Wow. This is all great info. Thanks everyone. I have a couple questions: Grey Owl, why do you book the mat only on one edge? I was under the impression that booking was used to seal the art and keep debris from entering the sandwich. I've used that method with good results for some brittle moulding I've used. I am not a professional framer, and I just frame my own artwork....photography mostly, so if I mess up I can just print out another one. That's a good thing for me
Has anyone used that thin blue painter's tape? The reason I ask is that I have some diplomas and awards stuff at my office that was starting to release. I decided to redo most of them, and when I took them apart, the artist/framer's tape (I don't know which one it was) was starting to release, but the blue painter's tape was rock solid. These things were framed probably 10-15 years ago. Also, all this stuff was probably done without burnishing the tape, so that could have something to do with it. I was a bit surprised, because I thought the blue tape was low tack and designed to remove easily after masking off for painting. Additionally, I use the blue tape to hold artwork to Kool Tack, or dry mount/photo to the mounting board before I put it in the vacuseal, and when I pull it out, the tape peels off easily. But with the 10-15 year old mount the blue tape was rock solid. I'm not sure if it's acid-free, but if it is, it's cheap and I can get it anywhere.