CCC Forum

By popular request, I have been asked to bring forward the now traditional annual bulk purchase of mountboard which has been running for a number of years. The intention is that the board will be made available to members for the start of the next season to encourage increased participation in the monthly print competitions. Having a large number of prints also helps increase the impact of our annual exhibition.

We will once again be ordering Wessex Pictures own brand Low Cost Standard Mountboard, which is the cheapest we have found. Each sheet is A0 in size, sufficient to cut four standard size 50 cm x 40 cm (20" x 16") mounts. Many members have been using this board for a number of years, myself included, and it is of good quality. A while back I was informed that it is actually manufactured by one of the well known companies, although my source would not say which.

There is a range of 15 colours, although the ones most commonly used by members are White, which goes well with monochrome images, and Antique White for colour prints. Most of the colours have smooth surfaces, although there is a Textured Antique White board which some like.

This link below has details of the colours which are available - http://www.wessexpictures.com/product1588.html.

Prices start at £3-18 (£2-65+VAT) per sheet and there are discounts for bulk orders in the same colour. 10+ work out at £3-12 (£2-60+VAT) each, 25+ are £3 (£2-50+VAT) and 50+ are £2-88 (£2-40+VAT). Wessex Pictures has relaxed its previous ordering policy and it is now possible to obtain sheets individually. If you are looking to acquire board in one of the less usual colours, it should be possible to order small quantities although these might not be sufficient in number to qualify for a bulk discount. Clearly there are advantages in placing a joint order and keeping the number of colours ordered to the minimum to obtain the best possible price.

Wessex also supplies backing board and the cheapest is Nubord, which comes in two thicknesses, 2.3mm and 1.85mm. The thinner one works well for stiffening the mount and protecting the print, and works out at £2-82 (£2-35+VAT) per sheet, dropping to £2-68 (£2-23+VAT) when 50 or more are ordered. The equivalent prices for the 2.35mm board are £3.24 (£2.70+VAT) and £2.63 (£2.19+VAT). Bizarrely, the bulk prices for the thicker board are less expensive, so I will order the 2.3mm board if overall requests amount to 50 sheets or more. If anyone specifically wants the thinner one, then naturally this can be catered for if you state your requirement when making your request.

http://www.wessexpictures.com/NuBord.html

The aim is to get a minimum order of £90 (£75+VAT) in order to qualify for free delivery, which we have always been able to achieve in the past. The intention is to have the card available at the club's second meeting of the 2015/16 season on 9 September, which should allow plenty of time for members to prepare their entries for the first monthly print competition. As I have no long term storage facilities, to ensure peace and domestic harmony in the Farley household it will not be possible to keep the board for any extended period of time. You will need either to be able to pick up your order on 9 September or make arrangements for someone to do so on your behalf. It will also be available at my house for collection if that is more convenient, subject to mutual agreement.

If you wish to participate, submit your request by responding to this thread stating the colour(s) you require and the amount of each. Responses should be made no later than Thursday, 3 September 2015.

There are other products supplied by Wessex Pictures which you might find useful when making mounts. Details are below, together with links to the appropriate page on the Wessex Pictures website. I have quoted the prices which were current at the time of the last order and expect them to be similar this time around. I'll publish an update if there is any substantial change.

Brown masking tape:

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

This tape is useful for making a hinge when attaching a backing board. 1" is a bit narrow if it is running the length of the mount, but 1.5" does the job just fine. Alternatively, use the narrower tape and make two hinges at either end of the mount.

http://www.wessexpictures.com/product576.html

Double sided tape:

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

This tape allows a backing board to be stuck to its mount. I have found that the two boards can separate when using the 1/4" tape, but the 1/2" one is more effective.

http://www.wessexpictures.com/product584.html

Simply include your requirements along with your request for mountboard.

It takes time and effort to organise the joint bulk mountboard purchase, yet on the very evening I distributed the last order one or two people asked me to do another straightaway as they had not submitted their requests. You can imagine my astonishment at this lack of consideration, particularly given the number of announcements and reminders given while the offer was open. I feel that my response was a model of restraint in the circumstances.

