Contributions to the 7th AICCM Book, Paper and Photographic Materials Symposium 29g31 August 2012 Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
This paper presents the background, methods and products used to face-mount photographs and digital prints. Possible issues with the various face-mounting methods are also discussed. Mounting photographic and digital images in a contemporary manner that will stand the test of time is one of the challenges for the contemporary photographer and gallery. Since the 1980s an increasingly popular mounting methods is face-mounting the image to acrylic.The reasons are based on presentation requirements and the desire to provide a frameless but quality aesthetic appearance. Two forms of face-mounting are pressure-sensitive adhesive films and the use of a silicone-based gel to adhere the image to clear polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) – acrylic – a patented process known as Diasec”.These methods and the materials used in them will be explained. The papers used, printing process and the display environment are all considered when deciding which form of face-mounting is best suited for the photographs or prints. The presentation of a face-mounted print is restricted only by the size of the photographic paper and of the acrylic sheet used. Prints can be produced as wide as 2.2 metres, with even larger lengths.With such large formats, the structural stability of a photograph is an important consideration. Finally, questions regarding the longevity, transportation, cleaning and hanging of the finished works are discussed.