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Archive 2015 · Printing and Mounting

  
 
15Bit
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Printing and Mounting


So, i bought a house a few weeks ago and i need to put something on the walls other than white paint. Looking around locally it's clear to me that "art" is expensive to buy, and even getting my own images printed isn't going to be cheap. So i'm thinking to use this as an opportunity to get into printing myself. My better half even seems to be ok with the whole idea too, and i apparently won't get into trouble for buying an epson 3880 or similar.

Obviously i won't be a great fine art printer to begin, but i'm only planning to hang stuff at home so that doesn't really matter. And i can learn as i go along. My bigger concern is mounting and displaying. I can buy acceptably priced (i.e. cheap) frames in standard sizes, but what about none-standard print sizes like panos? It is possible to get prints professionally mounted and framed here, but i don't want to think about the cost of that.

I was thinking to go down the route of canvas wraps as you can get stretcher bars in a whole variety of lengths, but with a 17 inch printer i suspect i will lose a lot of print to the sides of the wrap. What other options do i have? What do you guys do about printing, mounting and framing?



May 31, 2015 at 04:31 AM
John Webb
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Printing and Mounting


Had a number of prints custom framed and mounted for a gallery show, but it was expensive. For all my digital prints I'm printing on a Epson 3800, no complaints. For frames I have been using either precut aluminum where I select width and length components separately, or Michaels has some pre assembled frames in various sizes including panos. For matts buy a 4x8 sheet and have the art store cut down to the desired size for a nominal fee. I'll cut my own windows using a Logan Matt cutter and then assemble using archival hinge tape. Glazing can also be expensive but for in the house I just go to Home Depot or lowes and have them cut some glass. Currently most of the prints hanging are 12x18 mounted in 21x27 frames Larger prints 30x40 are canvas gallery wraps from Artistic Photo Canvas.

I try to settle on a frame size so that I can interchange matted images periodically.

Hope this helps

Regards



May 31, 2015 at 09:21 AM
kdphotography
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Printing and Mounting


I've been a fine art printer for years for both artists and photographers---I do a lot of fine art printing on high quality substrates, including gallery wrapped canvas. www.carmelfineartprinting.com

A 17 inch printer such as the 3880 or its replacement P800 is extremely limiting if you are considering gallery wrapped, stretched canvas. Even a 24" carriage to too small, imho.

That being said, you could consider wet-mounting your canvas prints onto gatorboard, and simply frame your canvas as you would a photographic print.

ken

http://www.carmelfineartprinting.com



May 31, 2015 at 10:02 AM
redcrown
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Printing and Mounting


I just retired my Epson 3880. Went to print for the first time in a long time. The forced-on-startup cleaning cycle sucked one of the ink carts dry, and the status monitor told me 2 other carts were on fumes. Plus the maintenance cart was at 10%.

So it was going to cost me about $200 to bring it back up to speed. I needed to make 4 prints at 11x14.

Checked on-line print lab prices, also for the first time in a long time. Found top tier labs offering 11x14 at $5 to $8, and $10 to $15 for 16x20. When I got the Epson 3880 5 years ago I found some test data that said it cost an average of $5, for ink and paper only, to print an 11x14. And I seem to recall that 5+ years ago lab prints were much more expensive than they are now.

The common wisdom has long been that you have to do fairly high volume printing to justify owning your own printer. Now Lab prices have declined, while inkjet printer ink and paper have not. My Epson 3880 cost $900 5 years ago, net of a discount. Looks like it's still selling at that price range.

Commercial mounting and framing is still far more expensive than DIY. And with a small investment in tools, it's pretty easy to DIY.



May 31, 2015 at 11:16 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Printing and Mounting


I have been printing for just my own use on a Epson 3800 for about 8 years. I like to print fine art Matt, and hang without glass or plex to avoid reflections.

I hang my prints on the backing (foam core) with top edge only T-hinges. Unless you have your images professionally mounted to a backing, you will probably get wrinkles, and a simple T mount like I use avoids this.

