# Dry Mounting?



## icassell (Mar 3, 2010)

For those of you who sell your prints as art or exhibit them, do  you dry mount them on the matboard or do you use archival hinges/corners/etc. on matboard?


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## c.cloudwalker (Mar 3, 2010)

Never dry mount.

Two little pieces of archival tape on the top edge of the print and that's it. Paper is "alive" and needs to be able to contract and expand. To be honest, it has been so long since I got in the habit of using tape that I don't really remember all that is bad about dry mounting.

One thing I do remember is that most people who dry mount tend to trim the prints right to the edge of the image and that is not good for conservation purposes. Prints should be made in such a way as to leave a white border all around. I leave at least 1 inch but, here again, I have to be honest and say that I don't remember why. Now, it is just a habit.

Hope that helps.



Edit = If you do not use archival mats, it does not matter much


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## KmH (Mar 3, 2010)

Dry mounting will seriously reduce the lifespan of a print, and once dry mounted it can't be undone.

Hinge mounting not only allows a print to 'breath', it allows the mat(s) and mount to be replaced. Over time all mat/mounting materials become acidic. 

Cheap mountboard and mat materials are acidic when new, so I have to second: 



> If you do not use archival mats, it does not matter much.


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## usayit (Mar 3, 2010)

I dry mount... never had a problem.   For the chemical printed, just make sure they are properly washed.  Always use high quality materials.


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## icassell (Mar 3, 2010)

usayit said:


> I dry mount... never had a problem.   For the chemical printed, just make sure they are properly washed.  Always use high quality materials.



Yeah, I wonder what the differences are in the inkjet-age.

Anyway, I've always used archival materials.  In the old 35mm darkroom days, I had a drymount press, but I've heard drymounting getting a bad rep.  I have linen tape and archival board, but just wondering if people felt that drymounting was a good option (especially since MPIX will do it for you and save a step).

Thanks for your input everyone. I think I'll stick to doing it all myself.


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## Christie Photo (Mar 4, 2010)

I think it depends on the medium.  If you talking about conventional, processed photo prints, then yes....  dry mount anything over 8x10.

For ink-jet prints on archival paper, hang it with T-hinges of archival material...  there are a couple of choices.

-Pete


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## usayit (Mar 4, 2010)

Question, Why would you not dry mount ink-jet (as opposed to processed photos)?  Assuming archival materials are used.  

How about fibre versus RC?


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## icassell (Mar 4, 2010)

I would have thought dry-mounting processed papers would be more risky than ink-jet due to possible incomplete washing of the acids in the fixer.


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## the iconic image (Mar 4, 2010)

I had a dry mount once when I was in Argentina.. Her name was Elena..

the Iconic Image


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## Christie Photo (Mar 4, 2010)

usayit said:


> Question, Why would you not dry mount ink-jet (as opposed to processed photos)?  Assuming archival materials are used.



The ink-jet prints won't need mounting.  The typical archival papers are made of rag or acid-neutral papers that will hang nicely from hinges, allowing the art to be lifted for inspection and providing movement of the art with environmental changes.

Traditional photo prints won't lay as nice, resulting in ripples...  especially in sizes over 8x10.  So these sort of prints need mounting.  



usayit said:


> How about fibre versus RC?



Double-weight fiber prints will act better than SW, but RC prints will certainly ripple, if only a little.  It's not a good look.  

Using good materials, dry mounting will outlive color RC prints anyway, so why not mount 'em?

-Pete


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## c.cloudwalker (Mar 5, 2010)

The acids we worry about when framing art are not the ones from the darkroom chemicals although those could be a problem also when it comes to the longevity of a print. We are worried about the acids used in the manufacturing of the material used for the framing.

If there is acid free dry mounting material then you have one problem taken care of. But it still leaves the breathing problem I think. And I have never had a problem keeping prints flat enough for framing.


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## usayit (Mar 5, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation.  Vast majority of my prints are RC and ink-jet dry mounted, stored in archival box with the appropriate tissue in between.  Most of my old portfolios (many of those are fiber) are done in this manner.  Occasionally they are framed and hung on the wall for display but usually are returned to the archival box later on.  I've gotten lazy over the years and started to simply use hinges.. photography is no longer a focus but an enjoyable hobby limited with time.  

I never really put much thought into the reason why prints were dry-mounted... simply followed as taught.


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