Foam board

B

Bigfungun

Messages
272
Name
Chris
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all

I’m looking for a solution to present my prints for competition nights at my local camera club.
I was looking at foam board and wondered if anyone had used it before and what their thoughts were. The other reason I was looking at foam board is that it looks as though it might look quite nice hanging on the wall too.

TIA
 
•


I use those with a self-adhesive side a lot… very light and
stable but don't knock the edges or corners… fragile!
 
Last edited:
•


Art supplier!
 
•

Yes but for that purpose, 8 to 12 mm thick. :cool:
 
I've got prints mounted on foam board but with a window mount on the front. Having tried both unmounted and mounted, I think I much prefer the mounted look. I stick the print on white foamboard, with a black window mount on the front (with about a 1cm border of white around the print). A single 3M command strip holds an A3+ print mounted to A2 size quite nicely as the whole thing is very light. No glass, & easy to swap out. The folks at the camera clubs round here all tend to mount theirs. (some just mount with no backing).

Foam board corners though as Kodiak said - will wreck your print if you drop them.
 
Harlequin565 said:
I've got prints mounted on foam board but with a window mount on the front. Having tried both unmounted and mounted, I think I much prefer the mounted look. I stick the print on white foamboard, with a black window mount on the front (with about a 1cm border of white around the print). A single 3M command strip holds an A3+ print mounted to A2 size quite nicely as the whole thing is very light. No glass, & easy to swap out. The folks at the camera clubs round here all tend to mount theirs. (some just mount with no backing).

Foam board corners though as Kodiak said - will wreck your print if you drop them.
Click to expand...

Any chance you could link the items you buy and upload a wee picture so I can see the finished product if it’s not too much trouble
 
Mountboard (I get it in a pack of 10 for £25) : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HONQY28/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Foamboard I got a pack of 20 of about a year ago from an art supplier I can't remember

3M strips can be found in your local post office as well as online : https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=office-products&field-keywords=3m+strips

Pics:


I've got both on the wall here. The foamboard-only ones are OK, but they just don't have the presence of something that's mounted. I dropped the garden one and as you can see, it's not a pretty result....



Given an endless amount of time, I'd mount everything. One thing to bear in mind is that unless you store it flat it will bend under its own weight (foamboard and mountboard). For competions, I'd be mounting - probably go without a foamboard back mainly because I'm not very good at straight lines.

Edit to add I did a tutorial on cutting your own window mount if you're interested : https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...fit-into-any-frame-mounting-for-beginners.88/
 
Last edited:
Nuzik said:
I bought a cheaper frame from b and m sprayed it and bought a custom mount for my pic
Click to expand...

Charity shop frames are even cheaper - esp if you're handy with a tin of spray paint :)
 
Bigfungun said:
Hi all

I’m looking for a solution to present my prints for competition nights at my local camera club.
I was looking at foam board and wondered if anyone had used it before and what their thoughts were. The other reason I was looking at foam board is that it looks as though it might look quite nice hanging on the wall too.

TIA
Click to expand...
What do other club members use?
Apart from the fragility mentioned above, I would say that using a foam mount is overkill for a club comp.
After all, the judge is there to judge the print, not the mount (although some judges may make comments on the mount.)
At our club the rules say "all prints must be mounted with a maximum mount size of 40x50cm" which can be as simple as sticking them to a suitable sheet of card with double-sided tape, although most people use a mat for their mounts.
If you are unsure of how to go about mounting your prints then I'm sure other club members will be happy to help and advise - after all, that's what clubs exist for.

If you want to later hang your prints on the wall at home then I would consider that separately.
 
Brian G said:
What do other club members use?
Apart from the fragility mentioned above, I would say that using a foam mount is overkill for a club comp.
After all, the judge is there to judge the print, not the mount (although some judges may make comments on the mount.)
At our club the rules say "all prints must be mounted with a maximum mount size of 40x50cm" which can be as simple as sticking them to a suitable sheet of card with double-sided tape, although most people use a mat for their mounts.
If you are unsure of how to go about mounting your prints then I'm sure other club members will be happy to help and advise - after all, that's what clubs exist for.

