By Melissa Donovan
Part 2 of 2
Framing components, such as standoffs and mounts, are an ideal finishing consideration. These tools are an alternative for those projects that require something to secure the print to the wall, but need limited visibility of the hanging component. Invisibly is essential in some instances. How the mount is hung is also important.
Finding Use in New Applications
With market usage expanding, new customers continue to enter into the space. Companies of all sizes can consider standoffs for finishing a print.
“We promote the use of standoffs to everyone involved in the production of graphic images and to everyone involved in displaying graphic images, including picture framers,” shares David Pountney, company director, Pizazz Display Systems Limited.
Gyford Standoff Systems has noticed many requests for alternative mounting solutions, especially from new customer segments. Lauren Lake, marketing coordinator, Gyford, says professional photographers have begun showing interest in standoff, wire, and rod mounting products to display prints in studios.
“We find our product has interest in multiple industries like glass, woodworking, photo framing, architectural, and interior design. Clients are using standoffs to mount materials like metal prints and canvas in an art display to more structural applications like supporting a glass counter top in a kitchen or mounting a bathroom mirror,” continues Lake.
At Rowmark, the company has noticed drill-free mounting as a big trend in the space, as it allows continuous reuse or switching out of substrates. It also is easier for a consumer or inexperienced installer to create a clean, finished product.
“Consumers look for lightweight, easy to use, economical display solutions. Mounts have the advantage of needing no special tools or training to prepare and are lightweight to make hanging easy, especially since some come with pre-drilled hanging holes,” explains David Williams, NA market manager, Innova Art Ltd. USA.
Invisible mounting is also popular. “The trend in invisible mounting is really about keeping the integrity of the sign face and creating a floating or three-dimensional (3D) look,” shares Jessica Heldman-Beck, marketing manager, Rowmark.
New Products
Gyford’s newest product is its standoff mounting kits. Each package contains everything needed to install a standoff system, including a set of standoffs, multi-purpose hardware, and instructions. Print shops can offer them to clients as an all-in-one framing and mounting option for prints.
Innova recently added the JetMaster Photo Panel to its JetMaster Display Systems range. The quality panel with adhesive on the front side and black trim around the edges includes a peel-off release liner, which then attaches to the photo, allows the user to trim to size, and is ready to display. The back is pre-drilled with hanging holes. The panels can be used as standoffs for images printed on rigid materials.
Pizazz plans to announce a new edge•mount standoff system, which will eliminate the need for holes in the front panel or graphic image.
ProEDGE Systems, a division of Advantage Systems, Inc., offers a wide side frame to create a 3D shadow box look by creating nearly a one-inch standoff from the wall or vertical surface that it is displayed on. “Historically, photographers have embraced this method to draw attention to prints and give them a more dynamic, 3D look,” says Ric Brady, president/CEO, ProEDGE.
Rowmark’s ClearPath Signage Systems division recently introduced a new range of standoffs that are not the traditional round style. Instead, the portfolio offers triangle, square, and hexagon shaped standoffs. Referred to as Fisso Three, Four, and Six standoffs, these products are tamper proof and available in satin silver finish.
Standoff-ish
Standoffs and mounts continue to find use in a variety of segments throughout the graphic arts. As consumers embrace quick, customized prints and traditional print providers realize the benefits of a finished graphic, demand grows for user-friendly standoff options.
“A high-quality, contemporary look at an economical price point will continue to grow in demand. Also, let’s not forget about images used in signage, point of purchase displays, or office building décor. A product works equally well with a child’s portrait on grandma’s night stand, arranged as a triptych on the wall of a studio loft in the city, or welcoming patients in a dentist’s waiting room,” shares Williams.
Lake agrees, citing standoffs as a classic and timeless mounting option. “Alternative framing components have a future in digital print as individuals are coming up with new ideas. As long as printers provide the different options, there is potential profit there.”
Standoffs and mounts—as well as frames discussed in part one of this series—are user-friendly methods to finish a print. Each tool provides a professional look and allows a print provider or any business to provide an end-to-end solution, from image to print and display.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Covering Every Side.
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Mar2014, Digital Output DOFR1403
