COMMERCIAL MOUNTS.
By the term commercial is meant those mounts which are obtainable ready for use from the photographic dealers, as distin guished from the various home-made com binations of tinted papers and boards. There are two distinct kinds of commercial mounts—namely, the paste-down and the slip-in. In the first, the print is attached by means of starch or other adhesive to the face of the mount ; in the second, it is placed behind a cut-out opening, thus saving the trouble of pasting. A good print will look well either way : the paste down method being more suitable for ,ordinary purposes and professional work, and the slip-in mounts for occasional prints or for framing. Both kinds are procurable in great variety, to suit all tastes, from 'extreme plainness and simplicity to the 'height of elaboration.
The India-tint consists of a thin sheet of creamy or yellowish paper, pasted in the centre of the mount so as to form a narrow margin round the print when the latter is mounted over it. It is often seen in asso
ciation with the plate-mark, but it is also very effective by itself. The India-tint is not restricted to a particular colour, but may he obtained in many different tints and shades. it is easy to make, a sheet of paper of the desired colour and size being simply pasted down over the mount, in the same manner as an ordinary print. The correct method of doing this will be described later. The India-tint mount is especially suitable for platinotypes and bromides, when a tint of a greyish tinge is' employed, the ordinary yellow or buff margin being hardly so adapted for this purpose. In some cases the India-tint is imitated by a printed square, of a suitable colour, in the centre of the mount.