I\u2019ve been printing, matting and framing for the past several days ,getting ready for the first shows of 2011.\u00a0 I have a lot of new photographs so this is both a busy and an exciting time.<\/p>\n
It occurred to me that I went through a lot of trial and error\u00a0 when I first started this process of preparing photographs to display and sell, and that it just might be helpful to some if I shared the system I finally worked out.<\/p>\n
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I print on an Epson 4800 which accepts paper up to 17\u201d wide, both cut sheet and rolls.\u00a0 I standardized in Red River Polar Matte a few years ago.\u00a0 I prefer to print on matte surfaces as they give my photographs a \u2018painted\u2019 look.\u00a0 They don\u2019t look like photographs which is something I strive for.\u00a0 And I found that Red River Polar Matte has the richest blacks and holds good shadow detail, much better than other matte papers.<\/p>\n
I also standardized on mat board.\u00a0 I use Bainbridge Matte White.\u00a0 It\u2019s an museum quality mat board.\u00a0 And, as the name suggests, it\u2019s off-white.\u00a0 My intention here is to emphasize the photograph and not get carried away with trying to pick mat board colors to complement the images.\u00a0 I want a mat board that does not call attention to itself but instead stands back and lets the photograph speak.<\/p>\n
I cut my own mat board on a Logan Model 750 mat board cutter.\u00a0 I purchase mat boards by the case in 32X40 inch sheets.\u00a0 They cut down very nicely to 16X20.\u00a0 On these size prints I use a solid sheet of mat board for the backing and cut an opening in the front sheet.\u00a0 They are held together with linen tape.\u00a0 The photographs are held in place on the back board with archive quality photo corner tabs.<\/p>\n
For the smaller sizes (8X10 and 11X14) I dry mount the photographs directly to the backing.\u00a0 This make it possible to print larger images.\u00a0 For example the image for my 8X10 size prints is actually 6X9.\u00a0 And for my 11X14 prints the image is actually 9X12.\u00a0 I use archive quality dry mount tissue to adhere the image to the backing.\u00a0 (By the way, the image size for my 16X20 photographs is 10X15.)<\/p>\n
All the matted photographs are packaged in clear bags.\u00a0 I\u2019ve switched to the \u2018safety\u2019 clear bags.\u00a0 These are the ones with the adhesive strip on the bag body and not the flap.\u00a0 This means there\u2019s no chance of the adhesive strip getting stuck to the photograph as its being removed.<\/p>\n
As for frames, I use standard off-the-shelf frames from Aaron Brothers.\u00a0 I prefer a dark frame but don\u2019t like black.\u00a0 I find that black is too cold.\u00a0 I prefer the rich, warm tones of dark browns.\u00a0 A color that I frequently find that matches what I like is Espresso.\u00a0 I don\u2019t go in for frames with large borders.\u00a0 Again, I like something that does not call attention to itself but rather steps back.\u00a0 The dark colors also work better for this purpose.\u00a0 I tried lighter browns but they don\u2019t set off the image as well.<\/p>\n
There are a lot more details but this outlines what I do.\u00a0 One of the key things to getting a handle on the printing, matting and framing process was to standardize as much as possible.\u00a0 It still takes several evenings but I can be very productive, an important consideration when you try to take the next step to display and sell your work.<\/p>\n
Join me on an upcoming workshop.\u00a0 Click here for more details.<\/a><\/p>\n