Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / November 2004
Dry mounting Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet paper
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Trish Williams - 01 Nov 2004 15:50 GMT I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine art market. I have been having my work professionally dry mounted but am finding the cost prohibitive. In an attempt to learn to do this myself I have looked for information in Google Groups and discovered that the process is to dry mount the corners of the photo paper in a dry mount press. The images I have had professionally mounted seem to be completly adheared to the mounting board, not just in the corners. An exacto knife inserted under the edges cannot lift the page. Is this possible? Do you know if the process for this thinner paper is different from photo paper? Can you recommend a dry mount press for this purpose? I have been looking on E-Bay for a mounting press but hesitate to purchase a press that may not be able to mount my images.
Thor Lancelot Simon - 01 Nov 2004 18:28 GMT >I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet >paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine art [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >process is to dry mount the corners of the photo paper in a dry mount >press. The images I have had professionally mounted seem to be No. I don't know what you read, but you misunderstood it.
Dry mounting bonds the entire artwork to the support. A sheet of wax-infused tissue is placed between the artwork and the support and the entire assembly is placed in a very hot press that looks much like a giant sandwich press of the sort used to make panini (ugh) or Cuban sandwiches (yum!).
What I have been wondering, myself, is what that much heat does to the permanence of the Epson ink and paper. It's not clear to me that it's actually designed to be dry-mounted.
A better option may be 3M Repositionable Adhesive, which is also usually considered archival. It is somewhat annoying to work with, in my experience, but no heat is required. Spray adhesive, glue, double-stick tape, etc -- those are definitely no-nos.
If you cannot find a working solution that bonds the entire print to the support you will need to hinge the print with archival linen tape, or use clear polyethylene corners to hold the corners of the print in place. The latter solution usually works better for small prints, the former for large ones; but I do not know how well the linen tape will stick to the very slippery Epson inkjet paper.
All these materials are available from Light Impressions.
 Signature Thor Lancelot Simon tls@rek.tjls.com But as he knew no bad language, he had called him all the names of common objects that he could think of, and had screamed: "You lamp! You towel! You plate!" and so on. --Sigmund Freud
Christopher Woodhouse - 01 Nov 2004 20:53 GMT I agree with Thor, the 3M sheet is a sensible alternative which, as far as I am aware, has no vices. I have a drymount press, but it kills any inkjet print at 80C with a gloss surface.
On 1/11/04 5:28 pm, in article cm5rnm$2ql$1@panix5.panix.com, "Thor Lancelot Simon" <tls@panix.com> wrote:
>> I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet >> paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine art [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > All these materials are available from Light Impressions. Robert Feinman - 02 Nov 2004 14:24 GMT > I agree with Thor, the 3M sheet is a sensible alternative which, as far as I > am aware, has no vices. I have a drymount press, but it kills any inkjet > print at 80C with a gloss surface. I drymount inkjet prints all the time using luster, glossy and matt surfaces without any problems. If there was going to be any damage to the ink it would show up immediately and would not affect the lifespan of the print. Problems with altering the surface texture of a print are usually caused by several things. First, is that the press may be too hot. 80C or 180F is generally considered safe for RC types of photopaper, but if that is an issue there are tissues that will work down to 75C/160F. It is also possible that the work is being kept in the press too long. Usually with common thickness mat board one minute is enough. Another thing is to make sure that both the board and the print are dried before bonding. Heat without pressure for 30 seconds or so on each side to drive off moisture. The last important thing to watch for is the covering of the artwork when it is in the press. Usually the best thing is a full size piece of release paper with several layers of plain paper or Seal's "cover sheet" above that. You don't want to have the print in contact with the metal heating surface or have bumps in it get embossed into the print. Finally, after removing keep the whole sandwich together and cool under weights (I use a bunch of hardcover books).
The museum market doesn't like drymounting much, but if you look at old photos you will find that the dry mounting tissue has acted as a buffer and protected the print from impurities in the mat, so that in many cases the print is fine and the old mat is starting to discolor and crumble. Newer "archival" mats may not have this problem, we will see.
 Signature Robert D Feinman Landscapes, Cityscapes and Panoramic Photographs http://robertdfeinman.com mail: robertdfeinman@netscape.net
Thor Lancelot Simon - 02 Nov 2004 17:20 GMT >> I agree with Thor, the 3M sheet is a sensible alternative which, as far as I >> am aware, has no vices. I have a drymount press, but it kills any inkjet [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >without any problems. If there was going to be any damage to the ink it >would show up immediately and would not affect the lifespan of the print. I don't see how we know that that's necessarily the case. The inks suffer chemical degradation for many reasons, and the process can clearly be sped up -- blast them with UV light for a short while and you _will_ take years off their eventual lifetime. I'd be reassured to know that that were not the case with head in the 180F range, but I don't think it's safe to just assume that that's how it is.
