PRINTING PROCESSES 445 



When a number of prints are fixed at one time, thej' must be separated occasionally 

 to insure even fixing, and in hot weather they must not be left in the solution for a 

 longer time than is necessary to fix them, as a warm bath may turn them brown. At 

 all times have plenty of solution, preparing and using fresh bath frequently. The 

 above fixing solution, prepared as described, will fix approximately 275, 3}^- by 5H-in. 

 prints or the equivalent in larger sizes if an acid short stop (SB-1) is used, or about 

 220, 33^- by 5K-in. prints if only a water rinse is used. 



Prints may be dried in several ways. Mechanical devices are available which act 

 fairly quickly and produce prints that lie flat when dry. These machines consist 

 usually of rolls of some absorbent material, such as blotting paper, between which the 

 prints are placed. Then hot air is blown through the assembly, or the entire stack of 

 paper, and the blotter is heated by electricity. 



Prints may be laid on top of cheesecloth frames after they have been squeezed free 

 from the surface water. Alternately, the wet prints may be wiped ofT and then placed 

 in a stack of blotters under weight. Prints dried in this manner will tend to curl 

 because of the unequal contraction of the gelatin surface and the paper support. 



Immersing prints in a glycerin solution before drying (or after the dried prints have 

 curled) will aid in keeping them flat. Prints that have curled may be straightened 

 bj' moistening the backs and immediately putting them between blotters and under 

 Aveight or in a mechanical press. 



Greater details on fixing, washing, and drying will be found in Chap. XIII. 



Mounting. — Prints may be mounted with several kinds of adhesive (pastes, etc.,) 

 but most photographers have standardized upon dry mounting tissue. This is a 

 semitransparent tissue which is impregnated with substances which melt easily and 

 firmly cement together the print and its mount. For satisfactory results, large prints 

 practically require a mounting press, with heat applied electrically, but even an 1 1- by 

 14-in. print may be mounted on a salon-size card (16 by 20 in.) by means of a flatiron. 



Mounting tissue a bit larger than the print is attached to the back of the print at 

 several places by using the tip of the iron or a special tool provided for the purpose. 

 Then print and tissue are trimmed. Next the print and tissue are carefully placed in 

 position upon the mount. With the tip of the iron, or with the tool, the tissue is 

 cemented to the mount at several places by lifting up a corner of the print giving access 

 to the tissue. Finally the print is placed in the mounting press or is gone over with 

 the flatiron so that it is firmly fixed to its mount. If the flatiron is used, it is wise to 

 cover the face of the print with a sheet of protective paper. 



Correct temperature is important. If the iron is too hot, the tissue will adhere to 

 the mount but not to the print; and if not hot enough the tissue will stick to the print 

 but not to the mount. It is possible to scorch the print so that it will turn brown or 

 yellowish. A good working temperature is 140°F. 



Color of Mount. — It is easy to spoil the appearance of an excellent print by the 

 use of a mount of improper dimensions or of wrong color. There are few prints that 

 do not look well on a light-colored mount (white or cream); there are many that will 

 look bad on anything but a light mount. A light-colored moimt is nearly always safe. 

 If the mount has any appreciable color, it is likely that it will appear more important 

 than the print. 



Salons prefer 16- by 20-in. mounts; the picture should be placed so that there is a 

 little more space between top of print and top of mount than there is between the sides 

 of print and mount; there should be less space at the top than at the bottom. A small 

 print may look best in a rather large mount. 



Often a print which is light in general tone may be enhanced in appearance bj" 

 mounting it first on a piece of black paper, so that about 3^^ in. of the black projects 

 beyond the limits of the print, thereby framing it. Then the print and its black frame 



