Are Forex-mounted photo prints less common in the US, and what alternatives are typically used?
Asked 6/30/2016
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2 answers
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I'm looking at display options for small photo exhibits. In Europe, prints on Forex/PVC board seem fairly common, but in the US they appear harder to find and sometimes more expensive. Are Forex-mounted prints less popular in the US? If so, what display or mounting alternatives are more commonly used for exhibition prints in the US?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
I usually print and mount on my own, but I never seen Forex offered by the labs that I occasionally use. They offer printing on paper of your choice and then mounting on Gator, Sintra, Dibond or unspecified foam core. In my high end lab prices range approx from $17 (foam core, Gator, Sintra, museum rag) to $44 (Dibond, acrylic mount) for 11x14".
Forex prices I found (randomly chosen EU lab) are GBP 22-28 for 20x30cm. That does not seem to be much different.
By the way, sinice you question appeared here several times without real answer, I did some reading on Forex. All the documents are silent on archival quality and photographic image quality.
Originally by user27944. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27944
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Forex appears to be less commonly offered by US photo labs, at least compared with Europe, but the evidence here is anecdotal rather than definitive. In the US, labs more often seem to offer standard photo paper prints mounted to boards such as Sintra, Gatorboard, Dibond, foam core, or acrylic, rather than branding the product as Forex.
Price differences may also be smaller than they first appear once you compare similar sizes and mounting types. Based on the answers, Forex is not necessarily dramatically cheaper in Europe than comparable mounted print options from US labs.
For small exhibits in the US, common alternatives to Forex-style mounting include:
- sintra/pvc board
- gatorboard
- dibond/aluminum composite
- foam core
- acrylic mount
- canvas, in some cases
One caution raised in the answers: readily available information on Forex did not clearly address archival properties or photographic image quality. If longevity matters, ask the lab specifically about archival performance, surface quality, and the print process used.
So: Forex may be less common by name in the US, but similar rigid mounting products are widely used.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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