 Signature Thor Lancelot Simon tls@rek.tjls.com But as he knew no bad language, he had called him all the names of common objects that he could think of, and had screamed: "You lamp! You towel! You plate!" and so on. --Sigmund Freud
Christopher Woodhouse - 02 Nov 2004 18:52 GMT Yep, done all that. The issue seems to be particularly with the slow dry inkjet papers like Ilford Classic and Epson Colorlife. My DM film is the lowest temperature one I can get in the UK and needs between 70 and 80C for 2mins between two mountboards in a seal press. Less than that and the print will lift. Putting a release paper on top doesn't work either. The actual gloss surface is lifting. As you say, RC paper isn't an issue if the print is kept below 80 and a couple of minutes.
On 2/11/04 1:24 pm, in article MPG.1bf154a4f9cdf0f8989883@news.acedsl.com,
>> I agree with Thor, the 3M sheet is a sensible alternative which, as far as I >> am aware, has no vices. I have a drymount press, but it kills any inkjet [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > print is fine and the old mat is starting to discolor and crumble. > Newer "archival" mats may not have this problem, we will see. Donald Qualls - 01 Nov 2004 20:00 GMT > I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet > paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine art [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > this purpose? I have been looking on E-Bay for a mounting press but > hesitate to purchase a press that may not be able to mount my images. Generally, you'll tack the corners using a tacking iron (looks like a tiny clothes iron on a handle like a soldering iron), to hold the print and dry mount tissue in place, then put the assembly (with cover paper, usually, to protect the print surface from anything that might be on the press platen) into the dry mount press for all-over adhesion.
I can't help you with recommendations; it's been about thirty years since I dry mounted anything.
 Signature The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions. -- Ansel Adams
Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com
Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth and don't expect them to be perfect.
Thor Lancelot Simon - 01 Nov 2004 20:42 GMT >> hesitate to purchase a press that may not be able to mount my images. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >usually, to protect the print surface from anything that might be on the >press platen) into the dry mount press for all-over adhesion. No! You don't want to tack the tissue to the art or mat at more than one place -- that's the best way to wrinkle the tissue when it goes into the press and guarantee a permanently damaged work.
One tack to the art, one tack to the support; that's all.
 Signature Thor Lancelot Simon tls@rek.tjls.com But as he knew no bad language, he had called him all the names of common objects that he could think of, and had screamed: "You lamp! You towel! You plate!" and so on. --Sigmund Freud
Nicholas O. Lindan - 01 Nov 2004 21:14 GMT "Thor Lancelot Simon" tls@panix.com
> No! You don't want to tack the tissue to the art or mat at more than > one place -- that's the best way to wrinkle the tissue when it goes > into the press and guarantee a permanently damaged work. > One tack to the art, one tack to the support; that's all. I found a 'one-tack' method would shift on me when mounting large prints.
FWIW: I tack the MT to the print at the center. Trim both together. Make corner marks on the mount. Takc the tissue at the corners, being very careful to stretch the tissue out so there are no wrinkles. Toss the mess into the press.
 Signature Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com
f/256 - 01 Nov 2004 20:41 GMT > I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet > paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine art [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > this purpose? I have been looking on E-Bay for a mounting press but > hesitate to purchase a press that may not be able to mount my images. See if your local library has or can get for you "The Life of a Photograph: Archival Processing, Matting, Framing, and Storage" ISNB#0240800249
Guillermo
prep@prep.synonet.com - 03 Nov 2004 17:43 GMT >> I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink >> Jet paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> been looking on E-Bay for a mounting press but hesitate to purchase >> a press that may not be able to mount my images.
> See if your local library has or can get for you "The Life of a > Photograph: Archival Processing, Matting, Framing, and Storage" > ISNB#0240800249 Get that book and read it cover to cover!
Do not dry mount anything you care about. Even if the process is `perfect' it makes it impossible to to remove the work from the backing if re-mounting is needed in the future.
Hinges and rice paste cost only a few c per mount.
 Signature Paul Repacholi 1 Crescent Rd., +61 (08) 9257-1001 Kalamunda. West Australia 6076 comp.os.vms,- The Older, Grumpier Slashdot Raw, Cooked or Well-done, it's all half baked. EPIC, The Architecture of the future, always has been, always will be.
