Workshop: Print Mounting

Print mounting is something I done back in high school, but I had completely forgotten how it was done and thought it might come in handy so I attended. It is pretty straight forward but I am glad I went and refreshed my memory. 

When placing our work up on the walls we need to get a split board baton. It's much easier to place on the wall enabling it to be straight. It needs to be placed firmly on the back of the picture. When we visited the printing workshops in London they too advised us to get the split baton to place our work up with. 

For this workshop we used a polystyrene board but they advice us not to use it for exhibition. James C said that in the past he has noticed that he hasn't been able to keep the work even after one use because the presentation wore off. Instead we should be considering MDF or foam boards. 

First of all... When printing our images, we need to think about the edges of the print. Will we be able to see where the edge of the image is? If it's a white background consider putting a grey boarder around the edge to prevent cutting more of the image off. 

Using a clean sheet place it down where you will be spraying. Place the image upside down onto the sheet and pin down using masking tape. Spray photo mount onto the back of the print getting all edges. Peal off the masking tape once done. Using clean hands and perhaps having a second person to help prepare a fresh sheet and place board on top. One person needs to start flattening the image onto the board whilst the other holds it up and brings it down slowly. It's best to start at the very bottom of the board so that your image doesn't run off it. Gloves would also be advisable to avoid ruining the print with finger prints. 

Then use another clean sheet to check the image is completely flat at each corner. Last step you need to cut the edge of the photo to complete. Using a craft knife, clean! to avoid marks on the white boarder and possibly your image. On a cutting board with a large, heavy ruler place along the edge of your photo or boarder and cut at a 45 degree angle. It seems to give a cleaner cut. Start off by cutting it slowly to achieve a clean cut. 

And there we have it! Straight forward and refreshed in my memory. It felt easy enough to do but obviously with your own image, paid for it may be a little more nerve wracking and would cost if you made a mistake. I may consider paying for this to be done professionally rather than myself but I shall see nearer the time.