Keeping a print flat when framing to edge with spacers

[Framingbird]

Hello

I am framing some prints, to edge, with 20 mm spacers, although the print was flat when it went into the frame after 24 hrs it now looks slightly rippled. Does anyone have any hints about how to stop this happening?

Thanks

Lesley

[prospero]

Just to clarify, you have the print with no mount with spacers to keep the glass away?

This is a surefire way to get a rippled print.

What's happening is that the edges of the print are crimped firmly. Paper will expand (been very humid lately).
If it can't go sideways the slack has to go somewhere, so it goes ~~~~~~.

What you need to do in this situation is to hinge the print to a board with two T hinges. Then make the spacers to go around the print,
but leave a decent space between the frame edge and the print edge. This gives you enough room to apply strips of some thin material
to the underside of the spacers. Linen tape might be enough or 2-ply barrier board is better.
Only toward to outer edge though. The strips should not overlap onto the print. At least 3mm away.
So you have say, 10mm strip + 3mm gap leaving 7mm to go over the print. If this isn't enough then you need a wider spacer.

This way the spacers don't bear on the print edge as it's lifted ever so slightly. The print has a bit of elbow room if it wants to 'grow'.


Welcome to the Forum btw.

* I know from experience that a full 30" sheet of medium weight watercolour paper will grow a good 1/2" when soaking wet.
Paper in frames never gets saturated (barring burst pipes) but it will wriggle about with humidity changes more than you might imagine.

[Framingbird]

Thanks Prospero,

That's very helpful advice.

Best wishes

Lesley

[Framingbird]

Hi Prospero

My spacers are 5mm wide (20mm deep) This is the widest they can be to fit inside the rebate. I understand your advice but I'm confused as to how I can fit all this in to such a small measurement.

Lesley

[prospero]

Oh I see..... I thought 20mm wide.

In that case the only way to do it is to float-mount the print (with edges showing) or to stick it to a board.

I wouldn't endorse the second option unless it's a thing of no intrinsic value and can be easily replaced.

[Not your average framer]

Framing a print right to the edge of a frame is not ideal, spacers, or no spacers. If the frame is made of wood and the rebate has not been sealed, then the wood will be a source of acid and this will eventually affect the edges of the print where they come is contact with the wood. So there are sound reasons to pursaude the customer not to do this.

If the customer rejects this advice, then dry mounting the print onto mountboard is another option, if the customer will accept the addition costs.

When I get to float mounting an artwork with spacers, I like to make use of the space provided by the spacers by spacing the print forward from the print with a piece of mountboard a little smaller than the print to raise the edges of the print away from the mountboard at the back of the frame. This looks particularly good with artworks, which have deckled edges, also if the print cockles, then it look more interesting than an apparent defect.

[Fellows Framing]

What I do when close framing (rightly or wrongly) with large prints that may "fall in" due to size or weight of paper is to put some pass through hinges at strategic points through the undermount onto the back of art work. Use conservation grade tape that is not visible from the front. If the paper thickness is to thin you will see the slit in the mountboard from the front so only feasible for thicker paper. It's a less extreme way than dry mounting.

[IFGL]

Because the edges are covered you do not need to use pass through hinges (which are fine), you can use hinges that go around the edges of the board, as in hedgehog method, works the same just easier, no slits.

I use spaces made of two separate peices of card or foam board or both depending on the size if the peace, on larger frames I have routed out the rebate to make more space, any who, one section of the spacer is cut 1mm deeper than the other section (depending on how thick the paper is) the two sections are glued together to make a spacer with a step, the edges of the poster just go under the shorter part of the spacer, this allows some movement and doesn't trap the edges.

It is all very fiddly when I quote for this I make sure I cover the fiddle factor, after they get the price the usually go for the float where I leave a small visible space around it,