long, narrow prints - how to keep flat?

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SportShots

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Have a group of 29-34 inch wide by 6-10 inch high digital prints that have come in for framing. Anyone know of a good way to assure they don't get wavy and look terrible after matting and in the frames? The photographer has had problems with that in the past. They are printed on fine art rag papers and are printed with pigment inks. Really fine work. Just want to head off potential problems that arise in our area of low winter humidity and high summer humidity and temperature extremes from 100 above in the summertime to 40 below in the winter. They won't hang in those extremes but when being transported to shows may well be exposed to the temps for a time.
 
I have worked with panoramic prints for years. You simply have to mount them, and at that size I would recommend dry mounting using very careful technique to include meticulous preheating of mounting board and print.

Hinge mounting really isn't an option unless the artist is willing to accept quite a bit of buckling in the near term. Careful hinging techniques work great for squarish "standard size" prints. But for very long spans hinge mounting or any technique where the print is suspended or supported from multiple points will always result in pronounced rippling. Been there, done that.
 
Do the prints have margins, which can be overmatted? If that is the case, the window and back mat should keep them flat and they can be supported with edge support strips. Since this work is being done for a photographer, there should be no problem getting them printed with boarders and then they should stay flat, without the risks that mounting entails.



Hugh
 
If the print were printed from paper that came off a roll then drymount IMHO would be required to keep them flat. AF Kool Tack mounting board used with a PermaLon coversheet should give you excellect results. Use as directed.

framer
 
If you decide that over-all mounting is required, consider wheat-starch paste for your adhesive. Yeah, it's tricky, takes time, and costs more, but if the photos ever need conservation work, they'll be removable.

Mount them on a large board, then cut the board down, as precise placement is difficult.

Here, we're testing a way to mount really big photos just from the edges to keep them flat, a way that is reversible. It seems to be working, but it's too early to be sure.
 
Long narrow prints

The problem with hinging (the old museum way we've been taught for ever) is if you put all of your T-hinges close to the edge of the art - the art can't expand and contract with changes in humidity. So it buckles between hinges. Not only does that art expand and contract, but rag board expands and contracts a lot - which we don't think about.

On long pieces - this expansion and contraction becomes more evident.

If you T only one hinge close to the edge and the rest T'd 2 inches above the art, the art will stay level and the close T'd hinge will keep the art from moving left and right. All the other hinges will allow for the expansion and contraction between the hinges and still hold the art level.

This is why the long mylar edge strips Hugh mentioned work. They allow for some movement left and right of both the art and the backing. The edge strips won't work on big or tall art because the art will sag near the bottom if not hung from hinges.

Check this free information on the new method of hinging. http://www.frametek.com/HTML/Articles/Hinging.html
 
HERESY!

Now this is complete heresy...

...but I should add that I have some fine art panoramic prints on matte paper where the print was simply shoved up against the glass in dirtball 12x36 frames. They were just for color reference in the printing room, not really for display. But they still look great after many years! I took one apart and the print was flat as a board and there is not the slightest indication on the surface of the print as to its long contact with glass.

However I can guarantee this would be a disaster with anything other than VERY WELL DRIED, MATTE inkjet prints on REAL PAPER. The resin coated glossies framed this way at the same time are buckled up and in places stuck to the glass.
 
preservator said:
Do the prints have margins, which can be overmatted? If that is the case, the window and back mat should keep them flat and they can be supported with edge support strips. Since this work is being done for a photographer, there should be no problem getting them printed with boarders and then they should stay flat, without the risks that mounting entails.



Hugh
Click to expand...

This is one method I've used. It works with large prints on Baryta inkjet papers that have a strong tendency to curl from the roll. I print with a 2" border to facilitate this.
 
05 said:
Here, we're testing a way to mount really big photos just from the edges to keep them flat, a way that is reversible. It seems to be working, but it's too early to be sure.
Click to expand...

I would be very interested in what you are testing, even at an early stage :)
 
As suggested by others, I would use edge supports, full length on all four sides, and a window mat with a generous an overlap of the edges.

A classic framing mistake is installing the fitting points too tightly, which restricts the free expansion and contraction cycles of the paper. Fit the frames loosely enough that you can rattle the glass. Loose fitting is not to be confused with leaving the frame back open. On the contrary, insulating filler boards and a tight-fitting dustcover are beneficial.
 
I am currently printing and framing a large show for a photographer. Luckily he specified mounting the prints. I am using Kool-Tac preserve with excellent results. I was instructed by Len that if they need to be removed, just reheat and remove, then just lightly rub the back with the palm of your hand to remove any adhesive residue.

While I have not tried this with the preserve, I have successfully removed a newspaper that was mounted on kool-tac.
 
Long narrow prints

If you mount along one edge or all four edges - it will buckle as the paper expands and contracts with changes in humidity.

Try mounting a scrap one and then put it in a mat board bag with a wet sponge over night.
 
Good point about the sponge test.

Sooner or later even the most subtle buckling or rippling will make people a little crazy. I've seen it happen with the old hinge mounted panoramas I was doing when I started. Even when I explained to buyers that "the print was archivally mounted so there would be a certain amount of surface buckling" I nevertheless had complaints later on.

And a lot of people looking at art for sale on a wall will perceive an uneven surface as a defect.

Mount those prints flat and there will be fewer issues down the road. An inkjet print is going to last maybe 80 years absolute tops in most display situations. Good dry mounting will last that long, I have 50+ year old dry mounted photos I did in high school and the bonds are still good.

However I'm not too sure about the so-called reversible materials about which I am highly suspicious for long term holding power. I think I would feel better getting it down to-the-max-forever with the more classic techniques.

And as for ColorPlak...my most formidable competitor at art fairs uses ColorPlak up to very huge sizes. He sells very well, hazy lamination and all. John Q Public doesn't give a hoot about that archival stuff, but he knows what he likes.
 
more_so said:
Mount those prints flat and there will be fewer issues down the road. An inkjet print is going to last maybe 80 years absolute tops in most display situations. Good dry mounting will last that long, I have 50+ year old dry mounted photos I did in high school and the bonds are still good.
Click to expand...

Now that Aardenburg Imaging is open access (YAY!) I think it's safe to report that Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl is at 140 megalux hours printed with HP Vivera inks and it isn't even close to reaching the minimum fade level in AAI's tests, much less the maximum acceptable. That corresponds to 70 years display time in WIR's tests, although Aardenburg's are way more stringent. Note that this is framed under standard acrylic, not any nifty UV filtering, with no UV inhibitor coatings. Those samples are likely to go clear off the charts with no appreciable fade.

We're getting to the point where on some printer/paper/ink combinations are offering permanence tests that indicate they will be around for a long, long time.

Absolute tops, conservation framed under UV glass or acrylic, rotated between display and storage, and kept in proper environmental conditions ... absolute tops is now a number that is high enough I don't feel so safe making assumptions about mounting materials.

That said, nobody buys it if it doesn't look flat ;)
 
05 said:
If you decide that over-all mounting is required, consider wheat-starch paste for your adhesive. Yeah, it's tricky, takes time, and costs more, but if the photos ever need conservation work, they'll be removable.

Mount them on a large board, then cut the board down, as precise placement is difficult.

Here, we're testing a way to mount really big photos just from the edges to keep them flat, a way that is reversible. It seems to be working, but it's too early to be sure.
Click to expand...
I would do just that. Glue it on a rug board with wheat starch.
 
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