Exhibition Mounting
Carefully considered substrate, adhesive, and lamination combinations for b+w fiber, c-print, and archival pigment print exhibition purposes. We encourage the use of archival rated, PH level 7 balanced materials to insure maximum conservation longevity.
Services include
Traditional archival hot press museum board
Cold press film lamination in glossy, lustre, and matt finishes
Museum box presentation
Face Mount to Plexi.
Special Note Regarding Face Mounting: Lightside offers face mounting for c-print and some archival pigment print papers with a variety of presentation options including UV Protection, Non-Glare and Regular plexi in 1/8" or 1/4" thickness finished with either polished or sanded edges. We also "sandwich" face mounted prints with Aluminum, Dibond, Plexi and Sintra and can prepare wood or aluminum tube bracing for hanging and framing.
Please inquire directly for pricing on face mount projects.
Cold press top mounting solutions for:
Aluminum
Dibond
Gatorboard and Foam Core
Plexi (Acrylic Sheet)
Sintra
Floating Braced solutions for:
Face-mount to Plexi with Aluminum, Dibond, or Sintra backing
top mount Aluminum, Dibond, or Sintra
We also provide custom construction of domestic and international shipping crates.
Please download the attached Lightside Photographic Services PDF pricelist for the complete listing of mounting service options and pricing details.
Materials Glossary
Acrylic sheet (Plexiglas)
Plexiglas is a brand name that has become synonymous with acrylic sheet material. Acrylic sheet substrates are totally smooth and are an excellent match for sheet adhesives and photographs. This material is used as a substrate for either face mounting or top mounting.
Aluminum
Aluminum is a smooth and rigid mounting material manufactured in a variety of thickness and surface treatments. Anodized aluminum provides a surface that is extremely smooth and also scratch and blemish free on both sides. We prefer 0.80 grade anodized material for mounting and framing use. Others offer a less expensive, non-anodized 0.63 industrial grade material but we feel that the quality of that product is inconsistent with the exacting requirements of exhibition presentation.
Dibond
Dibond is a composite material made of two painted sheets of extremely thin aluminum bonded to a solid polyethylene core. It is considered to be the most rigid and flattest material available on the market. Dibond will not bow or warp in large sizes and is nearly half the weight of aluminum. 3mm white material with black core is available up to 5 x 10 feet.
Face Mounting
Face mounting refers to the method of using distortion free, optically clear adhesives to mount photographs “face in” directly against the surface of an acrylic substrate. The most popular materials are liquid silicone coating or pressure sensitive double sided sheet adhesives. Both methods maintain a PH 7 neutral rating.
Film Lamination
Film “over-lamination” is an option used for the protection of photographs displayed without traditional framing and glazing. The materials combine pressure sensitive distortion free adhesives with an optically clear polyester film sheet and are applied directly to the face of the photograph. These materials have a PH 7 neutral rating and come in glossy, luster, and matt finishes. Luster is the most widely used as it is closest in appearance to the surface of a matt c-print.
Floating Brace
Floating Braced pieces are designed to exhibit without frames. Often prints are presented trimmed flush with no borders but this method works well either way. The brace is affixed to the back of a substrate and inset from the outer edges so as not to be visible when viewing from an angle, thus the piece literally appears to “float” off the hanging wall. This modern method of presentation provides freedom from the visual distractions of framing materials and lends a feeling of lightness or transparency to the presentation.
Foam Core
Foam Core is a non-archival polystyrene core substrate that is lightweight and cost effective. It is generally used for displays and presentations intended for one-time or short-term use. It is considered unsuitable for conservation framing purposes.
Gator Board
Gator Board is a non-archival polystyrene core substrate that is lightweight and cost effective. It employs a synthetic wood fiber veneer, which makes it more rigid than foam core but is still considered unsuitable for conservation framing purposes.
Glazing
Glazing is the industry standard term that refers to either glass or acrylic sheet material (plexiglas) when used in a picture frame.
Museum Board
Museum Board is made from 100% acid and lignin free cotton fibers. It is often buffered with calcium carbonate to an approximate PH 8.5 rating to ensure absolute acid free protection. When used as a mounting substrate, it is generally paired with archival hot press adhesive mounting tissue. It is a first choice for fiber based silver gelatin photographs and is an excellent option for archival pigment or chromogenic c-prints as well. It comes in a wide variety of shades and thicknesses and is also used as matting material and as an archival dust barrier for conservation framing.
Sintra
Sintra is a lightweight substrate made from PVC material (polyvinyl chloride). It has a PH 7 neutral balance rating making it a cost effective archival solution for mounting archival pigment prints and matt surface photographs. Sintra may show a bit of surface texture, however, and therefore is not generally recommended for glossy photographs. Available in white 3mm and 6mm thicknesses as large as 78” x 120”
Substrate
Substrate is the industry standard term that refers to any mounting board material. Aluminum, Dibond, museum board, sintra, etc. are all considered “substrates”.