Question Float mounting photos over japanese paper

[Natalya Murphy]

I'm working on a corporate bid right now and the customer wants to float mount photos over japanese paper (ginwashi paper to be exact). The problem I'm having is that the paper she wants has long, curvy strands included in it (see attached picture). A photo mounted directly on top of the paper would have a bumpy appearance because of these strands.

How would you minimize this problem? Options I've considered:

• Mount japanese paper to matboard, then cut with reverse bevel and mat like a normal print (not sure if customer will go for this -- working on a sample). Pro: we can put colored matboard under the paper to accent each specific photo. Con: customer has the added expense of the matboard.
• Mount paper to matboard, cut with a regular bevel. Mount photo to matboard and cut as a reverse-bevel drop to inset into the cut matboard. Stick finished product to foamboard to add rigidness. Pro/con same as previous option.
• Mount photo to 2-ply matboard first, then float mount over japanese paper. The theory here is that the 2-ply will absorb most of the bumpiness
• Mount paper to foam board; cut opening large enough to sink the mounted photo; mount photo on foam board slightly smaller than the photo; drop mounted photo into mountboard sink; tape into place from back.

We will be doing these in batches of about 20 frames at a time. Interior frame dimensions will range from 16x20 - 32x40, with 3-4" of margin showing.

Any ideas on how to do this efficiently and keep costs down will be greatly appreciated.

 

[PaulSF]

I prefer the idea of mounting the photos to 2-ply, and then gluing that down onto the Japanese paper. Any reason why you couldn't use 4-ply instead?

 

[Natalya Murphy]

I prefer the idea of mounting the photos to 2-ply, and then gluing that down onto the Japanese paper. Any reason why you couldn't use 4-ply instead?

I was thinking 2-ply because it wouldn't float as high above the paper that way.

 

[PaulSF]

Use a thinner 4-ply, like Artique (cheaper, too). Otherwise, you will have that lumpy pass-through. Are these just being mushed up against the glass, or will there be some spacers?

 

[Natalya Murphy]

Use a thinner 4-ply, like Artique (cheaper, too). Otherwise, you will have that lumpy pass-through. Are these just being mushed up against the glass, or will there be some spacers?

It's actually going to be acrylic, so I'm considering skipping the spacers. Although if we float on 4-ply I think I'd need to have the spacers.

 

[Jim Miller]

Photographic images are often more fragile than painted or ink-printed images. Acrylic would not condense moisture in a normal, climate-controlled interior environment, but check to be sure that a direct contact acrylic mount would not abrade or stick to the photos.

Also caution the owner about shielding the direct-contact-mounted framing from environmental extremes during transport and handling, which could still cause condensation.

 

[Greg Fremstad]

A very inportant fact should not be overlooked in this situation: Art against either glass or acrylic will see humidity changes around the edges before the central area. If it gets more humid and swells, it will appear as buckles. Drier around the edges will aslo show buckling. Thats why we use mats or spacers. Further, 2 ply (I'm assuming that your are referring to rag boards here) buckles way too easily compared to the alpha mount boards. The thicker the board, the less apparent any wavyness. Right up against the backing or even up just the thickness of 2 ply, the wavyness will show worse.

Pop it up on a piece of 3/16 foamboard and use a 3/8 or 1/2 inch spacer. Very dramatic presentation and easy to do too.