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 dry mounting services in-house up to 40 x 60″ size. For larger sizes and specialty materials, we work closely with a partner to complete your projects. 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 sheets are often called Dibond, which is a specific brand name of aluminum composite panel. These sheets are composed of 2 ultra-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, aluminum, thicker versions of any of the sheet materials, and more. Contact us for information about what we can do for your project.
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″) | ||||
| 3/16″ MountCor White | n/a | $27.50 | $35.00 | $57.50 | $90.00 | ||||
| 3/16″ MountCor Black | n/a | $30.00 | $37.50 | $60.00 | $95.00 | ||||
| 3/16″ MountCor Canvas | n/a | $40.00 | $57.50 | $100.00 | $165.00 | ||||
| Tissue on 8-ply Cotton Rag Matboard | n/a | $60.00 | $100.00 | $180.00 | $300.00 | ||||
| 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 | $20.00 / sq ft | $53.33 | $83.33 | $120.00 | $187.50 | $333.33 | $520.83 | $750.00 | $1,000.00 |
Dry mounting pricing notes:
- 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 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 