I would think there is someplace like that in your area. I've standardized on Rising Warm White 4-ply board for my prints, and also purchase 11x14in "warm white" boards from Archival Methods - and the off-white tone of those looks essentially the same as the 32x40in Rising Warm White sheets I purchase in So Milw. I also have the little stack of mat board samples from Archival Methods, which as Drew said you can order from them.

[Ulophot]

Thanks, all.
JMO, as I noted, Archival methods is closed for now. I'll probably order whenever they open, but One can expect it to be a while, maybe Autumn, before that happens. I'll look into the Rising warm white. Thanks.

[Doremus Scudder]

I've used Redimat in the past with good luck. They carry lots of brands; I use Alpharag mostly. I believe they sent me a swatch book before I placed a larger order. It may have cost a few dollars.

Here's their website. Contact them and ask: https://www.redimat.com/

Best,

Doremus

[Drew Wiley]

Sadly, all three of our local framing wholesalers who stocked Rising board were forced to move when their warehouses were sold out from under them in order to get leveled and make space for obscenely expensive condos and techie spaces. The market is very strong for that kind of product here, but when someone can get fifty million for the dirt below a warehouse complex, well, that seals their fate. I used to buy board wholesale, around 100 sheets of 32X40 at a time, which made the price dramatically lower per sheet than the other options. But unless I have another big show under contract, I'm content to buy pre-cut sizes from Archival Methods at their own volume rate. I typically mount nominal 16X20 prints on 22X26 board, which means just a single sizing cut from their pre-cut 22X28, saving my aging hands a lot of strain. I still have a decent stash of larger board when I need it. ... Speaking of which, gotta go turn on the drymount press right now for another session.

[Ulophot]

Thanks, Doremus. I have contacted Redimat and await a reply.

Drew, I can only dream of being a successful photographer needing that kind of volume. How rewarding it must be! (And, no, I am not unaware of all the work involved. I said rewarding, not glamorous.)

[Drew Wiley]

Oh, don't get it wrong. Having a few big shows and actually making a decent profit was just a temporary amenity from time time. Commercial picture framing supplemented that. But it was all a form of moonlighting anyway. I'd never risk making a living that way - a high end frame shop, perhaps, hypothetically; but there are lots of them in this area already. You'd might or might not be surprised that lots of photographers seeking exhibition space end up spending far more on the framing alone than they actually make selling some prints. That's why it's good to be on the opposite end of the equation. Just like the 1849 gold rush. Not many people got rich on gold; the SF merchants who sold em their shovels and picks and overpriced grub, and even clothing (like Levi Strauss), were the ones who ended up rich. But having my own little full-featured framing shop allowed me to dramatically curb my own presentation costs, though I did put in a lot of extra labor for the high quality results. I still sometimes mill my own hardwood frames. I still covet a big Esterly Speed Mat cutter; but my old linear matcutter will do fine unless I bag another high volume gig.

[Ulophot]

Milling even! That is high-end. But no, I'm not surprised about framing costs. I had to borrow money to mount a 24-photograph show around 2002, and that was just inexpensive assemble-yourself metal frames and window glass. I sold one print, approximately at cost. I'd love to be able to place an order for 50 custom frames from chosen mill stock with a custom finish of my design (color), but then, where would I store them?

[Drew Wiley]

I store lengths of moulding, whether metal or wooden, or narrow unmilled hardwood lumber, in plastic rain gutter troughs lying across roof rafters in the shop. That keeps them well protected and flat, and out of the way. After frames are assembled, they are hung up high on various hooks. But after final print framing, having a lot of then laying around is a real headache. I've already got custom flat files filled with mounted prints and full sheets of matboard, lots of wire racks and archival print boxes for unmounted prints. But I'm trying to leave the collection in good shape for sake of heirs, even if the house is getting to be a clutter, which includes all my wife's stuff too, of course. In any event, I can't stop shooting and printing; it seems to be part of me. And the prints worthy of it simply aren't finished until they're properly trimmed and mounted. It's part of the final composition, even the specific "white" of the board itself.