What's available to mount color prints that I can use at home? I want to mount them on acid-free museum board. I've heard of three types.

One is a 3M Scotch liquid adhesive that comes in an aerosol can which can be sprayed onto the back of the print. (No heat involved.) A second type comes in sheet form with adhesive on both sides that is pressure sensitive. (Also no heat involved.) The third type is standard dry-mounting tissue, except that the temperature level needed isn't high enough to damage the color print. (I have a dry mount press.)

What's the best, that will have the least effect on the lifespan of the photograph? While the photograph I want to mount is printed on Kodak paper from a color negative, it would be nice if whatever I get is also capable of mounting Fuji r-type prints from transparencies.

-- neil poulsen (neil.fg@att.net), December 10, 2001

Answers

in sheet form with adhesive on both sides : Neschen make an acid free (not all of them are...) : gudy 870 i've use it once, it was ok, i've use it on a ph free card, without frame, the gudy was ok but after 3 weeks of exhibition, the carg start curving, i will never do it again !!!

-- dg (sacripant@online.fr), December 10, 2001.

Scotchmount is smelly and messy, and doesn't rub off as easily as claimed. I'd recommend ANY OTHER method.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), December 10, 2001.

I have used Seal Colormount dry-mount tissue in the past. It works well, but you must keep the temperature low. As an architect, I use various types of spray mount to mount large drawings- it is fussy , messy and not very reliable. There are some good double adhesive sheets available- they tend to be expensive.

-- David Rose (DERose1@msn.com), December 10, 2001.

Well probably the best thing to do (that would have the least effect on the life of the print) would be not to permanently mount them to anything. Just use "safe" photo corners to mount them to the board...something like an archival polyester mounting corner maybe...the type of thing you'd get from LI or Gaylord Bros., or a similar supplier....

That said, we mount exhibit prints (not archival prints) like cibas and c-prints using Scotch PMA....it's a cold mount adhesive that comes in a roll and is pretty good for mount to small to mid sized RC prints only. Don't use this stuff on anything porous, or like a fiber-based print. Really large prints, over 20x24 are not great with it either...PMA is pretty neutral and is not that hard to work with...I would avoid spray adhesives at all costs, and dry mounting just isn't that great with color materials, and it's certainly not reversible (neither is cold mounting)....to be really "safe" it has to be reversible. Good luck...as always, these are just my opinions only.

-- DK Thompson (kthompson@moh.dcr.state.nc.us), December 10, 2001.