Question re: matting 7x17 silver contact prints

Next week I start a Spring Term course that will require a series of twenty prints in window mats. I will be making contact prints on Kentmere VC FB. That of course means the edges of the print paper will be black outside the image area. For those of you who have done this before in various ULF sizes, how large a hole do you make in the mat? Do you follow exactly the outline of the image? Do you include the sheet film notches (lot of cutting here)? Do you turn the black into a border and include it as is often done with Platinum? If so how much black border?

Thanks for your thoughts,

John Powers

Trim it to the image only. No black borders. Cut the overmat to leave 1/4" on all side and an extra 1/4 or so on bottom to sign the mount under print.

Thank you. Are you dry mounting or hinge? Does that 1/4" border mean that you go straight around the sheet film notches with the window mat or cut out for them?

Thanks,

John

John, Good questions and you'll probably get 50 different answers as most of what you're asking is based on individual tastes. I mask a lot of my images with rubylith that crops the film notches, then float the image with a 3/8" white border around the image. So your window mat would be 3/4" wider and longer than the image. I also mask when coating the paper and leave an area 1/8" outside of the film area (including the film notch area). This will leave a small black border around the image. I then float that in the window mat with the 3/8" white border. All these dimensions are just personal preferences. Some people use 1/2" white border around the image. It all depends on what looks best to you. You can also cut your window mat so it comes to the edge, or just covers the edges of your image or you can even crop the image by how you cut your window mat. Buying already cut window mats eliminates a lot of what you can do. If you have a mat cutter you can experiment. I use a cheap Logan 750 and it cuts mats beautifully. But the bottom line is...what looks and works best for you. I corner mount or hinge mount my platinum prints.

Thanks Robert. I didn't think what I had learned from you and Bob Herbst on platinum would apply, but I see that it does.

Thanks,

John

jp80874 said:

Thanks Robert. I didn't think what I had learned from you and Bob Herbst on platinum would apply, but I see that it does.

Thanks,

John

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John , Just as a side note. If you're ever in need of rubylith don't buy it. I was at Boggs last week and they have large pallets of scrap pieces (some are pretty good size). Just stop in and grab what you want.

Robert,
could you possibly grab a pile of larger scraps and send them to us less fortunate ones?


erie

RobertP said:

John , Just as a side note. If you're ever in need of rubylith don't buy it. I was at Boggs last week and they have large pallets of scrap pieces (some are pretty good size). Just stop in and grab what you want.

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How odd. Bob Herbst and I were there late last week and didn't see it. He asked specifically for that. I suppose you have to open your eyes to accomplish these things.

John

epatsellis said:

Robert,
could you possibly grab a pile of larger scraps and send them to us less fortunate ones?


erie

Click to expand...

Boggs is one of many of those companies that buy out or warehouse the equipment from print shops that have gone out of business or has changed over to d----al. There is probably a business doing much of the same thing near you. (If you live near a major city that is). I'm much like everyone else in that I don't throw away even the smallest scrap of rubylith. Problem with this situation is, if you don't get there during a week when they take delivery from another closed down print shop a lot of good (scrap) rubylith probably goes to the landfill.