Wet (cold) mounting to Gatorboard or Dibond

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JohnOConnell

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John O'Connell Photography
Hi! I'm putting on an exhibit of my photography in 2 months. I intend to print and mount roughly 50-60, 16" x 24", inkjet prints from my Canon Pro-1000. Because I will simultaneously be matting and framing another 50-60 pieces for a concurrent exhibit, I'm looking to save some time and money by mounting these first 50-60 as standouts with my cold press. I don't own a large hot press. I was planning to use either Gatorboard or Dibond aluminum as the backing and Yes paste for adhering, but I am concerned about the problems with RC paper and these materials. Printing and press mounting are both completely new to me. I'm not worried about them being archival. It just has to look good for a while. Does anyone have any experience, advice, or alternative suggestions?
 
I've used yes paste to mount items to gatorboard.

The thing about using yes paste or any paste to mount photos,
it works great on porous material like acid free foam core or almost any mat board.
but it doesn't work on non porous like clay coated foam core (non acid free type)
 
snafu said:
I've used yes paste to mount items to gatorboard.

The thing about using yes paste or any paste to mount photos,
it works great on porous material like acid free foam core or almost any mat board.
but it doesn't work on non porous like clay coated foam core (non acid free type)
Click to expand...
Thanks. That was my concern with the coating on the gatorboard. What alternative adhesive would you recommend for the cold press with these materials?
 
What kind of cold press do you have?
Is it a vacuum press or a roller press?

I Have concerns about any liquid adhesive paste working with DiBond. It has no porosity at all.
If yours is a roller press, then there are sheet film adhesives that are designed to work with all kinds of media and DiBond panels.
If it is a vacuum press, then it doesn't exert enough pressure to work effectively with the sheet adhesives.

Gatorboard comes in several different surface papers. My understanding is that the "Natural" finish, which resembles craft paper is the best one to use a wet mount with, but I would still be concerned about the differential humidification of the board and possible warping because of that.
 
wpfay said:
What kind of cold press do you have?
Is it a vacuum press or a roller press?

I Have concerns about any liquid adhesive paste working with DiBond. It has no porosity at all.
If yours is a roller press, then there are sheet film adhesives that are designed to work with all kinds of media and DiBond panels.
If it is a vacuum press, then it doesn't exert enough pressure to work effectively with the sheet adhesives.

Gatorboard comes in several different surface papers. My understanding is that the "Natural" finish, which resembles craft paper is the best one to use a wet mount with, but I would still be concerned about the differential humidification of the board and possible warping because of that.
Click to expand...
Sorry that I didn't specify. It's a vacuum press. What alternative materials might you suggest that would be rigid and decent appearance for the minimalist standout look?
 
If your printer has the capabilities, print directly to aluminum.
I have seen this where the aluminum is treated to accept ink with some kind of primer, and the presentation is done with a strainer frame affixed to the back of the aluminum plate, slightly recessed to give a minimal peripheral sight line.
The aluminum is solid, not like DiBond, and nominally 1/16" thick.
 
wpfay said:
If your printer has the capabilities, print directly to aluminum.
I have seen this where the aluminum is treated to accept ink with some kind of primer, and the presentation is done with a strainer frame affixed to the back of the aluminum plate, slightly recessed to give a minimal peripheral sight line.
The aluminum is solid, not like DiBond, and nominally 1/16" thick.
Click to expand...
I really like those aluminum prints, they look so vibrant and clear. Also, acrylic-mounted photo prints look cool.
Both are great looks for "frameless" photo displays.
As far as I know, they both require some pretty specific materials and equipment though.
Not something a photographer on a budget would likely be able to invest in.
But I don't know for sure...
Did a quick web search for "can canon pro-1000 print on aluminum?", found this thread:

Pro 1000 printing on aluminum panel?

Anyone done this yet? They are 4mm thick so within the thickness guidelines. I'll have to call the panel manufacturer for primer info or to see if I need primer even. Just wondering if anyone has done this and results good or forget it.
community.usa.canon.com community.usa.canon.com
 
I ordered some prints to aluminum for a job and they were quite striking. These were done directly to the aluminum, and the inks were thin enough to be somewhat translucent so the pieces had kind of a stained glass effect. These may have been made with a dye sublimation process.

The others I have seen in a gallery I did some business with, and they were on primed aluminum. No texture at all and perfectly flat. The finish had a slight luster, like old RC prints. Unlike RC prints, the colors were nicely saturated.
 
We do facemount acrylic and and aluminium printing. There is only one company that makes non-dyesub printable aluminium and they almost never have it in stock. Even with direct print aluminium you still have to laminate with high gloss laminate that has to be done in a roller press. Facemounted acrylic is a huge PIA. You will need at least a heat assisted laminator and usally it is mounted on .25" acrylic so you need some way to cut material that thick and a completely dust free room. These take a good while to do and a lot of pratice. I would stay far away from these if you are planning to do them at home.
 
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