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I was reading another thread about the use of a dry mount press and am wondering how much area should be left for matting or other things.
Do you print and leave an over size white border( more that the matting area) and dry mount so there is some leeway for matting, trimming and framing later by the customer or plan for a mat size outside dimension ?
I saw the comment that 3/16 foamcore can be hard to deal with for framing, what is a better thickness or a better backing board.
I'm planning some shows in the near future and trying to learn what may work well in the fair circuit.
Thanks Wyndham

Normally you dry mount on foamcore that has been sized the same as the frame rabbet (-1/8 inch). This dimension also allows for the size matting selected. The print can have a little extra border, it helps a little but not totally necessary as the mat overlaps the printed area anyways.
I saw that comment earlier about 3/16" foamcore being hard to deal with, I don't know where that comes from. Normally after the print is drymounted the mats are placed on top, then a backer of some sort (normally more foamcore) is added so that the rabbet is almost full when placed in the frame. No problems working with it at all.

Now, if you are drymounting on 3/16" and then it's going to be hung in some other way rather than in a frame I can see where some larger prints may be hard to deal with.

Thanks Randy, I've been thinking that there might be some more modern frameless mounting schemes that float( not matted) on the wall but the mounting board would have to be MDF or other hardboard not foamcore. I could see something like that looking good.
Wyndham

Wyndham,

I have made a good portion of my living for the past 17 years selling in art shows so I have a pretty good idea of what works in shows. I dry mount everything over 8x10 and we always leave a order around the print so that the foam core matches the sizeof the mat board going over it. We use 1/8 board for 8x10s and under and 3/16 for everything else. If you plan to float mount (thats what we call it) without a mat or frame you must mount the print to something harder and thicker...we are using mdf more and more recently. It is a nice straight substrate, doesn't warp or curl and takes paint well. Can be a little tricky to mount on though. Personally if I was going to be selling at shows unframed prints I would mat them in a standard mat size so all the customer has to do is buy a frame that fits without having to buy custom matting too. We upped our sales significantly when we switched to that years ago.

Cheers.

Les, those shots of the west on your site makes me want to go back for awhile(15 yrs back East, time to go west)
Thanks for the info.
I did 30 yrs of shows in a different medium, that's why the prep for a new round of shows, whether I get there this year or next, is important, thanks again. Wyndham

I do dry mounting as well. I normally mount right onto mat board and often do a float effect. I choose a mat board color that complements the photo and leave an area around print exposing some of the board then I use a mat larger than the print. Sometimes I will do an off center for effect. I then finish it off with a frame that suits the print. I will back the print with foam board and will cover the back with a dust cover.When dry mounting larger prints you may have to mount half at a time depending on the size of your press. Be careful to not fully depress the dry press bar in this case to avoid a crease in the middle of the print. I learned this the hard way.