To be very clear, I do not expect this exercise to be repeated within the next 12 months, so you will need to ensure that you request sufficient supplies to last for that period. Full participation in all six monthly print competitions and a separate entry of four images into the annual exhibition will require a minimum of six boards. This does not allow much leeway for wastage, which will be almost inevitable, especially if you have not made mounts before. Even the best of us make the occasional mistake, sadly

I would recommend a minimum order of five sheets each of White and Antique White if you do not already have any board and are likely to be submitting work in both colour and monochrome. By all means vary the ratios if your output tends more towards one than the other. This is a total of 10 sheets and represents an outlay of around £32 dependent on final discounts obtained. If you also require backing board, you should allow an additional £20 which should be sufficient to acquire 6 or 7 sheets.

Thanks for that, Mike.

Can you put me down for 5 (FIVE) sheets of ANTIQUE WHITE please. (I still have a lot of WHITE from the last order but I'm looking to get my photographs printed by ProAm primarily in colour and, as you showed last night, colour works quite well on antique white.)

Thank you.

Finally, I will be paying for the order by credit card so will not require any payment up front. As in previous years I am happy for participants to settle up with me when they receive their board, either by cash or by cheque. I will be tracking the order in a spreadsheet and will be able to inform everyone in advance of the amount that will be due from them.

davidb wrote:Thanks for that, Mike.

Can you put me down for 5 (FIVE) sheets of ANTIQUE WHITE please. (I still have a lot of WHITE from the last order but I'm looking to get my photographs printed by ProAm primarily in colour and, as you showed last night, colour works quite well on antique white.)

Thank you.

Thanks, David. Do you require any backing board?

Mike

Backing board - I still have the greater majority of that from the last order so, for the moment, I'm ok. Perhaps the next order I'll need to replenish it - we'll see how the print entries go in the next compo year

Hi Mike,

Thank you for collating the order. At this time can I please place an order for 5 sheets of Antique White, 2 sheets of Black and 4 sheets of the thinner backing board.

If necessary as before I'm happy to help out with the transportation back to the club.

Regards,

Tom Sherrin

Thanks Mike, for agreeing to bring forward the bulk order for the mount board, backing board and various necessary tapes, that Tom Sherrin kindly pointed out to me after I had put my thread on the forum. I should check the forum threads more carefully.

With a club mount card cutter yet to be decided upon, which possibly might not take place before the start of the next season, that leaves me and others I guess in a quandary as whether to take part in the print competition, which is very disappointing to have to even consider.

The idea of a club cutter did seem to encourage many more members, including advanced class members who have not taken part in the print competition before, to consider entering. Lets hope that the club cutter can be in place before the first print competition so that every one can then have a fair crack.

Perhaps all those who are interested could club together to purchase a common use cutter that can be stored on the premises!
A Logan Compact Elite Mat Cutter 350-1 only costs £124.99 and is small enough hopefully to store at the club.
This would perhaps do away with the need for the Council to meet I guess.

David B suggested the Longridge Signature Maxi System @ £538.95 suitable for A0 that I am happy to support, club space permitting. This is assuming that we have six members willing to share the cost initially. Council could perhaps reimburse us if when they meet they decide to invest some of the club's considerable capital in the venture. This can only take the CCC forward by at least trying to increase participation in the print competitions.

At this stage, I am not sure how to proceed with the mount board order, but will bear in mind your 3rd September 2015 deadline for orders. Thanks again.

Kind regards,
Iggy

PS: A powercut delayed me posting this and accessing my email!!!

Iggy wrote:David B suggested the Longridge Signature Maxi System @ £538.95 suitable for A0 that I am happy to support, club space permitting. This is assuming that we have six members willing to share the cost initially. Council could perhaps reimburse us if when they meet they decide to invest some of the club's considerable capital in the venture. This can only take the CCC forward by at least trying to increase participation in the print competitions.

The Longridge A0 mount cutter will be massive, which would add to the storage problems, and is not necessary unless you propose to produce A0 sized mounts*. The A1 model, which I have, can be used to cut A0 board as it can be put length ways into the device for the initial stage of creating four standard size mounts. It would save around half the outlay, as well.

* While I don't believe that this would contravene club rules, it would certainly make for an entertaining diversion seeing someone trying to manhandle them and place them on the easel on competition nights.