The addition of beauty and sophistication to any space can be easily achieved by hanging acrylic paintings. Acrylic prints are created by printing images or artwork onto pieces of opaque or transparent plastic that have been laminated together. They create stunning displays when hung on walls and can be used to make one-of-a-kind arrangements in any room of the house or the workplace. However, additional care and attention is required to display acrylic prints in the correct manner. In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to correctly and securely display your acrylic prints so that they maintain their pristine appearance for many years to come.
Table of Contents
- What is Plexi?
- How is the Acrylic Print Mounting Different from Direct Digital Print?
- What Framing / Hanging Finishes are Available?
- How to hang acrylic prints?
- Conclusion
What is Plexi?
Any living space can benefit tremendously from the addition of a contemporary and sophisticated feel through the use of plexiglass. Printing your preferred photographs onto plastic panels, also known as “Plexi prints,” which can be affixed to any surface of a wall, is the process that is involved here. These prints are an excellent choice to decorate your house with because each one is original and draws the viewer’s attention to the subject. Not only do prints made from plexiglass look fantastic, but they are also very simple to place. All you need are a few nails or screws, and your print will be hung in no time at all. With Plexi, you’ll have an incredible topic of conversation at your disposal that is certain to astound others. Why hold off then? Use your imagination when designing the décor for your walls, and add a one-of-a-kind touch with Plexi prints. They will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on you!
The word “acrylic glass” refers to poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is a type of tough, transparent plastic that is also sold under the brand names “Plexiglass,” “Lucite,” and “Perspex.” It doesn’t matter to us whether you call it Plexi or Acrylic; both terms refer to the same material. However, the question does arise periodically in relation to acrylic print mounting in general.
How is the Acrylic Print Mounting Different from Direct Digital Print?
Acrylic Print Mounting:
Because of this, a high level of expertise as well as careful attention to detail are prerequisites. An incredible photographic print serves as the foundation for the entire process. These are authentic, continuous-tone LightJet prints, also known as “Laser Exposed” images; they were chemically developed, just like traditional darkroom photographs. When we are finished creating the photograph, we will use a laminator that combines pressure and heat to apply an adhesive that is completely transparent to the front of the image.
At this point, the print is “prepped” for mounting, and it then travels back through the laminator to be applied to the reverse side of the acrylic sheet it will be mounted on. This procedure brings out the photo’s remarkable depth and clarity while simultaneously protecting it through a permanent bond to the UV-stabilized “plexi.” You now have a print that has been given an archival rating and is ready to display. How do you place it? More on that is coming in a bit!
On the other hand, a Direct Digital Print (video) is created by printing straight to the back of the acrylic sheet using our UV Cured OC Flatbed printer. This method is contrasted with the process described in the previous paragraph. After the ink has been “sprayed” and “cured” by this machine in a single pass, a solid coating of white ink is added to give the print opacity and POP.
How do you mount a print that has been directly applied to acrylic? However, we only offer these prints with stainless steel stand-off barrels that are 1 inch in diameter, which raises the print 1 inch away from the wall. We do not provide a Museum-back option because attaching or gluing a frame to the print could result in a failure point.
What Framing / Hanging Finishes are Available?
As was stated earlier, we have the capability to pre-cut any acrylic or Dibond Print in order to place it stand-off. Our “Float Frame Solution,” also known as a Museum-Back Frame, can be added to Acrylic Mounted Photos and any “1st surface” Direct Digital Print on a solid substrate such as SINTRA ® (PVC sheets), Dibond Aluminum Composite, Infinity Board, and many more. These frames are available in a variety of sizes and are available in a variety of colors.
It is not difficult to install any of these different hanging techniques. You will only need a level, a pencil, and the capacity to screw a few screws into the wall. Nothing else is required.
How to hang acrylic prints?
When you place an order with us for a print of any kind, including an acrylic print, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions as well as all of the hardware required to display your print in a reasonable amount of time. By default, all of our acrylic paintings with dimensions of 40 by 30 inches or less are designed to float and are hung on the wall using wire and a monkey hook. A hanging system with a French cleat and an aluminum subframe is available from our company at an additional expense. This system is more elegant, but it also requires a bit more work. For picture mounts bigger than 40 by 30 inches, our standard offering is a kiln-dried doug fir float and hang french cleat system made from french cleats. When used on walls of bigger dimensions, the French cleat system will provide increased stability. At these enormous sizes, you have the option to upgrade from the wooden float and hang system to one made of black aluminum. It has a more sophisticated appearance, but once it’s hung on the wall, it’s not really noticeable.
Since the majority of our clients choose to purchase their prints using our simple wood and wire hanging method, we’ll begin there. We will provide you with a monkey hook that can be used on drywall; however, if you are hanging something on concrete, masonry, or any other surface besides drywall, you will need to use a screw. It is wonderful because all you have to do to display your print is push it into the wall and it will stay there. It can support up to 25 kilograms.
The default float and hanging system that we use for acrylic prints that are bigger than 40 inches by 30 inches also makes use of kiln-dried doug fir; however, rather than a H pattern with wire, we use a full subframe with french cleat hanging. The image below shows a very large acrylic painting that was created with our wood cleat.
Your print will merely be supported by the cleat that is attached to your wall, which is the component that is taped together near the top of the poster. It requires a little bit more effort than suspending with wire, but it’s not a huge hassle. If you’re not going to be sticking to a stud, you’ll need to make sure the cleat you’re attaching to the wall is level, and you’ll also need to use drywall anchors. Below is an image showing this in greater detail.
If you don’t want to go with the wood option, we also have a more sophisticated-looking aluminum subframe and cleat choice for all of the print sizes that you can choose from. The majority of people aren’t concerned about the material of the float and hanging system because it isn’t visible on the wall; however, there are situations in which the aluminum subframe is a popular choice. This includes situations such as resellers who want an overall more elegant look for their customers and individuals who prefer a more stable hanging system for prints that are 40×30 inches or smaller. This would include circumstances in which the print is hung in a high-traffic location and/or public space where there are concerns regarding the print’s stability and security.
Last but not least, we have our extremely small prints and acrylic photo blocks, which float half an inch rather than three-quarters of an inch. We always use the arrangement shown below, which consists of two horizontal aluminum floats. You could attach these using a cleat, but that’s probably going to be a bit excessive. We have discovered that using only a few rivets or screws is sufficient, and the aluminum can be supported by those.
Conclusion
Hanging acrylic prints is a wonderful way to add style and character to any room, whether it’s your home or your place of business. When you have the right equipment, the procedure is quite straightforward and takes only a few minutes to complete. If you take your time and pay attention to each stage, you’ll have artwork that looks polished and professional in no time at all. If you want the best outcomes, you should make sure to use high-quality mounting hardware like screws and wall anchors. It is important to remember to clean the back of your picture before hanging it, as this will prevent dirt from becoming lodged between the glass surface and the wall over time. Now all that’s left to do is sit back and take in the view of your freshly hung acrylic paintings!