Mounting XXL prints

[gattu marrudu]

I knew I would hit this wall sooner or later... after pulling a series of 51"x78" prints (see http://www.apug.org/forums/forum41/8...over-100x.html and http://lii.cc/articles/view/146 ) I still have to mount them...
I have little experience in mounting photos and this looks like a quite complex job.
I am considering several options, balancing aesthetical, practical and economical sides:

• Aluminum: I'm not too keen on mounting fiber based prints on it, but such a size needs a really solid and archival base in order to look good.
• Gator board: sounds OK, but I don't know how archival it is. It is expensive, but I saw some interesting discounts on http://www.foamcoreheaven.com and http://www.artsupply.com . I never used it, but I think the minimum thickness for that size should be - 1 inch, 1.5, I guess? But the rigid part seem to be the outer layers, while the core is the same mushy stuff as foam core... so I don't know how much thickness matters. And I would have to support it with an aluminum frame on the back.
• Framing the sheet on a canvas frame. I know it sounds crazy but I love the aesthetics. It would be very hard to do, though, and I would need several scraps to try on. The sheet would have to be mounted wet and let stretch as is dries. A thousand things can go wrong.

Any suggestions?
gm

[Greg Davis]

Look at Dibond board. It is a foamcore board similar to gatorboard, but it has thin aluminum on each side. This gives it the strength and rigidity of aluminum without the weight. It is commonly used in mounting very large photos using the Diasec and facemounting methods.

[wildbill]

gatorboard doesn't use the same core as foamcore, it also doesn't warp like foam core. 3/4 or 1" may work just fine.

[gattu marrudu]

Dibond board looks very nice. Does it come in 51x78" or larger sheets though?

[Greg Davis]

Do a search for suppliers in major cities near you. I'm confident you will find someone who has it in the size you need. It can be cut with a regular saw or with a utility knife.