What is mounting?

Mounting describes a process of using adhesive to fix a print to a solid rigid material, known as a substrate. The type of Mounting we use at Metro uses large rollers to seal photographic prints to a substrate, as opposed to other warm techniques, such as heat mounting. Although mounting to card was common for framing photographs for some hundred years, other modern materials such as Foamboard, Foamex and Aluminium have entered the exhibition market from places like sign-making and museum exhibitions as photographers search for new an innovative methods of displaying images without a frame.

The process of permanently attaching print to substrate is irreversible; leaving some photographers increasingly concerned over the archival qualities of the materials. For this reason, we have seperated our mounting pages into Archival (materials which are deemed ph neutral and stable) and Non Archival (for other materials which may be fine for an exhibition, but perhaps not for sale to a museum!). Materials such as MDF and foamboard may be favoured for their durability, but would not be considered archival as they contain chemicals which will eventually colour or even disintegrate photographic paper. 

Where the archival longevity of a print is paramount, framing is the only truly archival technique of presenting a photograph, but materials such as Aluminium or Dibond may be used where a frame is not desired for aesthetic reasons or those of weight. To help you decide which material to use we have prepared a chart below that outlines the relative benefits of each substrate.

Substrate	Weight	Size	Rigidity	Durability	Archival?
Card	Ultra-light	3050x1530mm	Poor	Poor	Yes
Foamex	Light	3000x2000mm	Poor	Good	No
Foamboard	Ultra-light	2440x1220mm	OK	Poor	No
MDF	Heavy	1016x762mm	Excellent	Excellent	No
Aluminium	Medium Light	3000x2000mm	Good	Excellent	Yes
Dibond	Light	3000x2000mm1	Excellent	Excellent	Yes