Inchiquin Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Not specifically related to stock, but more exposure to the public will in the long run benefit me, Alamy and the stock industry! I'm putting on a small exhibition locally. I want to find a supplier (local or online) of rigid plastic mounts (2 to 3mm thick) in manageable sizes (A3 or A4). I can get my local print shop to do them but I would rather do it myself for less money and greater flexibility. I've spent a lot of time searching but as yet have been unable to find a source in the UK. Everyone has the foam board mounts but I don't like those because even the slightest pressure on the surface can form an indentation which can be seen in directional light. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 You're looking for solid styrene or polystyrene mounting board. If your printer can do it, he must have a supplier. It's easy to do yourself if you have a mounting or laminating press (with rollers). They're quite cheap nowadays, starting at around $500. Second hand probably even cheaper. wim edit: small laminator - crank by hand even cheaper: amazon $125 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Inch is concerned about surface marks, so I think he wants window, not flush, mounts. No doubt it can be done in acrylic or polycarbonate but cutting a perfect window may not be straightforward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 No, I'm looking for flush mounts. I have some polystyrene foam ones but the surface is not rigid enough. The mounts my print shop uses are hard plastic, about 2 or 3mm thick, and they're very nice but he buys them in very large sheets. I think this might be the stuff (or something similar) but I can't find a retailer: http://www.signforce.co.uk/Signforce/Forex_Classic.html Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Would foamcore with board faces do? Or mount to board, then to Foamex or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Would foamcore with board faces do? Or mount to board, then to Foamex or whatever. As a fallback, yes. I've certainly considered that. I don't think it would look quite as professional as the thin plastic but it would be better than nothing. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 All plastic mounting boards warp if not fixed to anything rigid. The only thing that doesn't is dibond. Which is only plastic in between the aluminium. Brilliant stuff. In the US road the use it for large road signs. Museums accept it. Foam core is pretty rigid too if the paper and the glue isn't that strong. Larger core boards still warp, even the thick ones (over 1 meter sq). Forex is PVC. Only recommended for displays for short duration. They will stain in the long run. Styrene doesn't stain AFAIK. Most foam core boards stain. The plastics can be cut with any guillotine paper cutter. Ask a larger copy shop to cut it on their guillotine. Not a lot will want to cut anything other than paper though. Do not do that with dibond with your paper knife: it will cut it ok, but not a lot of paper after that. Foam board can be cut with a snap-off box cutter. Personally I love plexi and dibond. No DIY possible I'm afraid. Ususally by far the cheapest option is to have a printer do it all in one go including the printing. Nowadays all of that is done online. Local printers will have to do it all by hand like you would, they will have machines though unlike yourself. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Dry mount to MDF is perfectly flat up to about 24x20 but a bit heavy. I used it for portraits to be framed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyn Llun Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I used dibond for my large, (four feet x three) flush mounted colour prints (proper, type C prints, not inkjet) for my 'Wildwood' touring exhibition. It has the advantage of being rigid, smooth and also light, which is a big plus for my large touring shows that are taken abroad. The mounted prints have battens on the back that hook on to similar battens fixed to the wall which makes for an invisible but easily attachable method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 Many thanks for all the suggestions. As it's only a small exhibition for the local arts festival I don't intend to spend a fortune, though if it's successful I will be hoping to expand my horizons in the future. I'm not going to print larger than A3 on this occasion and I've negotiated a discount on mounting as I will have about 15. I much prefer to do the printing myself because ( a ) it's a fraction of the cost (about 20%), ( b ) I can do test prints first to get it just right, and ( c ) I'm exhibiting my work so I want as much of it as possible to actually be my work. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Many thanks for all the suggestions. As it's only a small exhibition for the local arts festival I don't intend to spend a fortune, though if it's successful I will be hoping to expand my horizons in the future. I'm not going to print larger than A3 on this occasion and I've negotiated a discount on mounting as I will have about 15. I much prefer to do the printing myself because ( a ) it's a fraction of the cost (about 20%), ( b ) I can do test prints first to get it just right, and ( c ) I'm exhibiting my work so I want as much of it as possible to actually be my work. Alan Interested in your home printing. I have an A3 Canon printer but some while ago decided that it was cheaper to use the local lab. Maybe I got my sums wrong. What's your secret? Best of luck with your exhibition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milouvision Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Possible suppliers here (for future use): http://www.pwauk.com/mounting.htm and http://www.graphicdesignsupplies.co.uk/design-photographic-supplies-displayfoammount-board-c-115_526.html?sort=3a&page=1&osCsid=ahhekjqlphmdi3kri9qoausd4 Forex Classic in A sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 Interested in your home printing. I have an A3 Canon printer but some while ago decided that it was cheaper to use the local lab. Maybe I got my sums wrong. What's your secret? It's difficult to be precise about cost because that would require keeping a record of every print I make from one set of ink refills. Even that would be problematic because some colours are used more than others. I use an Epson R1800 with Tecco paper and I buy bulk ink from Marrutt (if possible when they have a discount offer) in 125ml bottles. My best back-of-envelope calculation suggests that an A3 print will cost me between £1.50 and £2 for paper and ink. I use the latter figure to allow for wastage. I don't factor in the time because I can be doing something else while it's printing. A high quality A3 print from a print shop is going to be a tenner at least. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Interested in your home printing. I have an A3 Canon printer but some while ago decided that it was cheaper to use the local lab. Maybe I got my sums wrong. What's your secret? It's difficult to be precise about cost because that would require keeping a record of every print I make from one set of ink refills. Even that would be problematic because some colours are used more than others. I use an Epson R1800 with Tecco paper and I buy bulk ink from Marrutt (if possible when they have a discount offer) in 125ml bottles. My best back-of-envelope calculation suggests that an A3 print will cost me between £1.50 and £2 for paper and ink. I use the latter figure to allow for wastage. I don't factor in the time because I can be doing something else while it's printing. A high quality A3 print from a print shop is going to be a tenner at least. Alan Thanks Alan. Bulk buying probably the answer. The lab I use charges £7.10 for a single A3 going down to £4.50 for orders of 20 or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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