Photo mounting options

[Colin]

For fun I've printed off a few photos of mine (sample below is 19" x 27") onto matte vinyl and laid 'em down onto 3mm Sintra. The results are ok, but the 3mm Sintra seems a little thin, and now I'm thinking that it might be fun to make some more and try to sell them.

It seems like within the photography/art/print world there's either the "block-mounting" method, or traditional framing, neither of which appeals to me as I'd like to be able to do it myself (inexpensively) in-house.

The 6mm Sintra would be too expensive I think, so does anybody know of some other good material options to mount to? I somehow feel that foamcore/gatorboard doesn't quite cut it (too delicate?).

And while we're at it, is printing the photos on calendered matte vinyl a good choice over paper? It sure is nice having the adhesive on there ready to mount.

- Is a print on paper less susceptible to nicks & scratches than vinyl?

- Will I get a much better print quality on the Rite Media matte paper I just bought?

- Should I be covering them with something, or is the eco-sol ink ok as is?



Any other insight would be appreciated.


Thx




**This is a photo of a shot I took in Italy. B&W with a "Splash of Colour" effect.

 

[MikePro]

unlaminated prints are ok, but somewhere along the way one of your customers are going to try and clean it. get some clearshield liquid laminate (water-based).
you can even add cool texture to your laminate with different rollers, could be fun to play with.
ex: gloss, dry, mask the leaves and give it a matte coating

 

[Colin]

Thanks Mike, I'll keep that in mind. Any ideas on the material options for mounting the print to? I guess I figured that we in the sign business might have some unique options up our sleeves.

 

[Circleville Signs]

There is a gatorboard that has adhesive on one side.

 

[Colin]

There is a gatorboard that has adhesive on one side.

Neat, I didn't know that. But like I said, handing someone a print mounted to gatorboard just doesn't feel substantial enough, and too delicate as well.

 

[wes70]

1/4" mdf could be a cheaper alternative.

 

[Colin]

Yes, that may be the way to go. However, it seems like a beveled edge is what people might expect, and I want to avoid doing that. A square-cut edge would need to be black as well.

Also, if a print on vinyl is as good as paper, I wonder if the adhesive will bond to the MDF surface.

 

[Sticky Signs]

You would have to paint the mdf first. One look I like is 1/4" sintra cut on a table saw with the blade on a 45º angle or more. Makes the print look like it's floating off the wall.

 

[MikeD]

art looks nice face-mounted on clear acrylic, and the acrylic can be fairly rigid depending on thickness. stand-offs glued out of sight on the back will float a picture on the wall with no frame. Images can be contour cut out of the mounted acrylic with a CO2 laser

 

[jfiscus]

I would be concerned about the longevity of the vinyl or adhesive that you are using. Most vinyls are only rated for 5-10 years, so what happens after that to the material; granted it's indoors, but the vinyl will eventually wear out compared to paper and will need replaced.

I would suggest the more traditional approach of printing to paper & using a mat to mount it & frame it, unless you are only marketing the contemporary look like in your picture.

 

[MikeD]

I am doing this with vinyl and an optically clear double sided laminate to clear acrylic...
What kind of paper do you guys use? The vinyl I have access too looks nice but lacks dimensional stability. I imaging that the paper is the best choice as long as it is protected on both sides.
What type of printing process (inks) are you using for the paper?

 

[signcrafters]

How about something like this
http://redipix.com/BoxMount.php

 

[gnemmas]

We print on gloss vinyl, laminate with matte film, then mount on 1/2" or 1" black "Ultraboard", which is foamcore with thin styrene on both sides that we make 3D letters.

 

[Colin]

^^^ Hey, great link signcrafters - thanks! They say on this page that they use "MightyCore", is that basically black foamcore? They also adhere white acid-free paper on the front; could one spray-mount a paper print to foamcore, or would that not last?

 

[Colin]

We print on gloss vinyl, laminate with matte film, then mount on 1/2" or 1" black "Ultraboard", which is foamcore with thin styrene on both sides that we make 3D letters.

I'm wondering about the concerns that jfiscus mentioned above.

Added: I'd also like to avoid that "foam edge" look.

 

[Doyle]

I often print onto gloss calendered film, laminate with matte laminate, and make the print about 1" - 1.5" wider and taller than the panel, and wrap the edges of the vinyl over the sides and to the back of either 3mm or 6mm sintra. This gives a canvas-type wrapped look and customers really love it. I have tried adhering paper to various substrates with mixed results, but keep coming back to this method.

 

[Colin]

^^^ Thanks.

 

[phototec]

Gallery wraps

Coming from a photographic background and having worked the industry for a long time, I think prints like thode you are making would be considered wall art, and I find these types of prints sell better if printed on a canvas and mounted as a gallery wrap on stretcher bars.

Gallery wraps come in a few different sizes from 1" to 2-1/2" deep, I make all mine own stretcher bars and I make them 1-1/4" deep. On of my best sellers is a set of 5 prints in a cluster, a square in the center with 2 horizontal, and 2 vertical prints that surround the square.

Of course like any ink-jet print, you need to protect the surface of the prints, and I like to use a liquid satin product by Lexjet which can be either rolled-on with a foam roller or the preferred method of spraying with HVLP spray gun.

I just think display prints (wall art) look better on the textured canvas surface over the calendered vinyl, see example below.

 

[Colin]

^^^ Yes, I have a full roll of Neschen Monet canvas, but I'm looking for various mounting options for standard prints.



I just bought this Fletcher 2200 mat cutter yesterday (used) for $500.00 from a retiring artist; they normally go for about $2000.00. So this really opens up my framing options. It'll cut up to 48" mat. I've already filled a few 8x10 frames that were kicking around the house, and used my desktop Canon printer on photo paper. Sweet!

A proper 24" photo printer is looking mighty tempting. Please......someone stop me now! :Big Laugh



*image from internet.

 

[phototec]

^^^ Yes, I have a full roll of Neschen Monet canvas, but I'm looking for various mounting options for standard prints.



I just bought this Fletcher 2200 mat cutter yesterday (used) for $500.00 from a retiring artist; they normally go for about $2000.00. So this really opens up my framing options. It'll cut up to 48" mat. I've already filled a few 8x10 frames that were kicking around the house, and used my desktop Canon printer on photo paper. Sweet!

A proper 24" photo printer is looking mighty tempting. Please......someone stop me now! :Big Laugh



*image from internet.

Sorry, will NOT STOP you, because I love my Epson Pro 4800, it prints on 17" wide material. I just finished several 17" x 28" canvas prints, mounted on 13"x24" stretcher bars that are 1=1/4" deep.

Customer was extremely happy with them!