Prints are not made to be simply put into storage, but to be presented. If your presentation plans call for mounting your prints to ensure they are protected and stay flat, Royce Howland Print Studio has you covered. We offer standard material dry mounting services in-house up to 40 x 60″ size in a heated vacuum press. For larger sizes and specialty materials, typically using pressure-activated adhesives, we offer mounting services in-house using a heated roller press that can process materials up to 60″ wide. We can also work with a trusted third-party for projects that are larger or more specialized than we can handle in-house. All of materials and processes are chosen to ensure high quality results.
Standard Dry Mounting
Standard dry mounting uses a vacuum heat press to permanently bond a print onto a soft board using heat-activated adhesive. The most common material is Gilman Brothers MountCor. MountCor is an acid-free foam board pre-treated with a low-temperature adhesive. The board itself is very smooth, and uses micro-perforations for a smooth bond to the print. There is no “orange peel” effect from uneven adhesive texture.
In cases that call for a higher quality mount that is still budget friendly, a great approach is to use an acid-free, heat-activated mounting tissue cut to size and layered between the print and an acid-free, 8-ply cotton rag matboard. The matboard is a higher grade of conservation material than foam board, but it is not as rigid as foam. In a well-designed frame, up to medium sizes, the extra flexibility of the matboard generally is not a problem. However it some cases a mount on matboard will require extra backing in the frame to stabilize the board and prevent unwanted movement which could stress the mounted print.
Specialty Dry Mounting
Projects requiring the highest quality of mounting approach, especially for very large prints, use an acid-free, pressure-activated mounting film to adhere the print onto an aluminum composite sheet. These are processed through a roller press that applies pressure (and optionally heat) to the materials. The sheets are often called Dibond, but that is a specific brand name of aluminum composite panel; we use a lower cost equivalent material. These sheets are composed of 2 thin layers of aluminum bonded to a solid plastic core. The result is light weight, rigid, and non-reactive over a very long term, providing a higher degree of protection and security for mounts than is possible with soft boards such as foam and cotton rag mat.
In addition to aluminum composite panels, we can mount to other specialty materials if required. These include acrylic, Sintra, solid aluminum, thicker versions of any of the sheet materials, and more. Contact us for information about what we can do for your project.
Dry Mount Pricing
Example pricing for various standard mounting sizes (including any finished blank paper border):
| Mount Type | Price / sq ft | Quarter board (up to 16 x 20″) | Half board (up to 20 x 32″) | Standard board (up to 32 x 40″) | Large board (up to 40 x 60″) | Oversize board (up to 48 x 96″) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/16″ MountCor White (for paper prints) | n/a | $32.50 | $45.00 | $67.50 | $110.00 | $250.00 | |||
| 3/16″ MountCor Black (for paper prints) | n/a | $35.00 | $50.00 | $77.50 | $130.00 | n/a | |||
| 3/16″ MountCor Canvas (for canvas or fabric prints) | n/a | $50.00 | $77.50 | $130.00 | $225.00 | n/a | |||
| Tissue on 8-ply Cotton Rag Matboard | n/a | $60.00 | $100.00 | $180.00 | $300.00 | n/a | |||
| Mount Type | Price / sq ft | 16×24 | 20×30 | 24×36 | 30×45 | 40×60 | 50×75 | 60×90 | 60×120 |
| Adhesive Film on 3mm Aluminum Composite Panel | Minimum $22.50 / sq ft, but will be determined by materials usage based on sizes & quantities, especially for non-standard sizes. Contact us for a quote. | $60.00 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $93.75 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $135.00 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $210.94 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $375.00 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $585.94 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $843.75 @ $22.50/ sq ft | $1,125.00 @ $22.50/ sq ft |
Dry mounting pricing notes:
- Prices listed above do not include the cost of the print. See print pricing for details.
- Prices listed above do not include any framing, subframing or any type of hanging hardware on the different types of mounting boards. We can provide some options for this, plus we also work with a number of high quality framing shops who can deal with mounted prints produced by us.
- RHPS guarantees the quality of dry mounting results in all cases for prints, mounts and materials fully produced by us.
- When mounting prints or using any type of materials not normally stocked or supplied by RHPS, we explicitly disclaim any liability for issues that arise because of problems with the materials. Dry mounting exposes materials to mechanical processing through our equipment, as well as heat and/or pressure. As such, it involves an inherent level of risk of damage to media. We reserve the right to decline mounting projects using materials not produced by us.
- Please contact us for pricing and availability for larger projects, custom sizes, other special materials, etc.
Royce Howland Print Studio 