Security stickers on Cruise Photos?

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SusanG

SusanG

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Jul 1, 1999
Posts
2,362
Loc
Holland, PA, USA
Recently a customer brought her photos from Carnival Cruise Line to be framed. On the back are security patches which would prohibit dry mounting. I tried to get one off with Bestine but it's not responsive. Has anyone run into these before?
 
Have not seen these specific stickers, but I haven't run across any stickers, yet, that Un-Du won't take off. You may have to use a second application on a papertowel, after you get the sticker off, to get all of the adhesive off. You might give this stuff a try. I use it all of the time. It won't hurt the pic. Just be careful. It evaporates very quickly, and it only losens the adhesive. You have to lift the sticker while it's still wet. Then, go back and get the rest of the adhesive off. Good product. Hope this helps.
 
Things stuck to the back of prints and posters that need to be dry-mounted: One of my big pet peeves. I have never charged extra for the time it takes to remove this stuff, but I'm gonna start right now!

Someone brought in a couple of old Portal Posters that had the thick, foam adhesive stuff on the corners where they were tacked to the wall. I tried Unseal. I tried Undo. I tried Acetone. I ended up scraping it off with a razor blade. I probably spent 45 minutes on it. Arrrgggghhhh!

The stickers on the back of commercial photos - from horse shows, cruises, sporting events, etc - are equally aggravating, but normally respond to one of the above solvents. Since these photos are nearly always RC (resin-coated) the risk to the photo is very minimal IF YOU'RE CAREFUL. But we all need to start charging for the time to do this and get the customer to sign off on the risk. Or am I the only one who's been negligent in this regard?
 
I'm with Ron on this one. I hate those little stickers that many of the commercial and professional photographers are using these days. I have toyed with the idea of asking my customers to return the photos to the photographer and ask for a clean print for framing. I guess I should make some noise on the Hitch Hiker forum about this issue in hopes that some photographers would see it.

So Ron how much do you think we can charge for removing those stickers? Let's see, special chemicals, ventilation hood, breathing mask with apropriate filter, labor / time, insurance against damage to photo....Hmmmmm

Maybe Ann L. can give some insight into this use of stickers.
 
Originally posted by Bob Shirk CPF:
Maybe Ann L. can give some insight into this use of stickers.
Click to expand...
Portrait photographers don't seem to be the primary culprits here, at least in my market.

Let's see . . . 8 pieces of fome tape took about 45 minutes to remove. I'll think I'll start at $5.00 per sticker or piece of tape, track my time and see how it goes. I want to charge enough to cover my time, but not so much that I'm implying any particular expertise in this area.

And yes - I realize that by doing it at all, I'm implying some expertise. :(
 
Unfortunately there never seems to be a happy medium with photos these days. Either you get the photos with the label on the back that you need to don a Haz-Mat suit to attempt to remove, or you get the photos with the info stamped on in an ink that you can see right through the face of the drymounted photo! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya, a conspiracy! :D

Seriously, though, the labels I have seen on the backs of photos have always been fairly easy to remove with Unseal and a razor blade. I just dip the edge of the blade into the Unseal and slowly and carefully work it under the lable's edge. By repeated dipping in the Unseal, the label comes up with a minimum of fuss, and more times than not, going back to remove residue is not needed.

Security Labels on the back of cruise photos is a new one for me. I have been on four cruises, and I have never seen any sticker, let alone a security sticker, attached to the photos. Is this a new thing?
 
Posting on HH won't help, as far as I know I was one of the few photographers on there. I'm no longer there due to trouble with my virus scan. :( Ron's right, very few portrait photographers put stickers on the back of photos. It's consider amateurish and unprofessional. Most of the photos that have stamps on them are of the "souvenir" type. We do, however, often stamp our copyright info on the back. We've never had trouble with our stamp showing through the front. On a normal weight, RC paper a stamp done with the correct kind of ink shouldn't cause any problems. Wonder what they were using? :confused: Because RC photos are essentially coated in plastic, most inks don't even stick tothem very well, let alone soak through.
 
I have also seen and removed "processing date code" sitckers from a local camera shop that handles "Kodak" processing. Kodak is applying a sticker to the back of enlargements in stead of an ink jet code that they used to use. The Kodak sticker is clear and harder to spot.

I charge $5.00 per label to remove.
 
A judicious use of UnSeal, a razor blade and a pair of tweesers will do the job. I hate those things but they are copywrite warning labels. Photographers can do the same thing with a stamp. Once, I found one that this process would not work on so we framed it with mylar corners and about a 1/4" overlap on the mat.

Jack Cee
 
One of my corporate account's photo division has the nasty habit of stamping the copyright on the back of the photo and then covering it with a piece of magic transparent tape. The tape will come off eventually with solvent and patience, but I have had a couple of instances where the ink from the stamp is visible from the front of the photo, especially if it is in a lighter area of the photo.
 
AnneL: wpfay mentioned exactly what I meant about the ink showing through the face of the photo. Most photos are printed on too thick a paper for ink to bleed through, but on a lighter area of the photo, the ink could be seen. Had to use Unseal to remove a photo from the drymount for this exact reason. Actually, I think I used the Unseal to remove the bulk of the ink, too, when I finally got the photo off the board. I guess it's just one of those little annoyances we'll have to live with. :D
 
If the ink's showing through they must be using the wrong kind of ink for a photo and putting it on really heavy. :confused: We stamp all our photos and I've never noticed this problem. We use a special stamp made for photos and the ink is never real heavy or dark but is still readable.
 
Don't remember exactly, Anne. Was a few years ago. I do remember that it was black ink, and was more or less linear. It was right behind the lightest part of the photo, which so happened to be the faces of the client's kids! I also remember that even before the photos were mounted you could see the ink somewhat from the front of the photo. Like I mentioned, I used Unseal which seemed to remove at least most of the ink, lightening it enough so that it was no longer visible from the front.
 
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