(I will make pictures for this article as soon as possible)
This article will attempt to explain the different ways
to mount paper art, such as photographs, posters, prints, and other
such pieces. All works of art in picture frames have to be mounted to
the backboard or mounting board in order to hold the art and keep it
positioned in the frame.
No matter what type of art you decide to frame, some form
of mounting is required to keep the art positioned correctly and held
in place in the picture frame. There are many different methods to mount
art. The method you choose depends very much on what it is you are mounting.
There are two main ways to mount art in picture frames,
archival mounting and non-archival mounting. Non-archival mounting is
permanent and it reduces the value of the art since the art cannot be
removed from the backing and be returned to its original condition.
Some art such as paper art that is printed on thin paper, newsprint
and even many photographs are permanently mounted so that the articles
will stay flat and not bend and wrinkle due to changes in humidity in
the air.
Some examples of items I would use non-archival mounting
techniques on are:
Newsprint
Posters
children's art
Magazine pages
Many cheap prints
Any other low value art works
Some Fabric art works
Anything I want to stay permanently flat
Many photographs
Inkjet prints
Some examples of items I would only use archival mounting
techniques on are:
All limited edition prints
Many photographs
High value items
Any item I want to preserve for as long a time as possible.
Anything I would want to return to the customer in the exact same condition
as it was brought in, if he should ask to have it returned.
Below I will give you several different ways to mount
works of art. Please practice these techniques once or twice, study
the pictures and reread the directions if you have questions. Some people
e-mail me asking me to explain this stuff all over again to them, when
it is already all right here. I really cannot explain these directions
any clearer in any e-mail than I have already done right here. Nor can
I answer a large volume of e-mail. In almost all of the e-mails I do
get, it is very easy to see that the person never actually tried the
process out. Do it! Try the process out once or twice on a small piece
of art, make your mistakes, and reread the directions and things will
almost always become clear. Until you actually try the process out,
all the instructions and e-mails in the world won't help you. You learn
by doing. If you're afraid of that, don't bother to e-mail me. I can't
help you until you learn to try and help yourself.
Mounting materials for paper art:
No matter which method of mounting art you choose there
are some materials that are necessary. You will need a mounting board
and various types of tapes and glues to mount your art. It is best for
me to describe each type of mounting, and then explain the materials
you need to mount the art as I describe the various ways. The one absolutely
necessary item used in all art mounting is the mounting board used.
There are many things used for mounting boards. In low
cost frame it quick places in malls and such, and using other cheap
methods, just plain ordinary cardboard is used to mount the pictures
on. No work of art should ever be mounted on cardboard ever. Cardboard
is full of acid and what's worse is that it passes this acid into the
art very quickly and the art is soon ruined. A piece of art mounted
on cardboard can be ruined in as little as six months. The art will
turn brown due to acid burning, get brittle and be ruined beyond repair.
I repeat cardboard should never be used to mount any art on.
So what choices does that leave us to mount art on?
There are a number of choices left such as regular mat
board, rag mat boards, form core board, and mounting boards made just
for mounting. There are other mount boards that can be used, the list
continues. The average home picture framer though will usually be left
with the choice of material they can acquire locally. This is usually
mat boards and form core boards.
Form core boards come in two grades; there are regular
form core boards and acid free foam core boards. Professional frame
shops use acid free foam core boards to mount expensive pieces of art.
The regular foam core board is used for just about everything else.
All the foam core boards you see in craft stores and department stores
are regular foam core boards. You will almost never run across acid
free foam core boards unless you go into a professional frame shop and
ask for it. The reason for this is because it is a lot more expensive
than regular foam core boards. There are lots of frame shops that don't
even stock it, they use other materials instead such as rag mats or
using other archival mounting methods I won't go into here. Regular
foam core board is a good board to use on most works of art because
even though it is not completely acid free, it does not contain much
acid and it is very slow to pass it onto the art. Almost all posters
are mounted on regular mat board. It is a good choice for many mounting
needs. Items mounted on regular foam core board will out last your lifetime.
Another choice is regular mat boards. These boards are
made of cardboard and have a good quantity of acid in them, but they
are slow to give pass the acid onto the art work so these make suitable
boards to mount many things too, such as children's art, newspaper clippings,
anything you don't think you want around more than twenty five years
or so.
