Simple and cheepie:Vacuum mount to foam core, cut acid free mats (they don’t fade very quickly), insert in metal frames. Forget the brown paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine]. This is good for people on a tight budget.....like most artists and prolific amateur photographers.
Medium for the casual photographer:dry mount to acid free 8 ply mat, use acid free mats, insert in metal frames. Forget the brown paper. Dry mounting is not very reversible but there are some materials now that may allow you to remove them later with the application of heat.
Archival framing for the serious photographer or if the artwork has some artistic, historic, cultural, or sentimental value:use polyethylene corners to adhere the photo to acid free mat or foam core. (This is superior to linen hinging which would be a good second choice.) This allows the free expansion of the photo due to cyclic temperature and humidity changes. The value of fine art photography is diminished when mounted in an irreversible way to a support material. The disadvantages are that the artwork is not nailed flat to the backing....nor should it be if it is paper support is wanting to behave like paper and get lumpy.
Use archival quality mats without the buffering so stay away from the "acid free" mats which are impregnated with magnesium carbonate and buffered to pH 8.5. The pH of mats wants to be around 7 for photography and not 8.5 which is the standard for acid free mats at your local framer’s shoppe. Hinge the mats at the top with linen hinges or use pH neutral double stick tape to adhere the mat to the support which should be a good quality mat or acid free foam core.
Metal frames do not allow you to put on a dust cover easily so forget the brown paper. If you select a wooden frame, the dust cover should be archival quality paper so forget the brown Kraft paper[Kraft paper?:kraft paper cutting machine] as it will become acidic rather quickly. Keep all materials pH neutral for the benefit of the artwork. Use UV filtering plexi for glass for glazing. Hang on an inside wall and not near any source of heat or humidity. If you have not washed the prints sufficiently during development, they will have traces of chlorine from the sodium hypochlorite used as the fixer. This will degrade the paper support and makes all the above kinda silly and a waste of money. If you have a Cibachrome, consult your fine art framer.
