Black and White Photography

Follow these basic instructions for dry mounting prints:
1. Determine the size of the mat by first measuring the image size. For instance,
if your image size is 6" x 9", you may want a 12" x 15" mat for
a 3" border all around. Buy a piece of mat board precut to that size—or
cut the board yourself. Use 2- or 4-ply board.
2. Preheat the dry-mount press by turning it on and setting the thermostat.
For RC prints, set the press to 180–200°F; for fiber-based prints, set it for
200–225°F. Note that some brands of dry-mount tissue call for different
temperature settings, so follow the package instructions.
3. Preheat the tacking iron by plugging it in and setting the thermostat to a
midrange temperature.
4. Prepare a counter or table for dry mounting by clearing, cleaning, and
drying it thoroughly. Then place a nontextured covering surface, such as
a large piece of smooth mat board or Kraft paper, on the counter or table.
5. Place the print to be dry mounted face down on the covering surface.
6. Position a sheet of dry-mount tissue on the back of the print. The tissue
should be the same size as the print—or larger. Check to make sure the
tacking iron is heated up.
7. Attach the dry-mount tissue to the back of the print by gently touching
the tip of the tacking iron to the middle of the tissue and dragging it for
2–3". Heat turns the tissue into an adhesive, so it will attach to the back
of the print.
8. Turn the print (and attached tissue) over, and trim the excess white border
from the image of the print for a cleaner look; a print usually looks better
when it doesn’t have the white border next to the different color of the mat board. Cut a little into the image to ensure that no trace of the white
border is left. Make your cuts with great care, using a paper trimmer or a
ruler and cutting tool. If you use a trimmer, lay the edges of the print flat
against the guide strip and then make the cut; if you use a ruler and cutting
tool, cut on a surface such as cardboard to protect the counter or
tabletop. Hold the ruler down firmly and cut straight down along the
ruler’s edge. Make sure the cut is square and accurate. Now the print and
the dry-mount tissue are the same size.
9. Position the print with attached tissue on a piece of mat board to prepare
for mounting. Measure the borders. Usually you will want the print to be
a little higher than centered on the mat board, with a slightly larger
margin on the bottom than on the top and with side margins of equal size.
10. Put a weight on the print once it is positioned accurately on the mat
board. You can use almost anything that will keep the print in place—
such as a small (dry) drinking glass or a wallet. First cover the print surface
with a clean piece of paper, so the weight doesn’t damage or dirty the
image.
11. Lift up one corner of the print, letting the dry-mount tissue remain against
the board. Lightly apply the tip of the tacking iron to the dry-mount tissue
directly underneath to attach that corner of the tissue to the mat board.
12. Carefully place the corner of the print down and remeasure the borders.
At this point the print is attached to the tissue in the center, and the tissue
is attached to the mat board by one corner. The attachment to the board
may be weak so you must remeasure to make sure the position of the print
has not shifted. If it has shifted, gently detach the corner tissue from the
mat board, without tearing it from the rest of the sheet or damaging the
mat board, and repeat steps 9–12.
13. Attach the opposite corner of the dry-mount tissue to the board, as in
step 11. Again, measure the borders of the print on the mat board to make
sure the position of the print has not shifted.
14. Insert the print, tissue, and board in the dry-mount press. The print should
be facing up with the protective cover sheet on top to keep the heated top
of the press from touching the surface of the print.
15. Shut the press to fully attach the print to the board. This will take about
1–2 minutes depending on several factors, including the type of photographic
paper you used, the temperature of the press, and the thickness of
the protective cover sheet.
16. Open the press and remove the mounted print. Be careful; the mat board
will be hot. Immediately put it under a flat, weighted object, such as a
large book or sheet of heavy glass, so it will remain flat while it cools off.
You should protect the surface of the print from the weight with a clean sheet of paper or mat board (this may not be necessary if a clean sheet of
glass is used as the weight).
17. Take the mounted print out from under the weight after 15–30 minutes
(or longer). Gently bend the mat board back and forth with two hands to
make sure that the print doesn’t come unglued. If it does, repeat steps
13–15, this time leaving the board in the press for a few minutes longer.