The choice between regular mat boards and regular foam
core boards is yours. The regular foam core board is by far the better
choice and is very much used in professional picture frame shops. Almost
all mounted posters and photographs you see are mounted on regular foam
core board.
Then there are rag mats that are sometimes called museum
boards. These boards are made using pure cotton. They are 100 % archival
and acid free. They make a really good choice when you want to mount
something and want it to last permanently.
Mounting Art
There are several methods to mount works of art that are
available to the average home picture framer but before discussing those
methods, it would be best to devote a short discussion about using professional
mounting systems. It will give you a background in mounting art and
allow you to make better decisions.
Large picture frame shops use what are called mounting
presses to mount works of art. This is considered non-archival mounting
as I discussed at the beginning of this article, because once mounted
this way the art cannot be returned to it's original condition.
The large mounting presses are very expensive and not
every frame shop has them, and many do not really have much need of
them as well.
The two types of presses are the vacuum wet mount system
and the dry mount systems. Using the wet mounting presses the mount
board (usually foam core board) is put into the press with glue applied
to the board. The art is placed on top of the glue, and the board inside
the press. Vacuum and heat is applied and the art is sucked onto the
glued board and dried leaving the art smooth and flat and permanently
attached to the mount board. Several items can be put into the vacuum
mount press at the same time.
Dry mounting presses work differently. Using these presses
the mount board is placed into the press, then a sheet of glue tissue
is placed on the mount board and the art on top of that, then release
paper to protect the press. When closed the press applies heat and pressure.
The heat melts the tissue that is actually a sheet of pure glue. The
glue gets hot and melts and the art is permanently bonded to the mount
board. The process is quicker and cleaner than the wet mount process
and is used by more shops. Usually only one item is done at a time.
Both systems above are expensive and out of the reach
of the average homeowner who wants to mount and frame a few pictures.
In fact many frame shops do not use either system, they use other methods
to mount most art and when they really need to have something done using
the above presses they hire another frame shop with a press to mount
the pieces for them.
The other methods to mount works of art bring us to how
the average homeowner can mount their own works of art.
Methods of mounting your art:
There are several common mounting methods of mounting
art for the homeowner and small frame shop. Again, these methods can
be Non-archival or archival. Respectively these methods are called adhesive
mounting and hinge mounting.
Adhesive Mounting:
Adhesive mounting is a very practical way for the home
picture framer to mount art and who lacks access to the large presses
talked about before. The most practical adhesive to use for the homeowner
is the use of spray adhesive that comes in a spray can. There are several
types of sprays made for mounting different kinds of materials. Some
art such as photographs have a smooth surface that requires a special
spray that will stick and hold the art in place. Other materials such
as prints, posters and fabric also use different adhesives.
To mount a photograph or print using spray adhesive.
After deciding which mount board you are going to use,
cut it to size leaving it several inches wider than your art, all the
way around.
Next lay a sheet of Kraft paper or old cardboard on your workbench.
Lay your photo or other art face down on the above and make sure it
is lying perfectly flat. Using the spray can, spray the backside of
your photo, wait a few seconds for the glue to set up, then carefully
pick up your glued photo and place it glue side down onto your back
board. After you have the photo or print in place you need to cover
the photo with a piece of clean paper and using a hand roller, start
in the middle of the picture and roll the photo to press it flat against
the mount board to firmly bond your picture in place. Some people and
the usual instructions don't call for covering the art with a piece
of paper, but I find it gives added protection to the art from some
stray glue getting onto the face of the art.
When using spray glues on photos and art prints, it is
very important to not get any glue on the front side of the picture,
as it is just about impossible to clean it off without ruining the picture.
If the photo or print is not lying down completely flat when your spraying
the glue on the backside, you will find that glue will and can sneak
under the edges of your print. If you aren't careful you may create
a mess of your art. Some people even go to the extreme of lying the
art face down and taping all the way around the print using clear removable
scotch tape. After spraying the print they peel the tape away and continue
with the mounting procedure.
After getting your art glued down to the mount board,
you can trim the excess mount board off with your utility knife. Don't
try to make your mount boards the exact same size as your art to begin
with, that almost never works.
The above directions are almost the same as those giving
on the cans or what you normally read in books. At my shop I have grown
tired of making a mess and have devised an alternate procedure to using
sprays and glues. This procedure is also usable when using the dry mounting
techniques I will describe below. I find it works much better and I
don't ruin any art.
