Print Mounting On Gatorboard
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Brief introduction and tips to mounting your fine art prints to Gatorboard. I'll share some thoughts about cutting Gatorboard, what types of adhesive to use, and a few creative display options to get you started if you've not tried this before.
If you want to use Glamour 2 as an adhesive, mix the can thoroughly and use full strength.
Basic tools & supplies I use:
Glamour 2: amzn.to/38JmSy6
Stanley FatMax: amzn.to/31tfymR
Savage ruler with finger guard: amzn.to/34yx0IE
Moab Desert Spray/Varnish: amzn.to/2EwBJjj
Get the free guide to fine art printing here: fineartprinteb...
Hi Lester, I had to sign in youTube to give you a thumbs up and to thank you for this excellent tutorial.
Thanks, Jakey. Glad it worked for you.
Dude!!!! So helpful ❤
Hi Lester, thank you so much for this wonderful video packed with exactly the information I needed to get started in mounting my prints. You have helped me immensely. I look forward to any other videos you have regarding print mounting and coating.
Jan, so glad the video was what you needed. If you look at my video channel you will see several other videos that discuss mounting and display options. We are4 putting together a two-part video on stretching and mounting canvas prints, so stay tuned!
Hi Lester, I love your video’s and the comments that you post. Keep up the great work.. trying to buy gatorboard and Moab spray in Australia is non existent. Stay safe Reg
Thanks for the comments, Reg. I'm sorry other that the materials are not available in Australia. See if there are alternatives. As far as the Moab Desert Spray goes, we also recommend Printshield. That may be more widely distributed.
Fantastic video... thank you!
3M Super 77 is acid free and bonds well. Many frame shops use it. But yes, you should wear a good mask when spraying.
Great instructions! Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Picker. It is very helpful.
You are welcome!
I need to butt in and say I've spent many drinking nights with Soviet intellectuals who speak softly and look exactly like Mr. Picker.
In the cruel light of the morning they have often tiptoed out with some of my money in their pocket.
This is understandable and needs to be considered as a stipend, not theft.
Anyway, carry on. Splendid videos.
Hi Fanny; thanks for your rather cryptic note. For the record I'm not Russian, have never tiptoed out from anywhere taking someone's money with me, nor would I accept a stipend for bad behavior. But, thanks for your vote of confidence to carry on. So glad you enjoyed the videos. Be well.
@@lespicker It's this very discrepancy you mention that caught my attention in the first place.
Let me emphasize that it's a very attractive feature. In your case I would be willing to part with some of my money.
Cura, ut valeas!
@@lespicker well said
Hi Lester, first I like to thank you for this wonderful instructional video you made sharing your knowledge with us.
I am new to the Gator Board. To be honest, I just learned the term “Gator Board”.
However, I have been painting for some time now mostly oil on stretched canvas.
Just a few days ago, I finished an oil painting on Arches Oil Paper. And I am thinking of framing it with glass.
The Arches Oil Papers are similar in Texture to Watercolor papers.
My question is can I use the Glamour 2 to adhere the Oil Painting (which is on Paper) to a Gator Board?
Good question and wish I could help. We do not use the Arches Oil Papers as we are photographers and use inkjet coated papers. Not knowing what coatings are used on Arches Oil papers, I suggest you contact the manufactiurer of Glamour 2, They can be found if you do a search for Breathing Color. They are usually very helpful. I hope this helps.
Thank so much Lester. I just did contact them. @@lespicker
Lester, this is the first of your videos that I’ve seen, and it was really great. Thank you! I have had some of my photo enlargements done on foam board, but you’re right, they have a tendency to warp, even in our very dry Rocky Mtn climate. I just returned from South and East Africa with a ton of photos to process, print, and dry-mount. Can you give me your sources of supply for the gator board, the adhesive tissue, and the ruler that you showed? Also, when using the tissue, do you cut it to the same exact dimensions of the print? I will be doing mostly 12x18, 20x30, 24x36, and square format up to 30x30. Would you recommend that I invest in a press? I’m an experienced woodworker, so none of what you talked about causing me any concern except using the adhesive tissue. Thanks again!
