Borders, how/where do you place your image on a print?

[miha]

Drew, I understood Doremus as you did, it is just that GregY's example didn't fit his description at first glance.

 

[GregY]

I'm not sure your example fits Doremus' description: trim the image to the exact dimensions and aspect ratio the photographer desires without a border

EDIT: at a closer look it seems you trimmed the photo and drymouned it without the border - what seems to be the border is indeed the mounting board alone.

That's how it's done...& that is what Doremus described....it's called float mounting. It is one of the most common ways to display a photograph.
" cut a window mat 1/4 to 1/2 inch larger than the image dimensions so as to show the image border and the signature under the print at bottom right".

The photograph is mounted on matt board identical to the board used to make the overmat (passe partout).....so the colours match.
What Doremus wrote "so as to show the image border" is not quite correct grammatically....because you have already cut off all the paper border around the image....and the "1/2" larger than the image dimension" is intended to leave space around image. I hope this is somewhat more clear.

 

[koraks]

The photograph is mounted on matt board identical to the board used to make the overmat (passe partout).....so the colours match.

But the color of the border doesn't match the paper color of the print itself. This can be a good reason to print with a border on the actual paper itself.

 

[miha]

That's how it's done...& that is what Doremus described....it's called float mounting. It is one of the most common ways to display a photograph.
" cut a window mat 1/4 to 1/2 inch larger than the image dimensions so as to show the image border and the signature under the print at bottom right".

The photograph is mounted on matt board identical to the board used to make the overmat (passe partout).....so the colours match.
What Doremus wrote "so as to show the image border" is not quite correct grammatically....because you have already cut off all the paper border around the image....and the "1/2" larger than the image dimension" is intended to leave space around image. I hope this is somewhat more clear.

All clear, thanks.

 

[GregY]

But the color of the border doesn't match the paper color of the print itself. This can be a good reason to print with a border on the actual paper itself.

Well, you're right Koraks, but the visual disconnect between the paper border white and the matt board white seems to be more jarring.....& so it's not typically done that way.

 

[DREW WILEY]

With respect to color prints, I carefully match the over-mat (window mat) with the exposed bit of white border of the print itself, using nuances of Alphamat whites. Formerly, with Cibachrome, which has black borders, I often used black Alphamat, or else cropped right up into the edge of the image with a white mat instead. Or I could cold-mount
Ciba (or now Fujiflex), fully trimmed, right onto a white substrate.

A different strategy than when hot dry-mounting trimmed black and white FB prints, where the white border of the print itself has been completely removed, and I standardize on a single variety of museum ragboard white.

Albums are in a still different category.

 

[GregY]

With respect to color prints, I carefully match the over-mat (window mat) with the exposed bit of white border of the print itself, using nuances of Alphamat whites. Formerly, with Cibachrome, which has black borders, I often used black Alphamat, or else cropped right up into the edge of the image with a white mat instead. Or I could cold-mount
Ciba (or now Fujiflex), fully trimmed, right onto a white substrate.

A different strategy than when hot dry-mounting trimmed black and white FB prints, where the white border of the print itself has been completely removed, and I standardize on a single variety of museum ragboard white.

Albums are in a still different category.

Drew I haven't worked in colour for decades now, but in B&W I do it exactly as you (and others)....trimmed print and a standardized variety of ragboard white.

 

[VinceInMT]

That's how it's done...& that is what Doremus described....it's called float mounting. It is one of the most common ways to display a photograph.
" cut a window mat 1/4 to 1/2 inch larger than the image dimensions so as to show the image border and the signature under the print at bottom right".

The photograph is mounted on matt board identical to the board used to make the overmat (passe partout).....so the colours match.
What Doremus wrote "so as to show the image border" is not quite correct grammatically....because you have already cut off all the paper border around the image....and the "1/2" larger than the image dimension" is intended to leave space around image. I hope this is somewhat more clear.

I really like this look and is what I do with some of my drawings as well. Whether a photo or a drawing, I like to see the edge of the paper and not have it covered by the window mat.

 

[GregY]

I really like this look and is what I do with some of my drawings as well. Whether a photo or a drawing, I like to see the edge of the paper and not have it covered by the window mat.

Vince I like this framing style too because it doesn't creep in and crowd the photograph or drawing.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I do exactly what Drew describes above. My mention of aspect ratio had to do with the fact that I don't standardize on a particular format ratio; the content and composition of each subject dictates the particular aspect ratio for each image, somewhere between square and extreme panoramic.

So, I tack the dry-mount tissue to the back of the print, trim the image edges (I guess the border is outside the edges ) to the exact place I want them leaving no white border at all. This then gets positioned and mounted (with individual bottom-weighting) on cotton-rag board (I use Bainbridge Artcare Mount board in a couple different colors of white). Windows are cut a bit larger than the image from matching board. I leave 1/4" reveal top and sides and 3/8" on the bottom for prints up to (original paper size) 11x14 mounted on 16x20 board. Larger prints from 16x20 and 20x24 paper mounted on 22x28 and 30x36, respectively get reveals that are 3/8" top and sides and 1/2" on the bottom. The larger reveal on the bottom allows the signature to be seen and bottom-weights the image a bit as well.

Hope that clears things up

Doremus

 

[Doremus Scudder]

... What Doremus wrote "so as to show the image border" is not quite correct grammatically....

Well, actually it was grammatically correct, I just used the wrong word, thereby not clearly saying what I meant How does "image edges" work for you?

 

[GregY]

Well, actually it was grammatically correct, I just used the wrong word, thereby not clearly saying what I meant

You're correct, it contradicted what you had already said about trimming the print, and therefore was confusing and didn't convey what you meant. Yes.... grammatically correct...... & I do the mounting/matting the same way you do......the end product of which, is much more important.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

Grammar doesn't help much when the content is just plain wrong