"Wavy" prints

Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Posts
18
Loc
Massachusetts
I'm doing a large job for a regular customer and the prints (enlarged photos) are buckling right away. The pieces are 48" by 47" with a 4 ply rag mat. They are backed with Artcare foam and gator board. And I'm using photo corners (with ample space) to attach the art. The pieces are glazed with regular plexi. I don't want to mount them because they are extremely valuable. I have no ideas as to how to flatten them again. Any suggstions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Sorry, what does "Wavy" mean?

My first thought is maybe you should hinge them instead of the corners. Gravity and corner support only can cause one kind of "wavy." (The print bowing downward?)
shrug.gif
I guess you'd call that horizontal wavy? Hmmm, maybe vertical wavy?? oh heck, not right.

If it is "wavy" in the other direction, maybe the corners are too tight and you need to give them a little horizontal room. Again hinges would work better.

I'm sure others will chime in, but that's my first reaction.
 
A photo that large will be difficult to keep flat
under any circumstances, but with corner supports
and a 4ply mat, they are probably being pressed
between the glazing and the backing, since the
window is providing only 1/16" of clearance. The
first question to address is whether the photos
are flat, when they come in. If they are laid on
a table and are not completely flat, they will not
be flat when they are vertical in the frame.
Hanging them from hinges will, as noted, allow
gravity to pull the weight of the photo down and
that may help. It is certainly a better approach
than corner supports, which will be placing the
weight of the photo on the weakest part of the
sheet, its corners. This is a classic example of
why corner supports should not be preferred: they
do not support the center portions of the edges of
the sheet and that is where support is needed.
If there is an ample white margin on the edges of
the photo, folded paper edge strips, with ample
overmatting might hold the photo flatter, but
hinging may be the best option, here.


Hugh
 
The only thing I can add to this is to make sure you have enough hinges to support the weight. I have done many repair jobs where other framers did not use enough support and the print slumps. Something that big needs more than 3 or 4 hinges. It is better to use too many than not enough.
 
Could the regular plexi be causing problems? (IE static)
 
What if you leave some space between the mat and the print, like 1/8 to 1/4 inch so the print has some room to shuffle around a bit. With a print that big, maybe with the plexi bowing in toward the backing, it emphasizes the natural ripple of the print. Without completely glueing it down, I don't think you can completely avoid waves, maybe just downplay them.
 
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