 |
|
A beginners guide to mounting prints
Although there is no 'strict rule' for competition prints, there is a
standard that it is helpful to follow. Prints should be mounted on a piece
of card (mount board, or 'mat') no bigger than 20" x 16". This card can
be obtained from art or print shops (e.g. 'The Print Room' on Bracknell
High Street) in A1 size (which will need to be cut to size), for about
£3.50 per sheet.
 |
Jessops (upstairs in Princess Square) also sell packs
of 10 in a convenient 20" x 16" size (so no cutting to size is required),
and in several different double-sided colour combinations (e.g. white
and cream, black and grey) for about £13 per pack. The saving in time
(not to mention scalpel blades and finger strain!) makes this a very useful
purchase. Of course, you don't have to mount your photos on the full 20"
x 16" size, but even small photos can look very effective on a relatively
large piece of card (although it may help if the card is a fairly pale
colour, so that it doesn't dominate the print). |
The print itself can be pretty much any size you like. Some common sizes
are 12" x 8", 10" x 8", A4 and A3. 'Letterbox' format prints (where the
width is approximately twice the height of the print) can also be very
effective.
There are two common methods of mounting the print on the mount board.
The first, and easiest, is simply to stick the print on to the card. The
safest way to do this is to use 'spray mount' adhesive, available from
stationery and art shops (about £7 for a 200ml can), as this will allow
you to reposition your print on the card if necessary. You can use Pritt
stick or similar if you prefer, but this can be less secure, and your
print is more likely to fall off the piece of card while the judge is
looking at it!
| The second method is to use a specialised piece of equipment called a
'mat cutter'. This allows you to cut a hole with a bevelled edge in the
piece of card, approximately the size of your photo, and the photo is
mounted on the back of the mount board, so the bevelled edge frames the
picture. This can give a much more 'professional' look to your photo,
but is more costly and time-consuming. There are a number of different
mat cutters on the market: I've used the 'Logan compact mat cutter', and
now own the 'Mountmaster' (approximately £90). I actually preferred the
Logan cutter for ease of use, but the Mountmaster does allow a bit more
flexibility in the size of the borders it can cut. The Mountmaster is
available in two sizes, and the squaring arm is optional, although I personally
don't think it would be much use without it, as this is what allows you
to cut exactly parallel to the edge of the card. |
 |
 |
Another way to achieve the same result, but at a
much lower cost, is to use a bevelled edge cutter, available from
most arts and crafts shops. To use these you just need a straight
edge (eg. a metal ruler) to run the cutter against. I haven't used
one of these myself, but I imagine you need a steady hand and a
fair amount of patience! Maped make one with the cutter that runs
in grooves on the ruler and is very simple to use. It retails for
about £40 and can be bought from
http://www.discountart.co.uk
. |
In the end, it is the print itself that is the most important part of
your picture, but a poorly mounted print will often detract from the photo,
or even lose marks, so it's well worth spending a bit of time over the
presentation.
|
|
|