Reimond's alternate mounting method
This is the method I use many times when using spray glues
or using dry mount papers which I will explain below. I got tired of
glue getting onto the surface of photos and other works of art, your
fingers, the rollers and everything else. The method is simplicity in
it self. What I now do is take the photo or art and cut the finished
top mat out first. Then I cut out a mounting board several inches bigger
than the finished top mat by several inches all around. I place the
picture on the mount board about where should be when finished. I mark
out on the mount board this location with a pencil. Then using either
spray glue or the dry reposition able dry mount tissue I will describe
next, I spray or place the glue onto the mount board first. Notice I
am spraying the glue onto the mount board, not the art. Then I place
the art on the board, on the glue, and put a piece of paper over all
and roll everything flat. Using dry mount tissue, I will use release
paper, using sprays I will use a clean sheet of paper. The paper will
stick to the glue that is left exposed along the edges of the art. If
it doesn't peel off when I am finished rolling the art I leave it there.
Then I put ATG tape on the back side of the finished top mat, and place
it onto the photo exactly where it should go and press that down to
lock it in place. When this is done it is very simple to trim the excess
mount board off around the finished mat and your photo or art is now
mounted, matted and ready for glass, and I have never gotten glue on
the front of my art using this technique.
Spray mounting sprays are useful for many home picture
framers because you can buy a can of spray and it can be used for doing
a number of pictures without much waste. The can also be saved for use
for another time. It works great on photos as well as the glue holds
real good.
There is another method of mounting works of art using
a product called reposition able dry mount tissue. This glue tissue
works very nicely, but wasn't used much by homeowners due to the cost
because you were limited to buying a hundred foot roll at a time. Now
we are selling this tissue in smaller quantities making it possible
for anyone to try it out.
Reposition able dry mount tissue works great on all paper
products such as prints, paper, newsprint and what not.
Reposition able tissue is named as such because it is
possible to lay your glued art down and if it isn't in the right spot
you can reposition it. This is true if the paper has not been pressed
down any, but I find that in using lightweight papers you better get
it right the first time.
The directions for the use of this product are as follows.
You take the reposition able glue paper and place your art on top of
it. Then you place a sheet of release paper over the picture and squeegee
over the art using the squeegee tool and this forces the glue to stick
to the backside of your art. Then you slowly peel your art away from
the paper containing the glue and the glue should remain stuck to you
art. After you remove the art from the sheet of reposition able tissue,
place it onto the mount board. Then again placing the release paper
over the art, you press the art onto the mount board. Sometimes photographs
were not done using this method very often because when the photo was
lifted off the tissue, many times there would be spots left on the photo
where the glue did not stick to it. This could cause a bubble later.
The glue on the reposition able paper gets stronger as is sets up.
I have found a way to make photos stick good using dry
mount tissue. It is simple. I always use my alternate mounting procedure
as I explained above and below.
What I do is use the Reimond's alternate procedure above.
I cut the mats first, then cut an even bigger piece of mount board,
I place the art on the mount board and mark it's location. Then I cut
a piece of reposition able adhesive slightly bigger than the art and
laying it on the mount board in the right spot, I squeegee the glue
onto the mount board. It sticks perfectly every time to mat boards and
almost always to foam core boards. Then I lay the art onto this glue,
put the release paper on top and squeegee the art down onto the glue.
Then I remove the release paper and place the finished cut top mat on
top in the correct place, the extra glue around the edge of the art
holds it there. I trim around the edge of the mat board and everything
is automatically done, simply, neatly and with no glue mess. Studying
the pictures will explain this procedure easy enough once you also try
it out.
Note: The release paper we supply looks the same on both
sides and both sides are usable, but we strongly recommend that you
mark on side of the release paper and make sure this side always stays
"UP". It will keep your art cleaner. Release paper can be
used over and over. Only a small piece is required for a whole roll.
My above method for using reposition able adhesive should
be tried by every home picture framer. It works great! Once you try
it out you will fall in love with mounting works of art this way.
Hinge Mounting
The last way I will discuss mounting works of art is by
a procedure called hinge mounting. If you use rag mats or foam core
board and acid free hinge mounting tape this method is completely archival.
The art is always removable, is not damaged or harmed in any way and
preserves the full value of the art. I use this procedure on much of
the works of art I mount.
To do hinge mounting you need to mark, cut, and have your
top mat board cut and done. You can place it over your art and make
sure the hole is correctly cut as well.
