Digital BW, The Print

Daniel,

Hinging is easy.  Place backing board on a big, flat surface. Let's say for 
example you are doing a vertical. Place the overmat on top of the backing 
board, then "open" it the way you want it to, ie; at the top. Butt up the 
edges and make sure they are at the exact same level. I use 4 ply mats and 
they are slightly thinner than the backing board I use so I place something 
flat under the mat to raise it up to the same level as the backing board. So, 
now you are looking at the backing board (where the artwork will reside) and 
the underside of the mat, which is butted up aginst the backing board and 
touching where you want it to hinge. I hinge mine at the top. Get a cup of 
warm water, cut the length of linen tape, about 1-2" shorter than the side 
you are hinging. Leave it in the warm water to soften the nice , minty , 
smelling glue.  10 to 20 seconds is all it takes. Any more and the glue is 
weakened. Pull it up out of the water and let excess water drip off, being 
careful to not let the tape twist around on itself. Place the tape along the 
entire length of the hinge  and press down. Blot excess water off with a 
paper towel. Let it set up for 10 - 15 minutes, then bring the over matt up 
and over into its position on the backing board. The glue will not be fully 
set and will be wobbly. That 's ok, just be careful. Center the mat and make 
sure the sides are all flush all around. Place a clean piece of paper on top, 
which covers the whole thing, then place a heavy object like a dictionary on 
top to hold everything in place. Wait 30-45 minutes and presto, your finished 
hinged mat and backing board, ready to mount the artwork on the backing 
board. You can position the artwork easily by roughly placing it on the 
backing board, closing the overmat, then gently sliding the artwork around 
under the over mat until it is perfectly centered. Depending how you mount 
your print, the final steps will vary. I use photo corners so it's just a 
matter of opening the over mat, and holding the print so it doesn't move 
while I place the corners. Hopes this helps.

David


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