# Frameless display of photos



## miggs (Nov 19, 2004)

I have been looking for ways in which to mount photos without a frame or mat which, looks good, and has some type of longevity to them. I don't know if they can even be 'archival quality' without a frame, but the more I read about 'archival quality', the more it seems to just be a tag word that people like to throw around to listen to themselves talk. I just want to know that my photos are going to last for a long time. I have talked to quite a few people and found different postings, but they all say completely different things. 

My thoughts are to have them mounted to gatorboard (even the 1" for a more of a box dimensional feel) and then use some type of laminate to protect the surface. The problem is that the one laminate test that I did really muddied up the photo and I was not happy with the quality at all. They also were not able to bring the photo to the edge of the board, because there had to be an edge to the laminate. I had the same company mount the photos without a laminate and they looked great. They also only did it on foam core but said they could do it on gatorboard if I needed it. 

A lot of places advertise doing a lustre coat for protection, but how much does this really protect? Again, everyone tells me different things. 

I have also heard of people face mounting a photo to acrylic and I am quite interested with this. Does the adhesive used to front mount it prevent the photo from adhering incorrectly to the acrylic surface and ruining the photo? 

I did finally find one company who said they could do either the front mount or the gatorboard with a satin laminate finish, which sounded good, but they were asking for an outrageous amount of money. 

You would think it would be rather simple to display a photo without a frame in a way that will last longer than a couple of months. I can't be the only person who wants or needs to do this. 

If anyone has experience with this, I would MOST APPRECIATE any input you could give me. Also, if you know of good places to have this done, that would be great too.


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## Gandalf (Nov 19, 2004)

Hey miggs, I was actually wondering the same thing so I'll be sure to keep my eye on this thread.


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## Scurra (Nov 20, 2004)

I've recently found a few places in the UK that will print your photos onto canvas and stretch it over a wooden frame, this means that you have a block photo where the edges of the image wrap around the sides of the block... It can look really professional and lasts but it's not cheap. Jessops will quote prices for you.


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