2x3 aspect ratio frames are not standard, since the frame guys think we are still using 4x5. A few places have them ready made, but usually you will need to buy custom sizes from a place like Frames by mail or frame destination.

For matts, I suggest buying a Logan Mat cutter and a few mat boards. I took a mat cutting class which saved me a lot of destroyed mats.

It is cheaper to have your prints made outside, but it is really difficult to learn how to prepare an image for print if you don't do it at home. Prints tend to be much darker than your monitor, even when calibrated. Then there is color accuracy and paper choices.

After you have printed for a year or so, it would be easier to buy from an outside supplier.



May 31, 2015 at 12:00 PM
Tim Knutson
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Printing and Mounting


My 2 cents, forget the printer. Use Bay or WHCC or whoever. Spend your money on a drymount press and a mat cutter. Learn to frame, rather than spend money on ink.

Of course you could just hang metal, or canvas wraps, no framing required.

Good luck with your walls.



May 31, 2015 at 04:58 PM
chez
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Printing and Mounting


15Bit wrote:
So, i bought a house a few weeks ago and i need to put something on the walls other than white paint. Looking around locally it's clear to me that "art" is expensive to buy, and even getting my own images printed isn't going to be cheap. So i'm thinking to use this as an opportunity to get into printing myself. My better half even seems to be ok with the whole idea too, and i apparently won't get into trouble for buying an epson 3880 or similar.

Obviously i won't be a great fine art printer to begin, but i'm
...Show more

Unless you plan to really get into home printing, I'd just send the prints out to a lab. There is an entire art to making great prints at home...and once mastered, you can produce prints better than the labs. But, it takes time and work to get proficient at printing and if you just want to do so e casual prints, I think you'll be disappointed and frustrated.



May 31, 2015 at 06:59 PM
15Bit
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Printing and Mounting


Thanks folks. I guess you missed that there is a small difference in location between yourselves and I - I don't live in north america, and that rather limits my options compared to you. Indeed I don't know of any proper print labs here, only the generic euro-wide place that i get my christmas calendars printed at (and they aren't exactly cheap). When i got a couple of A4's done by them i wasn't so impressed. I'm sure pro labs do exist somewhere in Norway, but i can guarantee that they will not be cheap to use. In short, I think home printing is rather more economic here than in the US, so long as i can get them on the wall in some decent-looking fashion.

So the question is really about how to display them, particularly none-standard image ratios. Of course, buying mounting consumables is another challenge here, but I can at least order those from abroad or pick them up in the UK when i visit.



Jun 01, 2015 at 12:52 PM
redcrown
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Printing and Mounting


Sorry 15bit, you are correct, didn't pay any attention to the Norway tag.

As for mounting and display and non-standard ratios...

I've had very good luck lately using Gatorboard in frameless and glassless wall mounting. Good luck in that it's farily easy to do, cheap, and surprisingly popular.

Gatorboard is the brand name of a heavy duty foamcore. Comes in several sizes, thickness, and color. And cuts easily with a good mat knife and straight edge. The main advantage over other foamcores is Gatorboard is perfectly flat and stays that way. Won't warp in any weather.

I print on oversize paper leaving a white border. I glue the print to the Gatorboard with spray adhesive, then cut down to the print edge with the mat knife and straight edge.

From the scrap I cut 2 inch squares and glue them to the back of the Gatorboard, making "spacers" that stand the print out from the wall. I use black Gatorboard, 1/4 inch thick. The black cut edge is OK for me, but there are some on-line companies that sell vinyl adhesive strips you can use to cover the edges if you want.

For mounting on the wall, I use the "peel and stick" removable mounts. Here in the US those are widely available in may sizes and forms. Some just adhesives, some velcro, etc. The Gatorboard mounted print is very light in weight, so you don't need very strong or large mounts.

My last batch was a set of 6 "grandkid" prints, 14x20 inch sizes, mounted on 3 walls of a nursery room. Cost about $5 per print for the Gatorboard. Would have cost $50 to $75 per print for frames and glass. The mom loves them, and says other people who have seen them all ask where they can buy similar.