I source my Gatorboard from different suppliers. Since we use a lot of Gatorboard in the course of a year, I order 4' x 8' sheets and cut to size. However, you can order pre-cut (and pre-adhesived) pieces from several suppliers on the Web. Just search under Gatorboard suppliers. The same s true for the adhesive tissue. You can purchase them in sheets in various sizes or, as in our case, in larger rolls and then cut to size. We especially lie Gudy 831 mounting tissue, but there are many other good brands. And, yes, I basically cut it to the same dimension as the print.
Thanks for the most useful videos. You showed those 2 large prints that were open mounted. Do you by any chance have closer images that show how flush you got it to the frame edge please? Did you do any shadow board type mounting with this gatorboard? Thanks in advance
Hi Less: Excellent information in your 'Gatorboard' video. You last video I watched about stretching canvas you mentioned a canvas coating and I did purchase that coating from Premier. What a great product. Very easy to use. Thanks! I have yet to try the Moab spray. Will do soon.
Steve, I'm pleased that you like the Premier product. For your paper prints I know you will love the Moab Desert Spray.
@@lespicker I plan on using the spray very soon. I have set you up to have a relationship with my old company "ImagewworksSupply.com. I took your ideas about coating out canvas on that video and ran with it. Based on your coat out video I purchased the Premier gloss and satin Print Shield; combined that capability with Breathing Color's roller covers and some other stuff from the paint store and am now getting "spray quality" coverage without an HVLP sprayer and without a mask. The ECO Shield from Premier is a very good product. I would love to show you the method I use sometime. The best part is this method uses 1/2 the ECO Shield material and virtually no cleanup from day to day.
I will be happy to share this method sometime soon via ZOOM. You will be shocked at how easy this method is and mostly based on the ideas you seeded my mind with in your coating video. One never knows where these things can go.
Hi Lester, thanks for this great video. I am trying out your method using glamour glow to mount prints to Gatorboard. In the Video you mention that you dilute the glamour glow. What is the dilution that you use? Thanks.
Thank you sir!!! Very helpful. Most informative.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Lester, your videos are great. I do still have a question about Gatorboard. It's my understanding that it's not acid free and, therefore, not archival. In one of your other answers to a post, when asked whether it was archival, I believe you answered affirmative as long as one was using Glamour 2 or dry mount tissue. Were you saying that these are ph neutral and act as a buffer to Gator board which is not and thereby creating an archival mount? I've had prints mounted on Sintra before and it's acid free but very expensive. Thanks in advance and again for your informational videos. I subscribed!
So sorry for the delay in responding. If you go to my Substack site (paperarts.substack.com), you will find a recent discussion of the archival nature of Gatorboard.
Very good video, lots of good information!
Thanks, Mike.
In the video you say dilute the glamour 2 but in the description you say use full strength. So....use full strength and don't dilute?
It looks like it is intended to be used as a preservative coating. Do you paint this over the print? I'm particularly interested in preventing UV fade on colorful prints.
But I see that the Moab Desert Varnish does this too. Why this and not the Glanour? If Moab is for matte prints, how does one UV protect glossy prints?
Thank you so much 🙂
You are most welcome. Happy that it was helpful.
Thank you Lester this has been helpful! I was worried I would not be able to cut the gator board myself but I see with the help pf the fatmax I can. I have been making my own frames and using acid free foam core, mounting with the tissue and laminating in a vacuum press, but they continue to warp/bow at large sizes (20" x30" and up) I have been struggling to get them not to warp/bow. Can you tell me if the 3/16 gator board once photo is mounted and laminated will bow?
Vicki, first let me say that it is critical that you replace the blade in the FatMax frequently when cutting Gatorboard. I use 3/16 for 20 x 30 all the time and have never had a bow. Now, when I hang it on the wall, I typically use Gatorboard backing strips that serve as a standoff from the wall. That tends to reinforce the Gatorboard so that it should not warp or bow. Having said that, I once left a 24 x 48 gator board mount standing up on the 24" side in one of my studio storerooms for 3 years and yes, it did bow, but slightly. It did not have the reinforcing strips in back. Once I added them it straightened and is fine. I hope this answers your question. If not please be more specific and I'll try again.
