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I have someone bringing me an OS map tomorrow. It is a custom printed one in a tube, and he knows it won't be cheap because of the size.
I do have many OS maps myself I can experiment on first, albeit they are folded.
What would be the best way to go about this? I've been searching old threads and the consensus seems to be mounting to self adhesive board or foam board. Just manually applied and gone over with a roller? I have also been searching about bubbling and adhesive failures so I want to be sure it doesn't come back.....
Any tips? Suitable moulding sizes? (He mentioned a thin black frame but I don't want to show anything that makes things awkward.....) Subframe required? Glass or acrylic?
Don't show the customer anything thin. Set out some samples beforehand and make sure they are sturdy enough to do the job. Minimum 30mm I would think, without knowing the sizes.
This would probably be my starting point
Sample 1 - Lion Domino Black 38mm, cheap enough but big enough.
Sample 2 - Lion Vermont Oak 35mm, looks great with maps.
Sample 3 - Lion Brooklyn Vintage Square Black - fancier black than requested
Sample 4 - Lion Ledbury Ash Grey - the most expensive thing Lion have, makes everything else seem like a bargain. Let them know how much this option is even if they don't like it.
An OS map can be hinged as a normal print (no need to mount on to a substrate) behind a window mount, so push for the window mount "to really give your custom map space to breathe". If they want spacers, suck your teeth and say that'll be expensive. Usually works for me.
Glass is much easier to work with than acrylic, as long as your moulding is sturdy enough it'll be fine.
Don't over complicate. It's just a big print.
When saying the price, use the old "Oh my, that's much cheaper than I was expecting. £975.70"
You haven't said the size so difficult to give a suitable moulding size, but in general terms it's up to you. Don't be talked into using a moulding that is too narrow as the customer isn't always right. It's possible to use a narrow moulding and add a subframe at the back, but that can be tricky and will always be more expensive than one slightly larger frame as you are basically making 2 frames.
Glass or acrylic will depend on the size of the frame. Usually I go with normal glass up to 1m square, anything above and I think about acrylic.
Sorry I should have said, it is approx 1000 x 800 and they don’t want a mount which is why I was reading about self adhesive board. There is no particular value so can be replaced if it all goes pete tong.
I have hinged a vintage one with a mount before but had to use a subframe.
I have a suitable black moulding I think so that’s a start, and is less than 1m square so another tick.
Just DO NOT vacuum press those bespoke OS Maps, they're disublimated(?) rather than inkjet and so any heat blurs the image. They can be mounted with a cold roller press though. I use a local signage/display company to mount work like this or if it's too big for my hotpress. If you do ever need to mount something like this, Wessex and others can supply jumbo window mounts.
Always good to understand the customer's expectations. If they are imagining it dead flat, then imo mounting it onto a suitable substrate is the only way(I'm sure others will disagree!) If you sub it out to be mounted, it can also be laminated, which means it doesn't actually need glazing.
I did a few of these OS maps recently. They are produced normally on very thin paper. If you hinge this at the top only the map will ripple, even under a mount. I eventually stuck them onto self adhesive board which was very successful and they looked fine and flat. They were too big for my roller laminator so I carefully applied them with a micro fibre cloth inching them onto the board (two person job).
I had read the warnings about heat mounting, but I don't have a press anyway so it would be self-adhesive board if I did it myself. Interesting about laminating.......