Jun 01, 2015 at 01:51 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Printing and Mounting


15Bit wrote:
So, i bought a house a few weeks ago and i need to put something on the walls other than white paint. Looking around locally it's clear to me that "art" is expensive to buy, and even getting my own images printed isn't going to be cheap. So i'm thinking to use this as an opportunity to get into printing myself. My better half even seems to be ok with the whole idea too, and i apparently won't get into trouble for buying an epson 3880 or similar.

Obviously i won't be a great fine art printer to begin, but i'm
...Show more

You should know that this process is not inexpensive in time or in cost. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, but I think that saving money may turn out to be a weak reason for going this route. Learning to print well, to control the quality of your prints for the best output might be. Simply put, unless you plan to make a whole lot of prints, the economics of buying a printer, paying for ink and paper, mounting and framing, etc. don't work out to your benefit. For relatively small numbers of prints, it can be less expensive (in money and time) to have someone else do it.

People often look at the prices of high quality fine art photographs and gasp. Those of us who make them often total up the costs and compare them to the potential sales prices... and gasp at how much it costs to produce the images and mount/frame them. Trust me, there isn't a whole lot of room left over for profit!

Printing can be a very rewarding thing even if the finances don't play out. You will have full control over the quality of your work and you can decide exactly what it should look like. If you have the time, persistence, and patience you can eventually acquire printing skills that will let you equal and eventually surpass what you'll get from print services.

Good luck.

Dan

I use an Epson 7900. A full set of the smallest ink cartridges costs close to $900. I print on high quality archival paper that often costs $100 and up per roll. I use paper hinges and corners to mount to archival foam core backing boards in most cases, and I use high quality archival mat boards. I use Nielsen metal frames. None of this is cheap.



Jun 01, 2015 at 02:10 PM
15Bit
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Printing and Mounting


I appreciate the honesty Dan. And you are right - there's no "cheap" part to it. Some of my motivation is cost-saving though (albeit more in the mounting than the printing probably), but also it's a good way to get me moving on doing something with my photos, and i do like to have control over things like that. Remember that i am not looking to make "fine art" prints straight off the bat (though i will hopefully get better at it over time), nor am i looking to mount them in expensive frames with expensive mounting materials. So i won't be buying the most expensive papers, frames and mats. There is the fun of learning and experimenting too, and as Ben mentioned i think there is some value to understanding the screen to print process. I'm still doing the due dilligence on this though (hence the thread), so it's not certain i'll buy the printer yet. I also need to take a breath and assess my finances properly - we've spent a *lot* of money on furniture and stuff in the last few weeks...

The gatorboard option looks like an interesting place to start. I've also found mention of thin stretcher bars for canvas prints which i will look into further. I tend to agree with Ken about the size though - gallery wraps tend to be bigger than a 17 inch printer can manage.

Again, thanks all. Keep the ideas coming if you have more...



Jun 01, 2015 at 05:19 PM
danski0224
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Printing and Mounting


15Bit wrote:
So, i bought a house a few weeks ago and i need to put something on the walls other than white paint. Looking around locally it's clear to me that "art" is expensive to buy, and even getting my own images printed isn't going to be cheap. So i'm thinking to use this as an opportunity to get into printing myself. My better half even seems to be ok with the whole idea too, and i apparently won't get into trouble for buying an epson 3880 or similar.

Obviously i won't be a great fine art printer to begin, but i'm
...Show more

The Epson 3880 is probably the most reliable and lowest cost to operate professional grade printer. The one big drawback is the switching between photo and matte black inks.

You will have to hand feed canvas into the printer. Most places that sell printing stuff recommend sealing the canvas after printing.

You will "lose" a minimum of 1" all around for the stretcher and something to fasten on the back. Many printing programs provide an option for reflected or solid color sides, so you will not necessarily lose any of the image if you do not want to. So, now your 17 x 22 printer will do 15 x 20. I am not familiar with printing panoramic images. I do not know how long/wide of an image the 3880/P800 will support with the included software.

