Mounting / Framing / Exhibition & Presentation

[Drew Wiley]

No - any anti-UV acrylic by definition has to either have an optical coating or some kind of integral color tint, or both, in order to absorb the UV. Some types have a slight pink hue reminiscent of a skylight camera filter, and some a faint yellow. Either way you get a slight by noticeable effect on certain image colors. Optically coated glass or acrylic actually looks CLEARER than ordinary glass or acrylic, though at a strong angle you might notice the coating itself, just like a lens coating. But some heavy "museum" glass is actually a sandwich, with an actual sheet of slightly yellowish "gel" in between, similar to how Tiffen long made sandwich-style lens filters. Most of us refuse to ship anything behind actual glass, for obvious reasons. But another serious problem with real glass is that it is a poor thermal insulator; so if a print is displayed in a room or perimeter wall with serious day/nite temp swings, esp in a humid climate, there is a much greater risk of condensation or mildew forming within the assembly. I test all this kind of stuff in various environments. Optically coated glass is more affordable than
coated acrylic, though not exactly cheap. Still, it can be a tempting option for the right kind of display environment. One year I did some experimenting with
randomly presented relatively small color prints (11x14 print size). Even with the hundred dollar upcharge just for the optical glass itself, those framed prints
caught people eyes a lot faster, and sold a lot more quickly than similar ones in ordinary acrylic. Secondary reflections tend to be distracting.

[tgtaylor]

If you do your own work mounting and framing is pretty reasonable provided you already have the matt cutter and dry-mount press if you dry-mount. I currently have 17 mounted and framed 8x10 salt prints @ 14x17 at a cost of ~$51.00 each not including the negative/shooting cost or about $900 total. I use 4-ply museum board for the window and back, 1/8” foam backer board, Nielsen black metal frame, and 1/8” museum grade acrylic OP3-AR (one side) for environmental protection. Contrary to some post above, no color fringe can be seen upon close examination just a slight magnification.

Recently I re-framed a 16x20 print matted at 22x28 using a 1/8” Elmers foam core backer-board and OP3-AR. The acrylic cost me ~$49.00 and the backer-board ~ $4.00. I already had the frame. At today's prices it will cost me ~$110.00 each to mount and frame at the same size. Of course you can lower cost by using a 2-ply board for the back and regular acrylic instead of museum grade.

Thomas