Hello, just bought a preowned in great condition and great price with full sets of inks Canon IPF8400 44” inkjet 12 color pigment printer , have printed few canvases , great results , I’d like to start printing photographs, I have glossy canon photo paper 36”‘roll , I’d like to get 44” x 100ft Epsom photo paper for under $100 on eBay , ( do you recommend anything else ? ) so using that paper and spraying it with the Moab desert varnish , is it gonna create glossy results or semi gloss ( satin) or still
Gonna be matte just “varnished / protected ? Just need the clarification on that ,
Also do you recommend Lamin-All adhesive or only Glamour II for adhesion to a gator board ? Or any other economic alternatives for “ gluing “ ?
Very pleasing and educational to watch , thank you mr.Lester !
Sounds like you landed a good deal! Best of luck with it. To answer your question, any fixative spray will dull a glossy print somewhat, so I suggest you sample on a spare print. Make sure to give it a full coat of spray so you can be certain of the results. Some people like the effect, others don't. We use primarily Moab papers in our studio and we love their consistency and choice of papers. Finally, I am not familiar with Lamia-all. We are pleased with the results from Glamour 2. However, we also dry mount some prints. Also, Gatorboard makes a board to which the adhesive has already been applied. You just peel and stick. It works very well, but you need to practice with it to get the paper to line up evenly on the board.
Best of luck!!
Being new to computers and RUclips I am not sure how to ask and get answers to questions, so here goes anyway. What dilution do you use of the Glamour 2 Varnish when using it as an adhesive? I have diluted in 50:50 with water and this seems to thin, it softens the paper too much. Maybe my paper is just too porous and too thin.
When used as an adhesive, you should use it full strength, with an even, but not too thick coat. As you have learned from your experience, adding water to it for adhesive use forces the paper to soak up that water and gets poor results.
Hello sir, I really appreciate your efforts to deliver content on printing and production. Have been going through your videos, I still have a doubt on printing images - how precisely is the photo print related to a camera's sensor and its resolution?
Thereby, I request you to respond you to my question with ample amount of numbers.
Thank you!
May god bless you with betterment.
Hello Jeet, and thanks for your blessings. The answer to your question(s) can be found in my FREE eBook "The Art of Fine Art Digital Printing". Here is the link: fineartprintebook.com. Wishing you the best of luck!
Hi Lester,
I an intrigued with the use of GatorBoard as a mounting medium, eliminating the need for a mat and frame with glass. However, I am still stuck in the '70's where matting was the standard for mounting and displaying photos, especially under glass. Have you ever tried adhering a mat surrond and if so, would you spray it with the protective varnish as well? I would like to display my photos without glass, but in frames. I had considered including a mat like boarder when printing, so your advice would be appreciated as to how to incorporate a mat in a photo, either by adhering a mat board surround or including it in the print. Thanks.
.
Charles, we have not yet affixed a mat onto a print on Gatorboard as you suggest. I'd love to see some pics of you doing this as well as the final product. I may do a blog on it with full credit to you. However, we do frame our Gatorboard mounts in what we call an "open frame" concept. If you download our free 163-page eBook on fine art printing (fineartprintebook.com) and go to the chapter on displaying your prints, you will see examples of an open frame.
I have a frame shop that has done a great job of dry-mounting my photo-art on foam board, but they do not offer gator board. Could they use their hot press same as they do with foam board, or is there a different temperature that they would need to adjust to? Thanks very much!
Hi George, they can certainly adhere to Gatorboard. We use our dry press for that constantly. I’m not sure what temp they use for the foam board. We set our press to 210F and press for 2 minutes. Hope that helps.
Enjoyed the video. Thank you. Do you mount the print first then cut the board? What is the dilution rate mounting materiel?
I usually mount the print first, then cut. If you do that, though, be sure to leave at least a 1" strip on each side to cut as that will allow for accurate cuts. I will sometimes use pre-cut Gatorboard, which you can find online at 8.5 x 11 or 13 x 19. In that case just adhere the correct size print and you're done! No cutting at all. For dilution rate, consult the Breathing Color website. They have a short and easy-to-understand video explaining the process.
