How should I mount my prints?

You can make your own prints, or you can use a third party, eg, Keynsham Photographic. This applies for external competitions as well.

The standard size of mount boards is 40 x 50 cm (16 x 20 inches). You can flat mount (fixing the print with adhesive to the front of the board) or window mount (fixing the print behind the board, with a bevelled window cut in it). It is best to stick to the standard size because the corners of smaller mounts can damage other prints. Note that if you submit any other size of board to an external competition, your image will not be accepted.

Colour: is a value judgement BUT coloured mounts are out of fashion. So white, off-white, cream, slight texture sometimes works, or black.

Source: on internet, find a shop, or cut your own – but the bevelling must be done properly.

Tape: best is Scotch Magic Tape, which with care allows prints to be unmounted and the mount used again. Masking tape comes off too easily. Sellotape doesn’t come off, and the adhesive sometimes spreads over time.

Backing: It is important to use backing, otherwise the corners of other mounts may poke through your print. Hobbycraft A4 sheets 210 gsm are good, but anything will do – including breakfast cereal packets. The envelopes that Keynsham Photographic send the prints back in is good too. Using another full 40 x 50 mount board makes each print twice as heavy and twice as thick (and almost twice as expensive), and makes the prints more difficult for the competition secretary to carry around.