Next you need to cut a backing board and this time make
it the exact same size as the top mat board you are using. This is also
the glass size, because it is also the size of the piece of glass you
will need. It is also the size of the picture frame moulding you will
order. The glass size as you can see is a very important size to understand.
After cutting out the backboard, lay your mat on top and
tape the two together as shown in the photos, using hinge mounting tape
or professional framers tape.
Then close up the mat board and backing board up like
a sandwich and place your art in between the two in the proper place.
Next line up the mat board and the mounting backboard, if it isn't already
lined up. And while holding the two in the proper position, line up
the art in the correct position under the mat. It has to be in there
perfectly with the mat covering the face of the art, all around about
¼ of an inch.
With everything in the proper position, lay a small soft
object on top of the art. Carefully lift the mat up and lay it out up
top so it is out of the way. Then using a pencil mark the top and bottom
edges of the mounting board where the art is laying, so you can remove
the art and later bring it back to the exact same position.
Picking up the art, turn it face down and on the backside
place a small tape of hinge mounting tape, or professional framers tape.
This piece of tape should be about 1 ¼ inches long. Leave about
½ inch sticking out above the art. (See the picture)
Now turn your art face up again and place it back on the
mount board exactly where it was, using the pencil marks you made as
a guide.
Using another two pieces of hinge mounting tape, or professional
framers tape, place these over the top of the tape you left sticking
out on the picture. This makes your first hinge mounted picture. All
you have to do now is close the mat board, mounting board sandwich,
place glass on top and your done.
I use a piece of clear tape to hold the glass mat board
sandwich together while I am building the frame.
Please notice that in hinge mounting that the art is held
to the mount board by only the two hinges. You do not want any other
tape or glue on your art to help hold it to the backing, mount board.
Don't put anything on the bottom corners that sticks the art to the
board. By only using these two hinges, your art can breathe and expand
with changes in the humidity level in the rooms and your art will usually
stay flat and smooth. If you stick the art to the mounting board in
any other place, other than the two hinges on top, your art will eventually
wrinkle and sometimes very badly.
Another thing, please notice that the art is hinge mounted
to the backing/mount board. You never, ever want to hinge mount your
art to the mat board. The mat board is only to cover your art. Nothing
is to get hinge mounted to the mat board. Doing so will again cause
your art to eventually wrinkle and get damaged. Following the procedure
I have outlined above will give you great looking art that will be around
long after you are gone, even if you're young.
Hinge mounting is very popular now that they have come
out with so many good acid free tapes that are self-sticking. It wasn't
many years ago that in order to hinge mount art and get archival tape,
you had to mix up special glue and apply it to the special tape. Those
days are gone. Almost everyone uses archival, acid free self-sticking
tape now.
Archival Clear Photo Corners
Another way to mount works of art is almost exactly the
same as I have stated above. Except that instead of using hinge mounts,
you use archival clear photo corners. These work excellent on photos
or other heavy weight paper like photographs. You just place one on
each corner of your art, then position the art on the mount board and
press down on each corner so that the self-sticking corners stick. I
would encourage you when doing this to leave the self-sticking corners
slightly loose on your artwork. If you make them too tight, your art
won't have a chance to expand and your art will eventually wrinkle.
ATG tape mounting
You should never ever, repeat never, use ATG tape on any
art to glue it down to a mount board. Not even the new Gold ATG tape
that is acid free. ATG tape is a fast quick way of mounting art used
by frame it quick places. It is the surest way I know of to ruin works
of art. It is not even suitable for a child's drawing. Even a first
year old! Art mounted this way I consider ruined. All art mounted this
way eventually wrinkles very badly for one thing. It is non-reversible.
It is just bad. Use hinge mounting or dry mounting instead. Even home
picture framers can do both these types of mounting!
ATG tape is very useful. It is one of the most useful
tapes in the picture framing industry. My shop wouldn't be without it.
But it is never used in mounting works of art, ever!
ATG tape is used to stick the backing paper to the backs of frames,
and sometimes to tack the top mat to a mount board, as long it never
comes in contact with the art. And is very useful in sticking mats together
when making double and triple mats. Since they came out with the Gold
ATG tape many are now using it to stick art down to mat boards. This
is a big mistake. The art can't breath and it always eventually wrinkles
causing great dissatisfaction later on. Useing the proper materials
and procedures and you will never regret it.