You will need a screen profiler and a printer profiler. Might as well get one that does both.

Sometimes, paper can be found for sale. Canon has had buy one get 4 free sales, at least in the USA. Third party vendors like Red River Paper are also good.

The Epson P800 (replacement for 3880) has an optional roll feed attachment. Otherwise, you are looking at 24" and up printers.

Wire and clip hanging systems, sold by AS Hanging Systems and others, have solutions to the framing problem.



Jun 01, 2015 at 07:29 PM
wayne seltzer
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Printing and Mounting


After taking a great fine art printing class from Charles Cramer it really hit me how much of an iterative process creating s Fine Art print of one of your images is.Getting all the various colors and luminance values the way you want them in the print and any creative dodging and burning of areas in the printed image to your vision is the reason to have a printer. I have a 3880 and a 24" HP Z3100 taking up a lot of space in my living room and costing alot of money in ink and paper. Then as Dan says there is the cost of Nielsen museum quality frames, the special UV nonglare glass and archival matts. But well worth it when done!
Get a matt cutter so you can save money and cut your own custom sizes. Being sble to choose any paper for your image and seeing the results right away is also a plus of having your own printer.



Jun 03, 2015 at 12:13 AM
mhp_sd
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Printing and Mounting


Somewhat off topic, but I have used collagewall.com for years. Their customer service is great and the print quality is wonderful. I can do an entire wall for what it costs for one nicely framed print. Drop them a line and ask about international shipping.


Jun 03, 2015 at 12:29 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Printing and Mounting


wayne seltzer wrote:
After taking a great fine art printing class from Charles Cramer it really hit me how much of an iterative process creating s Fine Art print of one of your images is.Getting all the various colors and luminance values the way you want them in the print and any creative dodging and burning of areas in the printed image to your vision is the reason to have a printer. I have a 3880 and a 24" HP Z3100 taking up a lot of space in my living room and costing alot of money in ink and paper. Then as
...Show more

I am fortunate to count Charles ("Charlie!") Cramer as a personal friend. You can't do better than to work with him if you want to understand how to maximixe your printing ability. I was a pretty decent printer of digitally produced images using inkjet technology, but a single morning with Charlie working on one of my files taught me more about preparing an image for print than pretty much everything else I experienced.

Dan



Jun 03, 2015 at 09:23 AM
D_Sh
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Printing and Mounting


I don't understand why people are saying that printing is so much work. I don't see any difference if I order my prints in professional lab vs one I print at home using my printer. The monitor should be calibrated in both situations and there is no difference in editing too. I even stopped making custom profiles for my printer, since profiles provided by Canson and Hunemuhle are that good. At the same time, the lab that I am using is not providing custom made profiles too, instead they gave me printer model and link to Canson profiles. So, even here we are on the same ground. The only downside with having a printer is that you have to print constantly (at least twice a month to prevent clogging) and high initial spending on printer, inks and paper. The advantage of printing at home is that it is convenient (reminds me of old days of dark room, where I controlled the whole process) and it is easier to obtain the perfect result. I have several images that I would never reprint if I were using lab. Those prints were not perfect first time from the printer, but "good enough". Having a printer at home, nothing stops me to print again right away to obtain that perfect print I envisioned. I don't consider a printer as must have item, especially if you are not printing frequently, but in place where I live now, it is the only option to have quality prints (((. The prof lab I was referring to prints only for exhibitions (high volumes) and they print for me only as a favor with long delays and minimum order of five A4 prints. So it all depends on the situation you are in, just consider all pros and cons.


Jun 03, 2015 at 04:56 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Printing and Mounting


ikea frames

you can find them in odd digital sizes too.



Jun 04, 2015 at 11:55 AM
kurtscott
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Printing and Mounting


A digital wall paper print design is perfect for that, may in vinyl or a paper form. Just have your unique designs is ready and send them to a printer like the Digitek Print shop in CA http://www.digitekprinting.com/ and they will do all the rest that will make you impress and appreciate the result.


Oct 20, 2016 at 01:50 AM





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