When you are mounting a canvas work of art in a frame, a linen liner can be
used as a backing material to protect the canvass. In framing prints the liner
has a bigger role.
If you are framing a canvas art piece, a linen liner is cut to slightly
larger than the inner diameter of the frame. The liner is attached to the back
of the frame and stretched tightly to provide a sealed backing. The canvas then
can be fitted into the frame. How to use a liner when framing print art is a bit
more complicated and also more essential to the framing process. The liner
provides not only the backing, but serves as the mounting agent to the print
itself.
Since art prints are printed on paper which has no stability, the paper must
be mounted on a more rigid piece of material. The most important thing in the
process is the fact that the interior measurement of the frame will be equal to
the size of the liner. It is the liner that will be framed. The image may be
also the same size as the liner and interior diameter of the frame, but it is
usually smaller. The difference in size is compensated for by the use of one or
more interior mats. The mats provide an inner frame for the image itself.
Over the years since prints have become popular, it has become common to use
acid free materials in the paper on which the image is printed. Acid free
materials are also used in the mats and most importantly in the liner. Although
the liner is not touching the front of image, it is in contact with the entire
back of the paper. Acid free materials are more expensive, of course, and there
is really no need to use them in routine framing of inexpensive prints.
It was with the introduction of signed and numbered limited edition prints
that the widespread use of acid free materials began to be used in linings and
mats. People could easily see the damage that had been done to older and
historic prints that had been printed on regular paper and framed into a package
that had contributed to the process of deterioration rather than retard it.
Today, lining are a normal part of the framing process. Linen linings for
canvas work or foam acid resistant lining for prints provide the backing for the
art work and provide both stability and protection.
About the Author
Aazdak Alisimo writes about
art
framing for ArtFramingGalleries.com.
