DIY: Framing Series

Framing Series: Affixing your print to a backing board

We love traditional framing!

The uninitiated to photographic framing may not realize how many steps are needed to traditionally frame fine art prints properly. In this continuing Framing Series I'll go over every aspect of framing, soup to nuts, but please let me know if there is one particular framing issue you'd like me to address. In this DIY newsletter I'll explore the issue of affixing your prints to a backing board to place inside a traditional glazed frame.

First, a personal tale from the crypt of best intentions gone awry. A while back I affixed a bunch of prints for clients on backing boards for traditional glazed frames. Some of the large format prints were 40 x 50", not including the mat and frame. Segue to a few months later when I received concerning emails from a few of those clients saying that the prints sagged within their frames.

I was stunned and embarrassed. Nothing of this sort had ever happened in our studio. We pride ourselves on meticulous work. The only thing to do was take back the framed prints, tear them totally apart, find out what went wrong, reconstruct the assembly and return the framed prints to their owners.

What we found was that the linen tape we used to secure the print to the backing board was faulty, either past some unknown expiration date or with not enough adhesive on it. Of course it could be that I neglected to apply enough pressure when I adhered the tape, but would that happen across multiple framed prints over a period of several weeks? No matter what the cause of this horror show, I learned from it and have modified my affixing routine. Happily, this failure a decade ago hasn't happened since, and you are the beneficiaries.