Mountboard Purchase 2018

[Mike Farley]

As promised, I am again organising this year's annual bulk purchase of mountboard from Wessex Pictures on behalf of the club. The prices we are able to obtain are far lower than on the high street, so participation is worthwhile for everyone who will be entering prints into next season's competitions and annual exhibition. Prices largely remain unchanged from last year and I have listed only the most commonly requested items to keep this post as brief as possible. Provided we order more than £75 (ex VAT) of goods, there will be no charge for delivery. At the end of this post there are links to what I wrote in 2015 if anyone requires further information about the more popular items.

See also the next post which details how to place an order, the arrangements for which are similar to previous years.

The bottom line is that mountboard starts at £3-18 (£2-65+VAT) per A0 sheet, which is sufficient to produce four standard 40 x 50 mounts. Discounts are available for volume purchases of the same colour, so these are the maximum prices. As I have to order in multiples of 5, I might need to adjust orders in order to achieve the required number. Wherever possible, I will keep any such alterations to a minimum. This link to the Wessex Pictures website shows which colours are available, but the most usual requests are for "White" and "Antique White" - https://www.wessexpictures.com/wessex_l ... oards.html.

Backing board (Nubord) is also available in two thicknesses, 1.8 mm and 2.3 mm. The thinner of the two is more than adequate to stiffen prints and is slightly cheaper at £3-36 (£2-80+VAT) per sheet. (This is one of the price increases since 2017.) There is a bulk purchase discount if we order 50 sheets or more. http://www.wessexpictures.com/NuBord.html.

The Nubord sheets are extremely tough and can be difficult to cut, so last year some people tried pulp board, which is a thinner material. It will not stiffen the mount to anything like the same degree as Nubord, but will still provide some protection to the back of the print. It is slightly more expensive than last year at £1-92 (£1-60 + VAT) per sheet.

For anyone who wants tape, the most usual items are:

Brown masking tape (http://www.wessexpictures.com/product576.html):

• 1" - £1-86 (£1-55+VAT)
• 1.5" - £2-82 (£2-35+VAT)
• 2" - £3-72 (£3-10+VAT)

Double sided tape (http://www.wessexpictures.com/product584.html):

• 1/4" - £3-24 (£2.70+VAT)
• 1/2" - £4-62 (£3-85+VAT)

A 10% discount is available for orders of 5 or more of the same type of tape.

Note that Wessex Pictures does not sell directly to the public, but I can obtain anything which is shown on their website. If you would like to know a price, post a request with the Wessex Pictures' reference number and I will find out.

Links to the 2015 forum posts:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1697&hilit=wessex#p8102

[Mike Farley]

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

A separate post so that the details for the ordering process do not get lost amongst the other information.

Anyone who wishes to place an order should do so by replying to this forum topic stating what they wish to purchase. The closing date is Wednesday, 29 August 2018*, which should allow sufficient time to allow everyone to decide what they need. I will place the club's order with Wessex Pictures in time for it to be brought to the club for our first meeting of the new season on 5 September 2018. That will allow time for members to mount their images for the Bamber Trophy competition the following week, which is for monochrome prints.

Since neither I nor the club have any long term storage facilities, those placing orders will need to be present on 5 September to collect their board or make arrangements for it to be picked up on their behalf. There will also be an option to collect your items from my house after I take delivery on 4 September.

As in previous years, I will track all requests in a spreadsheet from which I can calculate the cost of what each individual has ordered. I will publish this as a PDF once I have placed our order.

Don't forget, the more we buy, the cheaper it will be for everyone. Our order needs to be a minimum of £75 (ex VAT) to qualify for free delivery, which based on previous experience we will amply exceed.

* In the past I have been astounded when one or two people have said that they wanted some board, but had not requested it and would I organise another order just for them! Let me say now that this exercise takes a lot of effort and the closing date is definitely the closing date. Only in exceptional circumstances will I be placing another order with Wessex Pictures during the forthcoming season.

[Mike Farley]

Wessex Pictures used to list the colours for their mountboard on its website, but no longer. This is the list:

• WM500 - White
• WM501 - Antique White
• WM510 - Black
• WM511 - Champagne (a bit similar to Antique White, but with a more yellow tone)
• WM514 - Ecru (slightly warmer than Anitique White)
• WM515 - Light Beige
• WM530 - Ivory (hints of yellow)
• WM543 - Dark Green
• WM549 - Ingres Sand (a textured board similar in colour to Light Beige)
• WM555 - Mid Green
• WM566 - Midnight Blue
• WM567 - Ingres Soft White (textured, similar to Antique White)
• WM585 - Ingres Pale Cream
• WM594 - Textured Antique White
• WM599 - Pale Ivory (not quite so yellow as Ivory)

Other than "White" and "Antique White", which are fairly neutral, most of the boards have creamy, warm tones (other than Black, Midnight Blue and the greens, of course). Black used to be very popular, but is seen less frequently these days. Most, except possibly where I have made reference to being similar to Antique White, run the risk of clashing with the image. Judges do notice such things and will remark if they feel that the mount has an inappropriate tone. While they should only be looking at the actual print, overall presentation does have a bearing it and it might affect the score. It could also work to the entrant's advantage if the pairing is well chosen, even if the judge not make a specific comment.

As a general guideline, White works well with monochrome prints and Antique White with those in colour. Blue and green are particularly difficult to match to an image, although I have seen it done successfully on occasion. As ever, determing the hue for the mount is an aesthetic choice.

[davidb]

Mike

Thanks for starting the annual scramble for mount board!

My requirements are:

6 x Antique White
2 x White
8 x Dark Green (or Midnight Blue or Black depending on availability)
1 x 1in Masking Tape

Based on prices stated this comes to approx £53.

[Mike Farley]

Based on prices stated this comes to approx £53.

Thanks for the order, David.

As in previous years, I will track requests in a spreadsheet which I will publish when I place the order so that everyone will know the exact cost to them. The prices I have given are for individual items, but discounts kick in if we order enough of a particular item*. Wessex Pictures does occasionally vary the terms and last year changed them in respect of mountboard during the ordering period, so I have not specified them this time. People can do their calculations based on the individual prices, which should be the most anyone will have to pay.

Anyone who is interested in how this works in practice can see last year's spreadsheet from the relevant forum post - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2517&hilit=mountboard&start=40#p11920.

* Note that mountboard discounts apply per colour, not the number of sheets ordered in total.

[PaulW]

Hi Mike
Please could you add:
5 A0 white mount boards,
10 backing boards 1.8 mm
To the this years order for myself.

Many thanks

Paul

[Iggy]

Hi Mike,
I would like to order:
WM501 - Antique White x5
Nubord 1.8 mm x5
Brown masking tape 1" x1

Thanks very much for organising.
Iggy

[toms]

Hi Mike,

Thank you again for taking on this ordering.

Can I please order the following:

5 sheets of Antique White
2 sheets of Black
1 sheet of Dark Green
5 sheets of Pulp Board backing

Regards,

Tom

[Ronald Barker]

Hi Mike

I would like to order:
5 Textured Antique White
5 pulp board backing.

Thank you

Ron

[Iggy]

What is pulp board mounting? Is it easy to cut with a Logan Compact mount cutter?
How does it differ from nubord?
Iggy