Thor Lancelot Simon - 03 Nov 2004 20:59 GMT >Do not dry mount anything you care about. Even if the process is >`perfect' it makes it impossible to to remove the work from the >backing if re-mounting is needed in the future. That's simply not true. Modern archival mounting tissue can be removed by simple reapplication of heat. Hinges and paste, or linen tape, often must be trimmed from the print with a knife -- I have often been quite amused to hear this slicing away of part of the print as evidence of a "reversible" mounting process. Sure, you can _supposedly_ soak or steam rice paste away (_supposedly_ without damaging the gelatin emulsion that's sitting right next to it -- ha!) which I consider about as likely as reversing a dry-mounting job done with traditional (not modern "archival") tissue: possible, but very difficult and failure-prone at best.
The only truly reversible "mounting" process is use of corners, whether paper or intert plastic, with inert adhesive. The problem, of course, is that these don't reliably hold large, heavy, highly flexible prints in place, much less flat, over long periods of time; in other words, they are reversible, but they aren't much by way of _mounting_. Meanwhile, there is considerable evidence that modern dry mounting techniques, coupled with modern archival boards, actually _protect_ prints from contamination all too common in display environments by removing the opportunity for contaiminants to reach 50% of the total surface area of the print itself (the back).
I have come around to the point of view that prints that will be displayed, then, should be dry-mounted; while prints for archival storage should not be mounted _at all_. You just can't have it both ways.
 Signature Thor Lancelot Simon tls@rek.tjls.com But as he knew no bad language, he had called him all the names of common objects that he could think of, and had screamed: "You lamp! You towel! You plate!" and so on. --Sigmund Freud
otzi - 04 Nov 2004 13:12 GMT >>Do not dry mount anything you care about. Even if the process is >>`perfect' it makes it impossible to to remove the work from the [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > displayed, then, should be dry-mounted; while prints for archival storage > should not be mounted _at all_. You just can't have it both ways. Take a look at this.
http://www.pictureframingmagazine.com/forum/FramingTalk.asp
 Signature Otzi
Ken Hart - 02 Nov 2004 01:37 GMT > I am a new illustrator printing my work on Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet > paper or Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight, for sale in the fine art [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > exacto knife inserted under the edges cannot lift the page. Is this > possible? Absolutely, if you're careful and practiced.
> Do you know if the process for this thinner paper is different from photo paper? Usually less time and/or heat required
> Can you recommend a dry mount press for this purpose? Mine is an old (25+ years!) Seal. No, it's not for sale!
> I have been looking on E-Bay for a mounting press but hesitate to purchase a press that may not be able to mount my images. Make sure the platen is clean and smooth. It would be good if the platen is large enough to mount your largest photo, but you can mount in more than one pass, if you're careful!
_General_ basic info: Dry mounting requires a press that heats to 160F to 250F (more or less), and temperature sensitive mounting paper (a tissue-like paper that is covered on both sides with a glue that melts in the press). There are different types of dry-mount tissue that adhere at various temperatures. Older fiber-based photo papers could withstand higher temperatures, so the tissue might adhere at 220 to 250F. Modern RC photo papers can't withstand high heat, so tissue for these papers might adhere at 180F. Thicker papers may require longer time or higher heat to properly adhere.
_General_ mounting procedure: Warm up the press to the proper temp for your mounting tissue. Make sure that your mounting board and photo are completely dry by placing both in the press for a few minutes (without the mounting tissue). Tack the mounting tissue to the back of the photo in the center using the tacking iron (or an ordinary clothes iron that you don't mind getting gunk on!). Trim the tissue and photo to the desired size/shape. Position both on the mounting board; hold the photo securely in the center, lift each corner and tack the tissue to the mounting board. The photo is now tacked to the tissue in the center, the tissue is tacked to the board at the corners. Put the whole unit in the press for the appropriate length of time (30 seconds?) to melt the adhesive entirely. Remove the board and photo, place on a cool, hard surface (kitchen counter?) under a heavy weight (several college physics/philosophy textbooks) for 10-15 minutes.
The whole process is very easy the seventh or eighth time you do it! Variables to watch for are how much heat will your photo withstand, and how much heat will the mount board absorb before the tissue adheres to it. Keep your work area and the press platen (the heated part) clean. Any dirt that gets between the mount board and the photo will make a permanent bump; any dirt between the photo and the platen will make a permanent dimple.
Ken Hart
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