Hi great video sir thank u
Hi Ida. So glad you liked it.
Thank you for the vid. Being water based, I’m guessing you delete the Glamor 2 with water?
You can (and should if using as a front-of-print protective fixative. However, for use as an adhesive I use it straight and spread it thinly.
@@lespicker Thank you.
Hello Lester. Great video! But I have a problem with your method that you obviously don't have. Using the same knife you're using (and a new blade), I find gatorboard to be so hard to cut that the board tends to move when I try to cut it. To keep the board from moving I have to apply so much downward pressure on the straightedge that it leaves an impression on the print. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks
Hi John. I guess my workspace is quite different from yours. Here are some suggestions. First, I use the Savage ruler that I reference in the discussion section below the video screen. That ruler is 2" wide and distributes the pressure so I have never made an imprint on the print. Second, the Savage has a rubber grip along the bottom so there is no slippage. Plus, the finger guard is a great safety feature. I suggest you start with that. If you continue to have difficulty, then I suggest you send me a video of you making the cuts to my email address and I can guide you further. Oh, one other item. Make sure you lock down the blade on the knife before cutting.
Hello sir
I am so delighted to have found you here. Excellent channel and this video is exactly what I was looking for. I print all my own images up to 13x19 and to date, use a dry mount press w foam board. But this video is encouraging as I have my first 23x36 to mount, frame and deliver.
Just a thought and a question.
If
The Glamor 2 is a varnish and works well for mounting, would it work to use Moab desert spray (which I also use) and with 2 or 3 heavy wet coats, would that act as an adhesive as well?
I’m going to give it a shot but would like your opinion re this idea.
Thank you again
Sincerely
Scott
Scott, thanks for your kind words. I'm interested in your experiment with Moab Desert Spray and hope you'll let me know how it goes. I have not tried using it as an adhesive because it has a very fast drying time, but I'd like to hear from you about whether it can, in fact, work. Good luck and best wishes.
@@lespicker My goodness after a full year, thank you for your reply. Yes I will get back to you regarding this I’ll probably work on that this next week and experiment with that. Thank you again talk to you soon.
@@lespicker hello Lester
Well I tried to varnish spray mount an 8 x 10 to gator board. It failed miserably😊.
I sprayed a very healthy heavy coat on the back of the picture mounted it to the gator board compressed it and let it dry overnight. Taking the compression off of it and at first glance it looked really good. The edges seem to be tight but then pulling on one corner slightly it came up and as I lifted the corner the whole picture released immediately. Apparently there are no bonding agents at all in this that would adhere to the board. So obviously it’s a good coating and binding to the surface of the print sticking that way but not bonding between two surfaces.
So now we know!
@@lschiz-photography1765 Thanks so much for following up. This is good to know and I will be sure to mention it in my workshops.
@@lespicker your very welcome!
Thank You, Lester, I show my photographs at outdoor shows. Have you had any problem with the mounted photo warping if it gets too hot?
Hi Melyssa. I do not sell at outdoor shows, so I cannot accurately say. However, I have stored some Gatorboard mounted images in a hot and humid garage for a day when I pack up for a workshop. I've never had an issue. However, you may want to put a 3/4 standoff strip on tieback, which serves as a hanger and also a reinforcement against any potential warping. BTW, the only time I've had warping is when I rested a pano print against the wall for a few months. There was slight warping, but I later straightened it with a reinforcing strip.
Great video! Is this an archival process?
Yes, so long as your chosen adhesive is archival. Dry mount tissue and the Glamour 2 that I reference in the video are both archival products. Good luck!
Great information! But i would love to mount my pictures in a full Gatorboard without any framing. would you have specific recommandation for that? As a kind of print a big larger of the Gatorboard to bend it to glue it on the edge?
Thanks anyhow Lester!
