Box Mounting Fiber Prints

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CAGallery

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jun 14, 1999
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574
Loc
Brooklyn, NY
We don't do a lot of box mounting for photographs -- we mostly sell it for prints and posters. I hate the fact that they can't be removed at a later date. And those old boxes eventually come back all yellowed despite the claims that they won't fade.

Today a customer brought in 8 professional hand tinted fiber print photographs of her kids and wanted them mounted onto boxes. It seems to me a shame to mount those gorgeous pieces (cost $5,000) onto a box. In my opinion she could have just had a photo on regular photographic paper if she wanted them on boxes.

I explained that this cannot be removed at a later date and tried to give her other options for close to the frameless look that she wanted for her beach house but she still wanted to go for the box look.

The company says that anything mounted is UV protected but I just don't feel comfortable with it. Is there some other type of box that can be used for high end photography that has better protection?
 
This is a new idea to me. I am assuming the prints are laminated then mounted onto boxes for hanging, like very thick blockmounts?

Definitely, this type of presentation should be restricted to cheap posters and "happy snap" type photographs. Anyone wanting a framer to do this to expensive fibre based artwork needs their head read.

In my opinion this is yet another example of the present craze for minimalism and the sooner people get over it the better. Next we will be blockmounting and laminating original watercolours.:fire:
 
artfolio said:
This is a new idea to me. I am assuming the prints are laminated then mounted onto boxes for hanging, like very thick blockmounts?

Definitely, this type of presentation should be restricted to cheap posters and "happy snap" type photographs. Anyone wanting a framer to do this to expensive fibre based artwork needs their head read.

In my opinion this is yet another example of the present craze for minimalism and the sooner people get over it the better. Next we will be blockmounting and laminating original watercolours.:fire:
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Yes, this like boxmounts.

I too feel it should be restricted to inexpensive items but many expensive photographers do this to their own work. As a matter of fact the photographer had suggested it and this photographer does high end framing as well. I was really surprised.

I know that there are photographers that are framers too and would love to hear their thoughts on box mounting.
 
Sounds like a modified Plak it or Color mount, which I usually offer only for replaceable items. Your client would be better off framing them and if it where me that is what I would "highly recommend".
 
RParrish said:
Your client would be better off framing them and if it where me that is what I would "highly recommend".
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I did highly recommend this but this is the look she wanted and of course this high end photography studio was ready to do it for her. And a lot of other photography studios do this so I was wondering why and if there are other alternatives for the same look.
 
Maria Nucci Designs said:
I've seen some really nice mounting solutions from this company.

www.duggal.com

They work with fine art photographers and can mount to almost any substrate immaginable.
Pricey as I remember, but good work.
It's worth a look at their site and they're in NYC!
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The question is should these photographs be permanently mounted or not? How do we know how it will hold up in the future? In the past few years we have had so many people come in with these type of boxes that they had done at expensive photographers and many of them are yellowed. They were told that it was "forever". Some of these boxes were cracked and there was no way to repair them. We had to send them to be scanned and then restored in order to be framed.

It reminds me of the laminated diplomas. People wanted them because they were told it was "forever". After a number of years they would yellow and could not be removed. We worked for years to get people into the idea of framing them well rather than laminating.... and there are still some people who insist that they have it done this way because their college sells it that way.

If the photographs should not be permanently mounted than what is the alternative for a frameless box type look? Is floating it between plexi with standoffs acceptable? It seems to me that we as framers cannot ignore this trend and have to find acceptable ways to offer this type of look.
 
CAGallery said:
The question is should these photographs be permanently mounted or not? How do we know how it will hold up in the future?

Just because I'm curious, I've contacted Duggal to see if they can shed some light on the topic. I'll post a response if I get one.

The quality of the work I've seen of theirs is miles above the quality of the typical diploma mounting mills. Because they claim artists and NY museums as their clients, I've asked for some references from the museum/conservation field who can attest to longevity.

BTW, a sandwich mount between sheets of plex with stand-offs is a really nifty look and may be your solution for this customer.
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No they should not be mounted like this, this is where you have to educate your client on the effects of, the pros and cons

Your client bought high quality fiber prints, recommend to her that she save these and get some regular prints mounted, but not the good ones. Does her photographer recommend mounting the fiber prints?
 
RParrish said:
Does her photographer recommend mounting the fiber prints?
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That is exactly what the problem is. They are very high end and do framing too but were ready to mount it onto a box because that is the look she wanted. If they, who know what the value of the photos are, were ready to do it then why am I making a fuss? Yes, we are the professional framers but people in general seem to think that artists and photographers know better. And we know that is not so! It seems framers are at the bottom of the totem pole :-(. That being said we have many customers who totally respect us as framers but it took lots of work to get there!

My comments above are not about this customer in particular but just the general way people think.
 
Do what the customer wants. I have left businesses because they started making suggestions for me to do something else that what I wanted.
5K is chump change to some people. These are replaceable.

I am a photographer and framer too. I do whatever they want. Sometimes I will recommend something different once and explain why. If they don't do it that way so what. I recommended a different treatment, I am covered.

Mount them. Collect money. Be thankful. Move on. Or they will.
 
I would also keep a few of the old, cracked, yellowed boxes that you have had come back in to use as a warning to anyone else who considers this mounting. Explain why you don't recommend it on pieces like that, explain how you have seen them come in destroyed and once the customer is fully educated allow them to be a big boy/girl and make up their mind. But definitely educate them on the subject as much as possible.
 
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