How to get ‘unstuck’ when mounting your wide format presentation prints on to foam board :
How to get ‘unstuck’ when mounting your wide format presentation prints on to foam board :
Displaying your photographic quality prints produced on our instant drying photo satin or photo gloss paper, or our realistic matt paper can look really impressive. But in order for your graphic displays to look good, you need to make sure your prints are fixed to the foam board smoothly.
So here are some helpful tips to enable you to get the best results using either Spray Adhesive or Self-Adhesive Foam Board :
3M Spraymount or Photomount is a universal spray adhesive. We recommend using Spraymount because you can reposition your print for up to 12 hours before it is permanently fixed. Not so with Photomount which is a permanent fixing spray and so you need to get it right from the start.
Firstly, always try to work in a well ventilated room at normal room temperature so that the paper is not effected by temperature changes.
Then position your print on the foam board and hold one end down with a weight (a house brick or heavy book wrapped in kitchen roll works well). Lift the print back and spray about half of the print. Be generous with the amount of spray adhesive you use to avoid air bubbles later. Allow the adhesive to dry to the touch and then smooth down the paper over the board with a clean cloth or kitchen roll. Finally, lift the other half of the print and repeat the process.
This is a little more expensive but a far more convenient method of mounting your wide format prints onto Foam Board.
Self-adhesive foam board is supplied in a variety of sheet sizes, and you may need to cut the board to your required print size before positioning your print face up on the foam board. Hold one end of the print down with a weight (again a house brick or heavy book wrapped in kitchen roll will work). Lift the print back and using a scalpel blade score a strip approximately 75ml wide at the opposite end of the foam board. Peel the strip away to reveal the adhesive coating on the board. Lay the print back positioning the edge over the exposed adhesive strip and smooth down with a clean cloth or kitchen roll. Remove the weight and lift the opposite edge of your print back to allow you to peel back the remainder of the adhesive backing, in stages if you prefer, whilst gently smoothing the print over the foam board using a clean cloth or kitchen roll.
Both processes are similar, however, Self-Adhesive Foam Board has the advantage of having an even coating of adhesive over the entire board reducing the risk of air bubbles. This adhesive is, in fact, mount film applied to foam board enabling you to have the ease of application without the need for a laminator which would be required for best results if you were to use mount film alone.
We are always happy to give one to one professional advice if needed so please call us on 01296 393700 if you would like to discuss any of these options or our products further.