Dry mounting your digital photos might fit your budget and creative sensibility.
You've taken beautiful photos that you'd like to put on display, but you don't want to pay high prices at a framing shop. Dry-mounting is a technique that uses heat-activated dry mount tissue to bond a photograph to mount board. No water, glue or tape required. And you can do it at home, without incurring the expense of having a professional mount your photos.
Instructions
Preparing Materials
1. An everyday clothing iron will melt the mounting paper.
Turn your iron on to a setting between 175 and 230 degrees Fahrenheit. You want it warm enough to melt the mounting paper, but not so hot that it damages your photograph. Start on the cool side and continue to get warmer if needed. The iron should be clean and scratch-free to avoid damaging the photograph. Do not use the steam feature on your iron -- the water will damage your photo.
2. Place your blotter paper on your work station to protect your photograph. Place the photograph face down on the blotter paper. Then place the dry mount paper on top of the photo. Lightly press the tip of the iron to the center of the mount paper, just long enough for it to adhere to the back of the photograph.
3. Remove the blotter paper and flip the photograph right-side up, so it's now sitting on the mount paper. Using the ruler as a guide, cut the mount paper to the exact size of your photograph with the x-acto knife. If the mounting paper sticks out beyond the edges of the photograph, it will show in your final presentation. If it is too small, the edges of the photograph will curl up.
4. Cut the mount board to your desired dimensions using the ruler and the x-acto knife. If you are able to purchase the mount board in the size you need, skip this step.
5. Measure the placement of your photo on the mount board using the ruler. This will allow you to place the photograph on the board within an even border. You can get creative with the width of the border, but a good starting point is 1 to 1.5 inches on all sides. A tip to make your final presentation more appealing: make the bottom edge of the border wider than the other three sides. Add an extra 1/2 inch or more on the bottom. Once you know your dimensions, lightly mark the four corners with a pencil.
Photograph Mounting
6. Place your photograph -- with dry mount paper still attached to the back -- on your mount board within your pencil markings.
7. Place your blotter paper over the photograph to protect it.
8. Lightly press the iron along the photograph, just long enough to heat the dry mount paper and adhere all three pieces together. It may take time for the heat to reach the mount paper under the blotter paper and photograph. Start in the center and work the iron toward the edges to ensure a smooth finish.
9. Remove the blotter paper to reveal your freshly mounted photograph. Erase any pencil markings still visible on the mount board.
Tags: mount paper, blotter paper, mount board, your photograph, mounting paper, Place your, board within