Ctresbeau, you ask a good question. We have experimented with wrapping a print around Gatorboard. It's tricky. You risk the paper degrading (cracking) where the bend occurs. One thing we found is that it is almost impossible to do this with paper that is any heavier than 190GSM. Next, Gatorboard has a porous interior. That means you have to apply layers of glue along the edges to build up enough to get the print to stick. That takes time and patience. Finally, how will you handle the corners? You will have to make cuts to accommodate the very tricky corners. Now, Gatorboard wraps work great with canvas due to the material's flexibility. I have a colleague whose business depends on making Gatorboard wraps with canvas. Let me know how your experiments turn out.
@@lespicker / You comments help me very much before doing the possible work. Then I might be doing that mounting on black Gatorboard! 🤔 Hmmm?
Thanks for answering Lester, the Experience Man! 👍🏼
Mount on cradled art board.
Hi please can you tell where to get it and the cost.(In US and in UK)
Unfortunately I can't tell you where to get the Gatorbioard (or called Gatorfoam in some places), as I live in the USA. If you search on Google, you'll find many companies sell it, Dick Blick being one of them. It comes in various sizes up to 48" x 96", and either [lain or self-adhesive, and in black, white and cream colors.
Thank you, great. How much did you dilute the glamour 2?
When using Glamour 2 as an adhesive, use it straight from the can. No dilution.
I have been having problems trying to mount my large panorama prints (50"x12") onto various boards gator board etc. What glue do you recommend for mounting of large prints? I am getting air bubbles in all of mine. thanks
Hi Christopher. Without more information it's hard to respond specifically to your issue(s). Here's what I can safely say. You are not the first to report an issue with bubbles. Typically it is not the adhesive used, but the technique. It is always best to start with a double-coated print if using matt papers (we use Moab Desert Spray) and wear clean cotton gloves. With a 50" print you should have two people assist you, one on each long end of the print. You should start by laying down the middle of the print. Always smooth from the center toward the edges, both the long edges and the short. Smooth out carefully as you go, applying pressure. A bone folder tool can be very helpful. Now, as far as adhesives go, I would shy away from very quick adhering glues like rubber cement on both surfaces. Once bubbles form it's impossible to get them out. Some of my other videos cover the issue of adhesives for certain situations. Best of luck!
What about using a self adhesive gatorboard? Wouldn't that be easier so you don't have to apply an adhesive?
Salvatore: In our studio we do use self-adhesive Gatorboard from time to time. We find the adhesive to be permanent (if proper technique is followed), the application process easy, and the results pleasing, depending on your goal. However, its biggest plus is also a minus... it is permanent! If I am selling a print to a client in a traditional frame, I would never use self-adhesive Gatorboard. Instead I use a more traditional method that does not damage the print. I have a video on this on my RUclips channel.
What are your thoughts on the self adhesive black gator board?
Johnny, good question. In our studio we do use self-adhesive Gatorboard from time to time. We find the adhesive to be permanent (if proper technique is followed), the application process easy, and the results pleasing, depending on your goal. However, it's biggest plus is also a minus... it is permanent! If I am selling a print to a client in a traditional frame, I would never use self-adhesive Gatorboard. Instead I use a more traditional method that does not damage the print. I have a video on this on my RUclips channel.
Would you recommend gator board for fiber silver gelatin prints or just inkjet?
Hi Nicholas. Glad you wrote. Your question really requires two answers. In the first place, sure, you can mount a silver gelatin print on Gatorboard if your intent is just to display the print for whatever reason. However, if the print is an especially valuable one, or being sold to buyer who intends to keep it as an investment, then you would probably want to use a fine art hinge, which you can then affix to the Gatorboard. Eventually, if the print is to be traditionally framed, you would mount it behind glass, keeping it on the Gatorboard or transferring it to another acid-free mounting surface.
How much do you dilute the Glamour 2 product when using it to adhere prints to gator board?
This very short RUclips video should give you all the info you need: ruclips.net/video/4JYowh9tbwU/видео.html
Where do you buy the actual Gatorboard. Thanks :)
Hi Jannah. You can purchase Gatorboard on the Internet. Just put "gatorboard" into your search engine.
Very helpful. Thank you!