Shipping/Customer damage to photo Prints

I received a returned photo print yesterday; it was 11"x14" printed on Epson Premium Semimatte Photo Paper. The customer had complained that our labels (identifying the image # and Allreds Photo as the photo services supplier) would show through on the front of the photo after it was mounted on wood. That is correct - it would interfere with the quality of the finished product. I will no longer put labels on the back of the photo prints.

I had been placing them on the back of the prints mainly for promotional purposes; if someone happened see one of our photo enlargements or a canvas prints, they could turn it over and see where and what to order. This was effective, because I have had at least 2 repeat orders recently. One had originally been ordered as a photo print, then was re-ordered as a canvas print. The second ordered a canvas print then re-ordered a photo print. We need to find another way to effectively identify our product(s) that won't interfere with the use of the print(s). I never put any marketing materials in with or on products shipped to a customer that I know will be reselling (such as an art dealer or wholesaler).

The second issue on the above mentioned returned photograph is there were creases on the print (both diagonal and horizontal). When I received the print back it was rolled with the printed side facing in. The print was not shipped this way - I always roll it the same way it comes off the printer/media roll - that would be with the printed side facing out. Horizontal creasing is caused by rolling the print in the opposite direction. Many people do this to in an attempt to remove the curl from a print. "Experts" (professionals) don't do this. If you feel you must flatten it, just lay it on a flat area. Be sure to cover it to avoid damaging the print. Diagonal creases on prints and photos are caused by pulling printed materials out of a shipping tube by one corner (of the print). The proper way to remove prints from a shipping tube without causing damage is as follows: While the print is still in the tube, carefully roll it a little tighter/smaller. When there's enough room in the tube, gently remove the print out by sliding the whole roll out at once.

Framing and Matting Photos

I have made arrangements to have a vendor booth at the Arabian Horse Show which is at the Jackson County Expo Friday, September 2 thru Sunday, Sept 4. The carpeted display panels to hang the artwork have been ordered (Approx total $600) and were shipped to me last Wednesday; still need to pick up a lightweight table, tablecloth, and literature racks.

Framed canvas prints on display will be:
A-Jakarta in an 18 x 24 Gold Frame (front and center),
11 x 14 framed canvas print of Cathy McKinty's bucksin photo,


16 x 20 Cathy McKinty photo (3 poodles) matted and framed in a cobalt blue aluminum frame (the finished size is 26 x 22),

11 X 14 AWESOME photo of London Bridge matted and framed in Wild Plum Aluminum frame - in this photo the frame looks black, but it's plum colored
Ansel Adams black and white photo of the Grand Canyon (to be matted and framed in photo Grey aluminum frame.

Last fall I purchased a whole case of foamcore and 1 case of varied white colors and 1 case of various colors of 4 ply Crescent mat boards. Along with that I bought a Logan 750 mat cutter - it does a great professional-looking job.

First I cut the foam core with the straight cutter. The photo is then mounted to the foam core with clear self adhesive mounting strips; they basically provide a ledge that holds the photo in place - the photo is not glued down or anything like that. It was about 80 - 85 degrees in my work area; when I tried to peel the backer strip off the adhesive, the adhesive came with it. Setting the mounting strips on a block of blue ice solved that problem. Next the selected mat is cut with the straight cutter the same size as the foamcore, then the lines for the opening are drawn on the back side of the mat and cut with the 45 degree angled cutter. All work on the mat is done from the back - this prevents marking up the front side (assuming we are woking on a clean surface). The foamcore (with photo held in place by clear mounting strips) and mat are then assembled by making a hinge with self adhesive linen tape, then covered with kraft paper and set aside in a safe spot.

At this point, if I haven't already done so, I assemble three sides of the aluminum frame that will be used for this piece and set that aside.

Now it's time to cut the 1/8" thick acrylic; I chose this to use as glazing instead of glass because it looks the same as glass, it's much lighter than glass, and it's virtually unbreakable, which means it's shippable! The acrylic is cut the same size as the foamcore; if the piece I'm cutting from is small enough, I can stick it in the mat cutter (for use as a guide only) and cut it with a tile knife. I leave the blue protective plastic on, score 3 times on the first side, flip it over, then score the opposite side once (just to cut through the blue protective film). With the deeply scored side facing AWAY from me, I stand on one part near the scored line, bend it back towards me until its break cleanly at the score line. Now I remove the blue protective film from 1 side, wipe of any debris with a clean dry tshirt, and put it face down on top of the mat/photo/foamcore assembly. The blue protective film is then peeled away from the other side and the whole thing is then slid into its frame. The outside of the acrylic can be cleaned later...

The last/fourth part of the frame is assembled, the euro wire hangers are tightened in, then the plastice coated wire (easy on the fingers) is put on. Voila! Beautiful artwork!

It's been a while since I did any photo mounting or mat cutting, so the first one took me about 1 1/2 hours (I cut the mat from the front side instead of the back, so I had to start over). My second piece took about 40 minutes - no mistakes.

Tomorrow I'll do the Ansel Adams piece and whatever else I can find. I have lots of white matting, I own the Ansel Adams images, so I will probably take a few to sell. Ronald Reagan on his horse may be a good one, too.

Click here if you would like fine art prints of your photos.

Time for dinner - I'm starving!

Just gotta say that I love doing this because the results are always beautiful and satisfying.

Printing Photographs

I have been performing print order fulfillment for Acclaim Images since October 2004. Purchased an Epson Stylus Pro 9600 large format digital printer in January 2005. This printer can print up to 44" wide - it's huge! Since all of the digital photo files were from Acclaim Images, most of them were done by professional, semi-pros, or good amateur photographers (with a few exceptions).

What prompted me to purchase my own printer is the lack of local suppliers, their under utilized printers, and their outrageous prices. So in late January I began producing the photo enlargements myself as Allreds Photo; I took lots of time to learn about stretching and mounting canvas prints. I read 2 books on matting, framing, and mounting photography and canvas prints. Plus, there's lots of info out there on the web. The sites I found most useful were usually on the suppliers websites (i.e., framing info on the frame supplier's website).

Because I felt the need to diversify, I launched my own website, Allreds Photo.com in May of 2005. We offer canvas prints, photo enlargements, photo posters, framed canvas prints, and framing and matting services at reasonable prices with exceptional service.


Also - News Flash! - just began offering photos mounted on wood plaques - people that show animals such as horses and dogs, love to use these at shows. They are sturdy, heavy enough to stay put, and can be wiped off. I did one as a prototype for some people in Butte Falls, Oregon that have a young Arabian Stallion. They show him on the National Circuit in Class 'A' Arab horse shows and wanted something to showcase a professional photo of him. It's a great marketing tool...

That's pretty much it for now. I started this weblog with the purpose of tracking problems encountered with large format printing and the solutions utilized.

The first problem I encountered about 2 months into using the Epson 9600 was a color problem: the oranges started coming out too yellow/not enough magenta. Solution to follow soon.

My latest dilemma is ink coming off canvas prints at the edges of the stretcher bars - it doesn't happen 100% of the time. I think it's because of the protective acrylic spray that's applied prior to stretching. Experiments and results to follow.

Okay - now I'm signing off...