MOUNTING (Pr., Montage; Ger., Einfassung) There are many ways of sticking down a print smoothly on a support or mount, but all of them are not necessarily suitable in the case of photographs, where the image is often of such a character as to be readily and seriously affected by substances harmful to it. For example, glue, gum, and paste, that may be proper for certain uses, may have disastrous effects when used as photographic mountants.
In the case of glazed prints, whose surface would be affected by moisture, indiarubber solution is sometimes used. Gelatine, which had to be warmed for use, was once fairly popular. The favourite professional mountant was, and to some extent still is, starch paste. If this is used it should be made freshly every day and used cold. The prints are generally mounted while still wet, the starch being applied to the back, the print placed in position and rubbed down, and the surface gone over with a wet sponge. This is a clean and effective method of mounting, but there is the serious drawback that the contraction of the print on drying warps or curls the mount considerably unless precautions are taken against it, and such precautions mean additional time and trouble.
Specially prepared mountants can be obtained that not only contain very little moisture, but will keep in good condition for a long time. If such a mountant is used with dry prints the risk of cockling and warping is reduced to a minimum. The mountant should be well rubbed over the back of the print with a stiff brush, using as little of the paste as can be made to cover the surface perfectly. If the
print is then applied quickly to its position (previously marked) on the mount, it can be at once brought into perfect contact by the use of ia roller squeegee. With care there should be no trace of mountant on the face of the print, especially if a sheet of thin paper be placed over it to protect it from possible traces of paste on the roller. This method of mounting is probably the best for the beginner, especially as the mountant is always ready when an occasional print has to be dealt with. When large prints are being treated it is generally advisable to thin the paste very slightly by dipping the brush into water before rubbing up the paste with it, but for small prints simple rubbing up with the brush is sufficient.
Another method of mounting photographs, and one which has distinct advantages, is " dry mounting " (which see). Multiple mounting is described under its own heading.
In process work, the term " mounting " is also applied to fixing the etched zinc or copper plates on to a wood or other mount for the purpose of bringing the plates up to type height. It also applies to the various operations of trimming and squaring up the plate or block. In America the equivalent term is " blocking."