If you want to later hang your prints on the wall at home then I would consider that separately.
Click to expand...

I used the foam board and when i handed the prints in last night a few people commented on how nice they looked compared to the normal card.
Seems i have started a fad
 
Warning!!

Foam board may seem like the simple (if not cheap option) but I am not sure about all photo clubs but most operate a 5mm maximum total thickness so you would be limited (at best) to 3mm foam board. Even then foam board is raerely used and most mount to daler (or equivalent) mountboard at 1.4mm thick. with a back board usually between 0.7mm to 1.4mm total thickness (of boards) is between 2.1mm and 2.8mm. Sandwiched in between would be your print and the thickness would depend on the weight of paper.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a foam board mounted print and I am not sure how photographic judges would react? To cut down costs some use the hinging method which can make a mount re-usable but if badly done I have seen prints slipping and mount coming apart.

I would recommend using standard mounting board and either cutting your own mattes (the mount board with the hole cut out) or buying them pre-cut. Maybe even a local picture framer might provide a good deal? Particularly if the photo club gets involved and he gets bigger orders?

Cutting your own can be fraught with difficulties and the dreaded "j" cut often seen in corners so the quality and methodology you use is important.

All that being said there is nothing quite like a fine print well matted and mounted. Its what photography is about not online social media snaps! Dont be put off and when you get your first successful mount and that image wins at the local club you will gain great personal satisfaction.

At my club we often get together once a season to bulk buy and some buy uncut mountboard and some buy pre-cut. This can save money. Beware of advice to buy cream mounts as this is becoming old fashioned. Also all whites are not the same. Avoid 'pinky' white mountboard as it can be difficult to match to a print. Black is still used and looks great with some monochrome images but ensure that image has a real black in it and enough contrast not to be overwhelmed.
 
Personally I use a decent undermount and cut a thicker mount for the image and hinge them together and top hang the prints but then again I'm a framer and that's how I do my day job! Judges always seem to comment on my mounts as they do have a more professional look and feel to them, helps them to stand out too.

As an idea, we picked up some self adhesive board in a job lot the other day so I did a print to try it out and it could be an option and as it's self adhesive it would be very easy to stick a mount on top too. Heavier than foam core, 2mm thick approx, not as easy to damage. Guessing there are various brands out there, here's an example :-

IMG_3627.jpg
 
At our club we don't appear to have a maximum thicknes for mounts, only an overall size (40 x 50 cm)

At this weeks club meeting several members were running workshops demonstrating their different mounting techniques.
One member was advocating foam board, but the main reason was to maximise the print size by having a borderless print.
He simply stuck the (oversized) print down with double sided tape and then trimmed the mount and print together to the prescribed size.
He said the mount material and the print seemed to have the same rate expansion, so there were no problems with buckling.

The result looked pretty impressive, although it would be vulnerable to corner damage.
 
May I suggest a few reasons to "do it right" first time?

Firstly, printing and mounting an image is not cheap!

Secondly, nothing looks as good as a well mounted good print (with the exception of a projected kodachrome 25 transparency but I have not seen one for more than 25 years now).

Thirdly, if your image is good and successful the mounted version may go on to 'higher level' competitions perhaps external to your club. The standard of mounting will overall be better. So you will not need to re-mount.

Fourthly, always mount print to a 40 x 50 cm board if that is the standard, even if A4 or smaller. They are easier to store and many competitions require this (see point three)

Finally, your mounted print can be given away to family, sold, mounted on the wall, exhibited in the village hall/local bank wherever!


To mitigate the expense in point one (as another professional framer posted). You may wish to use the hinge mounting method. Where a matte and a backboard are hinged and the print is literally suspended within that and then the sandwich is closed and sealed with a few strips of tape. Such a mount can be used many times if treated carefully and kept clean. It is not the most robust methods of mounting and is used commonly by framing professionals often in a proper wooden frame behind glass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top