Black Specks on White Matboards from Photos

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MerpsMom

MerpsMom

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Founding Member
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Jul 30, 1997
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Loc
Leawood, Kansas USA
I am going to end up round the bend if I don't figure something out. I do work for a local photog who still uses film and darkroom developing for her work. She has a chosen Crescent Select mat for almost everything....9502 White Sale....which has a very slight stucco texture, as do many of the whites in this line.

Eight times out of ten, I get microscopic black specks on the mat while fitting. I've inspected the mat even with a magnifying glass ahead of time and find nothing. I've washed and re-cleaned the glass, I've whisked off the photos, and then sealed the inspected package with tape around the glass/mat/backer workup. I put it in the frame, point it in, and........8 times of 10 will now see these infintesimally-sized black dots. They are almost impossible to get out of the mat after discovery because of the stucco texture.

The only thing I can think of is that they are coming off the photo, even after I've whisked with a rag. Is this possible? Anne, I know you are a photog as well as others, but perhaps you can help. This is causing me so much rework and time that I'm considering bailing. (It doesn't help that I have teeny inkdot floaters from my compromised retina, but at least my eye dots move.)

If you think it's waste from the photo, is there anything I can do other than dust like crazy?

Cathie
 
I wonder if it has to do with the stucco finish crushing under the pressure of the glass and appearing like specks.

Try putting one together without the photo. If you still have them then is has nothing to do with the photo.
 
I was about to reply the same thing; it might just be the glass pressing on the stucco and making black spots appear. But then it probably would show on all pieces, and 8 out of 10; unless those 8 came out of the same mat board and the remaining 2 out of another?
 
I have noticed on our 9502 boards that there are manufactured flaws in the board (aka black dots). It seems like every board has them and I am not a fan of them. No matter how hard I look before cutting the mat, they always seem to show up after the mat is cut on the cmc. Some of them can be picked/scraped out, while others will lead to damaged mats if tried.

I have been wondering how well the 9500 White Glove compares with the 9502 in this regard.
 
Try a different brand of mat? Or, when you say microscopic & infinitesimal & talk of using a magnifying glass I have to wonder if you're being a bit more picky than you need be? I don't think there's a mat I've ever worked with that I couldn't find a flaw if I looked hard enough. At some point they're just to small to really matter.
 
Not to throw in extra work...but if its appearing because of being against the glass (I've seen how they magically appear and disappear), why not use spacers and make your life easier?
 
janetj1968 said:
Not to throw in extra work...but if its appearing because of being against the glass (I've seen how they magically appear and disappear), why not use spacers and make your life easier?
Click to expand...

Aren't spacers a perfect way to guarantee that a window mat will warp someday, if there is any significant overlap of the art, or if in a properly "booked" package?
 
Pat Murphey said:
Aren't spacers a perfect way to guarantee that a window mat will warp someday...?
Click to expand...

Nope. In fact, spacers may actually reduce the tendency of a mat to warp.

Mats can warp in response to moisture, which might come from condensation if the mat is in direct contact with glass.

They also warp when their expansion/contraction cycles are restricted, such as when they are cut too large for the frame, or when shifting of the frame's contents is restricted by too-tight fitting in wood or poly frames, or springs in aluminum sectional frames.
 
Mats can warp if they aren't in full contact with the glass helping to hold them in place.


Thus, i disagree with what Jim said.
 
Sorry I didn't see this till today. Gary is actually the photographer so I'll ask him, but a normal photo should not be shedding unless the surface has been damaged in some way. The mat itself was my first guess for the cause of the problem.

Or perhaps you are being too aggressive with wiping the photo down before framing and are scratching it. Try only using cotton photographic gloves to gently wipe it off if necessary.

I'm assuming they are black & white photos. Are they on fiber based or RC paper?
 
I asked Gary also and he was completely puzzled too. He said if you are getting black specs off the photo, you would be able to see the damage to the surface of it. The image in a photo is part of the surface of the paper it is printed on, as opposed to other forms of art that are created by applying media to the paper which actually sits on top of the surface.

Does photographer use anything applied to the surface to enhance her photos (dyes, paints, pastels, etc.)? Those things can flake if not sealed.
 
Hmmmm. I will be changing mats: I had my husband watch me while I went through a fit. Yes, I am indeed picky but even he gave it the Holy Cow when I finished pointing and turned it over: where'd that come from???

One possibility is the brown paper I use on the work table when fitting her stuff. It's recycled paper 'cuz I'm trying to be a good citizen. :p. I've noticed what I think are little impurities. Will be using a clean sheet or foam core from now on.

But definitely changing mats!

Happy up-coming New Year!
 
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