How to Prepare Your Prints for Entry Into The

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR PRINTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE

CPS MONTHLY COMPETITIONS

~~ A GUIDE ~~

Presentation of your prints is almost as important as the print itself. This guide is intended to provide information that may help you mount prints successfully.

MOUNTBOARD

The thickness of the board is up to you, however, most board that is suitable is around the 1.4mm mark, anything thicker than this will probably be too heavy.

Surface colour is your own choice also, but the preferred norm. is white in its various shades, from pure white to bordering upon cream. Black may be suitable for some prints but other colours will often clash with the colours in the print and may be quite unsuitable for a black and white print.

The maximum cut size is 20x16 inches. If you work in metric, 50x40cm is almost 20x16 inches. You can use smaller sizes if you wish but the maximums are the preferred sizes. You can purchase ready cut boards in these dimensions but if you cut the boards to size yourself please make sure they are cut square i.e. 20 inches on 2 sides and 16 inches on the other 2, with straight sides.

Your print size can be anything you choose bearing in mind the 20x16 inch maximum.

DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO FIX YOUR PRINT

It is generally accepted that at club level there are 3 ways to fix your print to the mountboard, these are: -

a). Cut a middle section out of the board and attach your print to the back or to a backing card. This is currently the most often used method.

b). Use an aerosol spray adhesive on the back of your print and fix it to the front of the mountboard. There is a danger of getting glue on the face of your print.

c). Use Archival Dot Adhesive, either from sheets or a roll dispenser. There are 2 types, permanent and re-positionable. This is probably the easiest and safest method.

PREPARE A BACKING CARD

This is an optional requirement if you use mounting method a). above. It gives rigidity to the mount and helps to protect the print. Use thin but stiff card from about 600microns up to the 1.4mm of a 2nd mountboard. Cut/prepare the card so that it is bigger than the print paper but smaller that the mountboard. It is sensible to save the cut out middles from the mountboard then join 2 together with tape and cut to a suitable size to make backing boards.

If you do not use a backing card, you run the risk of your mounted print buckling and not lying flat, this is due to the expansion/contraction of papers at different room temperatures.

MOUNTING YOUR PRINT

With the spray glue/dot adhesives, apply to the back of the print, keeping the adhesive well away from the printed side and fix the print to the front of the mountboard making sure you position it correctly.

If cutting out the middle of the board to form a window, measure and cut carefully.

You can use a steel ruler with a thin bladed craft or mat knife; do not use a Stanley type knife, as the blade is usually too thick. A custom-built bevel mount cutting tool is by far the best

option, but is more expensive. Always use a very sharp thin blade; anything else and the cut will drag giving rough, untidy edges. Be especially careful with corners and leave all of your fingers attached to your hands.

Once the window is cut out, if you are not using a backing card, position the print and fix it to the back of the mount using single sided adhesive tape on all 4 edges. You do not need to apply the tape to the full length of the edges, but please make sure it is secure.

If you are using a backing card, you can either position the print and fix to the back of the mount or, fix it to the front of the backing card. In either case only apply tape to the top edge of the print paper (this will prevent buckling), then bring the backing card to the back of the mount and fix with tape along all 4 edges.

A word about adhesive tape, you are strongly advised to purchase and use tape intended for the job, it isn’t expensive. Please do not use brown or clear parcel tape, the adhesive is usually of poor quality and can bleed at the edges causing damage to other peoples work. Never use masking tape, it only lightly fixes the backing card, can peel away easily and then attach itself to other peoples prints.

DETAILS ON THE BACK

Once mounting is complete you must put certain details on the reverse. Avoid entering these at the top right as you look at the back of the mount, but anywhere else is o.k. Details should be entered in the same orientation as the print to indicate which is the top of the print when it is viewed.

The information you should show is: -

a). The title of your image

b). Your name

c). A contact telephone number

d). Section being entered e.g. ADV MONO or INTERMEDIATE COLOUR etc.

You can write the information directly onto the back of the mount or use a printed self-adhesive label. If handwriting the details, please use capital letters and make it legible.

FINALLY

Please hand in your prints on the dates shown on the programme. If you cannot do this, you can bring them in early and hand them to the Print Competition Secretary or pass them to someone else to hand in for you. Late hand-ins are frowned upon but if there is no alternative you should discuss arrangements in advance with the Print Competition Secretary.

If there is anything in this Guide you are unsure about, please talk to me about it.

If you have any associated questions, please ask

If you want a practical demonstration evening, please talk to Jann Wassel, Treasurer.

Carl Mason

Print Comp. Secretary