By the fastest and simplest method possible.

This is manual labor. It can be tedious and time consuming. Try to develop a consistent method that works for you and is consistent with the price range and market your art is trying to reach. If it just isn't your thing, check out our "1step easy" mats in the in-stock section.

Are you using Archival Cotton Rag matboard and Archival backing or standard paper mat and chipboard or standard foam core?If you are using cotton rag and other archival products you should follow archival framing practices. Although too complex to deal with here, you basically must use archival tapes/hinges and you must insure that the print can be "unattached" without harming it.

Standard matboard and backing.

I am going to assume you do not want to literally glue your entire print to the backing using mounting sprays, heat presses and/or vacuum presses. This method does make sure your print remains wrinkle free but it can require costly equipment, toxic sprays and it is often irreversable. We offer Self-adhesive Foam Core on our online store that can accomplish the same thing without equipment and sprays. The foam core has glue already applied to its face. You peel back the cover sheet and place your print directly on the foam core. Put your mat on top of the print and back and you have a finished presentation. The advantage is that you do not use machinery or toxic sprays. It also holds the print uniformly when you have images, especially photographs, that will not lay flat(static electricity pulls the center of a photograph toward the glass or plastic bag that holds the matted piece). This is quite noticeable in glossy photographs. The major disadvantage is that it can take a lot of work to remove the print from the backing. It you are not planning on removing the print, this method provides a nice flat mounting.

Assuming you are not going to use the method above, the first rule of mounting is: Do not attach the print on all four corners. "Hang it" from the top edge. Since prints are paper and are normally attached to paper, changing moisture content can make the individual pieces "grow" or "contract". This will cause your print to warp. That is why frames are normally cut somewhat larger than the matboard. Matboard that is too tight in the frame can buckle when it expands and pushes against the edges of the frame.

Decide if you are attaching the print to the mat or the back. Both methods have their supporters.

I find attaching the print to the back of the mat awkward. However, it does allow you to "hold it in place" in the mat window. Also, you can probably avoid attaching the backing(Foam Core or Chipboard) to the mats if you are putting the print in a frame or clear plastic bag. Attaching the print to the mat does have the advantage that the tape is attached to the back of the print and not on the face of the print. Therefore, any damage caused to the print by removing the tape is limited to the back. Because matboard with a window cut out of it is not as strong as backing, this method is less desirable for large prints.

Simply attach a piece(s) of tape(our 1" Framer's Tape works well) to the top edge of the back of your print so the tape extends above your print. Place your print on a table and allign the mat over it. Put the mat on the print and apply pressure to the top of the mat in the general area of the tape.

There are four basic methods of attaching images to the backing instead.

One, put your print on the backing. Position the print so it will line up in the mat window. Attach a piece or couple pieces of tape(like our 1" acid free Framer's Tape) to the top edge of the front of the print in such a way that the tape extends above the print. Since most of you are doing multiple pieces of the same size, allignment can be easily achieved by using one mat as a template and simply drawing the window on the backing. Use a pencil not a pen-ink can leach into the paper materials and image. This method is fast but it has the disadvantage that the tape is attached to the front of the print. This makes it difficult to remove the tape without damaging the print. The manufacturer of our Framer's Tape does, however, claim it can be removed quite easily if you apply heat. However, make sure your print is not sensitive to heat.

An alternative to placing the tape on the face of the print is to use our ATG tape(available on online store). This is basically double sided tape. Place the ATG tape on the back of the print at the top edge or on the backing where the print edge will be placed, remove the carrier material (automatic if using the ATG gun) and place the print in position and press down on the backing. This method is very fast. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to get the tape off the back of the print if you want to remove it. Great for small inexpensive prints and for fast production. Not for use with valuable prints you may someday want to reframe.

The second method of attaching a print to the backing is to make hinges. In this case, you attach two small pieces of tape (more if the print is quite large) to the back of the print facing up as you would if you are attaching the print to the mat. Position the print on the back so it is centered in the mat window. Then place additional "strips" of tape face down over the tape that is already attached to the back of the print. In this manner the tape is actually taped to the back. The print is "hinged" in position. The advantage is that the tape is not on the front of the image. In addition, the image and be reframed or repositioned by cutting the tape that holds the hinge to the back instead of having to remove the tape attached to the back of the print and causing damage.

The third method is to use acid-free plastic corners or strips. These relatively new products have adhesive already applied to them. The corners are similar to traditional "photo corners" in old albums. The strips are short pieces of plastic that can be placed around the print at positions other than the corners. The advantage is that they are easy to apply and are not directly attached to the image. Therefore, there is no problem removing the print for reframing. The strips help alleviate the problem of using the corners on larger prints which need more support than four corners provide. The corner and strips are available through our online store.