Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss (Fuji Flex) is a tricky material to mount properly.  Unlike traditional RC (resin coated) prints that most photos are printed on today, the Flex material is actually a polyester plastic base.  The polyester material gives the print a completely neutral base on which to apply the emulsion which then has an image burned into it using an enlarger.

Traditional materials use a paper base which unfortunately contains some trace elements which are acidic in nature.  These acidic elements are partially responsible for the fading which occurs in standard photographs.  Another fault of traditional papers is that they expand and contract slightly in size as their environmental conditions change.  Neither of these flaws is a show stopper for everyday prints, but if fine art is the goal, something more stable is required.  This is why the Flex print was created.

The super stable polyester base does not change in size nor does it have any acidic elements in it.  As an added bonus, the material is absolutely smooth.  Not just really smooth, but smoother than anything ever offered in photography.  The super smooth white polyester material also reflects light in a different way compared to regular prints.  The smooth surface and superb reflective qualities make a Flex print shimmer and look three dimensional when viewed under direct lighting.  As we said on our pricing page, you will not believe the beauty of one of these prints until you stand in front of one.

What does all this have to do with framing?  Everything really!!  As the size of a photographic print is increased, its tendency to bulge slightly underneath its matting causes the prints to visibly flex when framed.  This isn’t usually noticeable in sizes up to 11x14.  Up to that size prints can be hinge mounted under mats and will look great.  Once that size is exceeded, photographs require mounting to prevent the problem.  This is traditionally done in a dry mount press or vacuum press.  The print is bonded to another material using an adhesive which will keep it flat.

However, our Limited Edition prints are large prints.  Further, they are printed on Flex material which while beautiful requires care to mount.  An even bigger consideration is that these are Fine Art Prints.  Never do anything to fine art that is not reversible.  Gluing your Flex print to a backing board either using heat or cold adhesives is not reversible and therefore removes a great deal of the value in your print.

The proper way to mount a Flex print is to use a combination of hinging and what is known as a static mount.  A lucky benefit of the Flex material being polyester based is that it is susceptible to building up a static charge.  This charge can be used to hold the print flat to a backing sheet of plexiglass.  When you take your Flex print to be framed you must ask that it be mounted this way.

Do not allow the framer to use adhesive boards or any heat based press.  Either the heat will damage the print OR the incredible smoothness of the polyester will be compromised by the tiny bumps and valleys in the adhesive board.  Plexiglass is super smooth and when charged with static, will actually suck a Flex print right onto its surface.  It is totally reversible as the print can simply be lifted off.

If you desire, please have your framer contact us at our toll free number if there are any questions about how to do a static mount.  It really is the way to make your Fine Art Photographic print shine, shimmer and garner praise from all that stand in front of it.

We hope you enjoy your prints as much as we enjoyed capturing the images to share.

Brent