Print Corners Flaking Off - Drymounting Issues

[John Simmons]

Hello all. I currently use ilford papers and have a drymounting issue. I print on 11x14 paper and trim my prints fully (no white paper boarders). When I drymount it seems that 1 in 3 prints will have a just a little piece of a corner flake off giving that paticular corner a slightly rounded appearance...which needless to say...is unacceptable and the print and board go in the trash. I like to drymount so that I can sign the mattboard under the print along with edition number, etc. I want to avoid mounting with a large white boarder because I don't want to write on the actual photo paper and I use glossy papers and I can't use a pencil on that surface anyway.

Suggestions??

Thanks,
John

 

[ann]

how hot is the press, what are you putting the prints under to let them cool off?

 

[pgomena]

I've heard that overfixing prints, especially in a hardening fixer, can cause this problem.
I experienced it myself when working in a college lab that used hardening rapid fix. I had not experienced the problem prior to that in my own darkroom, where I used a nonhardening sodium thiosulphate fixer followed by a pure hypo second fix.

Peter Gomena