tubed prints

cabbey

Any of you pros that sell prints you get from smugmug have a good suggestion on how to safely unroll a tube'd print so as to not destroy it? and eventually get it flat enough to mount, mat and frame?

Andy

cabbey wrote:

Any of you pros that sell prints you get from smugmug have a good suggestion on how to safely unroll a tube'd print so as to not destroy it? and eventually get it flat enough to mount, mat and frame?

Sure.

1) open tube VERY carefully

2) remove the rolled print VERY carefully. Be SURE that the staple that holds the tube cap is REMOVED from the tube

3) now remove the rolled print from the protective plastic sleeve

4) put in between pieces of CLEAN foam board. Weight them down with some big flat books. I use some of my photo books.

5) wait 24 hours. The print should now be flat for mounting.

6) if the print has stayed rolled a long time, it's possible it might need the REVERSE rolling technique - if you do this, be VERY careful.

cabbey

Andy wrote:

Sure.

1) open tube VERY carefully

2) remove the rolled print VERY carefully. Be SURE that the staple that holds the tube cap is REMOVED from the tube

3) now remove the rolled print from the protective plastic sleeve

3.5) drool at the image quality, but try not to get it ON the prints.

4) put in between pieces of CLEAN foam board. Weight them down with some big flat books. I use some of my photo books.

5) wait 24 hours. The print should now be flat for mounting.

5.5) laugh hysterically at the "inspected by #69" slip that fell out of the roll when you were opening it.

In all seriousness though, what you suggested above is exactly what I had already started on, good to hear I was headed in the right direction.

6) if the print has stayed rolled a long time, it's possible it might need the REVERSE rolling technique - if you do this, be VERY careful.

That's the one that scares me. A lot. That's where I've had to go in the past (not with prints from EZprints, but from other places). I'm DAMN GLAD the prints were in an inner bag inside the tube! I arrived home from a long weekend to find the tube standing next to my door, covered in snow. This was Monday night. It had to have been there at least since Saturday. I also appreciate that they used a much larger diameter tube, 3" from the looks of things.

oh well, off to:

7) wait for frame vendor to ship frames/plexi so you can finish this project. The speed of smugmug/EZprints once again amazes me, and shows the other vendors I order from as the weak links in the supply chain.

Tanuki

Humidification for unrolling very old documents
On a related topic, here is a reference from the National Archives and Records Administration for unrolling very old documents using humidification techniques to minimize damage. It primarily applies to paper documents, but has special notes near the bottom regarding photographs.

Of course this technique would be overkill for your situation. I just thought I should post it as a useful reference if anyone had very old family photographs to unroll. In my case, I have to unroll some tightly wound old family documents and photographs without causing any creases. They're not so valuable as to require a professional archivist's services, but I don't want the family wrath upon me if a screw up. :toni


Mike

System

I'd also add to that the need to wear some sort of glove. Framers usually where a soft cotton felt type but I've found the your basic disposable surgical type glove will work fine. In a pinch I've also found that a good washing in dish soap (it removes oils) just prior to handling will help to reduce the chance of leaving a fingerprint.