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Mounts For Photographers

Whatever level of photography you are at, mounting your photographs for display is a great way of presenting and preserving your work.

Acid free, or Standard (neutral ph)?
Ask yourself do you really need the more expensive mounts for low value items? Given the choice, when they see them side by side, the retail customer will always choose the white core acid free mount, many will also come into the framing shops and ask if they are conservation quality or acid free nowadays.

If you are re-selling, particularly via other peoples shops, you do need to wrap them. Clear cellophane on the roll is economical and very good looking. You simply wrap the mounted photo, and tape up the back with clear tape. Job done. If you need to see how to fix a picture into a mount, see a good mounts FAQ here..

Here are the essentials!

What are the biggest selling colours for photographers who re-sell? Here are our current top five.

Antique White — Smooth Black — White — Cream — Cream Textured

These are based on orders we regualrly send all over the uk. Photographers key colours are all now available in standard or acid free board - you choose.

Photographers , professional and amateur, often buy photo mounts in packs of ten to suit standard size photographs. Its a great way of spreading the cost if you belong to a photographic group or club too.

Obviously your choice of colour for you mounts depends on your own taste, or local market if you are selling, but the above colours are based on what we send to photographers all over the UK, from the Scilly Isles right down in the south west to Unst in the Shetlands and all places in between. There are good savings to be had buying these in bulk (10s, 50s, 100s) but we recommend that you first try a sampler pack or individual mounts if you are not sure.

Don’t forget the backing boards if required!

Not only do white core mounts give great protection to photos, but the white core adds to the presentation, particularly if your photos are in an exhibition or shop browser alongside someone else’s work. Standard boards have a slightly cream core. Some people do prefer the “natural” cream core boards, but we always advise that they are not suitable for valuable pictures, or items which cannot be replaced, or for long term protection.

Double mounts with contrasting inner colour can be most effective!

You can order standard size mounts, or custom mounts which will fit into standard (off the shelf) frames. This is a great help if you are selling mounted prints, as the customer does not have to worry about the cost of framing too much. Of course, you can always fit them into ready made frames yourself. Standardisation gives you the extra benefit of being able to swap photos around in frames, which means that you do not have to outlay on a large stock of frames.

Frames to match the following standard picture and photo mount sizes are readily available high street outlets, photographic dealers, and some big-box DIY and furnishing warehouses. The big outlets may keep only the metric sizes, or a mix of both. The UK frame market has fairly well accepted 40×30cm and 50×40cm as a replacement/alternative to the traditional 16×12 and 20×16 inch sizes. The two sizes are fairly close - so measure your frames carefully before ordering mounts!

Imperial Frame Sizes (INCHES): 6×4 inches, 7×5 inches, 8×6 inches, 9×7 inches, 10×8 inches, 12×8 inches (12×8 is a common photographic print size) 12×10 inches, 14×10 inches, 14×11 inches, 16×12 inches, 20×16 inches, 20×24 inches, 30×20, 30×24 inches.

Metric Frame Sizes: (CM) 15×10cm, 25×20cm, 30×25cm, 40×30cm, 45×30cm, 50×40cm, 70×50cm - 70×50cm is a popular print and poster size - 30×30 and 40×40cm square frames are becoming available in many outlets.

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Fixing your photos into mounts

You should never use sellotape or similar to attach your picture behind the window. Likewise you should never use masking tape. It is designed only to be temporary – these type of products designed for other applications will quickly damage your picture and not stay stuck for as long as you think. Gum tape is best.

Fix the picture at its top only (the correct way). This way it will fit and stay flat behind the window of the mount, You should not fix it all the way round.

If you are reselling your pictures you should fit a backing to the mount, the usual method is with double sided tape.
Daylight and strong sunlight (in fact any light) will fade your mounts and photos! Keep this in mind when placing the price stickers etc if putting them in shop windows, and rotate the stock regularly!

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There are many methods of fixing photos into mounts. The important issue is not to use any fixings or tapes that you can’t undo, or which will damage your work. There are various types of “hinge” methods, or clear photo corners which are available.