Dry mounting using heat generally yields the best results, but few people have vacuum presses or heat presses. However, there are some newer products on the market that can be used even without using a press. One product is called KoolTack. It is a foamboard with a heat activated adhesive on one side. It's advantage is that the adhesive activates with relatively low temperature (150 F) and short dwell times (20-30 seconds inn my heat press). The low temperature and short dwell makes it safe to use with all photo and inkjet papers. Now here's the payoff; I have a heat press in my studio, but one day I experimented and tried using a regular household iron (no steam of course). I positioned the print on the KoolTack board, covered it with some release paper (you MUST use release paper or release board whenever you use direct heat to mount), and used the iron to activate the adhesive. Worked very well. Good flat bond. KoolTack is also fully reversible. If you ever wanted to unmount the print, just use a hairdryer to heat up a corner, and then gently peel the print up while applying heat as you go.

Since switching to this product I have had very little problem with air bubbles or prints releasing over time. I now use it on all prints I am mounting for sale.

There are a few other similar products, but so far none that I have tried are as good. You can get KoolTack online through large art supply retailers.

Hi. I'm a first-time commenter and a learning, not-yet photographer.

On Feb 7, 2015, there was discussion of N for Nikon's zoom lenses of today which have the Nikkor Integrated Coating. Each of the responders seem to be correct, but perhaps it is worth extending the discussion because N has had at least various meanings.

I own a prime -N lens from about 1967-1977, the NIKKOR-N Auto 24mm f/2.8. Pictures: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/6070nikkor/wides/24mm.htm

This lens introduced a historically significant mechanical close-range focus-correction system -- floating adjustment. See, http://nikkor.com/story/0014/.

The current N symbol, as discussed in earlier posts here, now indicates an anti-internal-reflections coating. The N is found on the body of the lens, in gold. The -N of my comment is found on the front of the lens, appended to the name, NIKKOR.

The -N suffix on my lens appeared before the first multi-coated lens, the Ai Nikkor 35mm f/1.4S, in 1971. The NIKKOR-N Auto lens was updated with a multi-layer coating in 1972. The multi-layer coating of these post-1972 lenses targets anti-ghosting and anti-flare. This coating is different from the later Super Integrated Coating (SIC) and is different from today's Nano Crystal Coating, which originated in semiconductor manufacturing, the sequentially third meaning of N.

The sequentially second use (2005) of the N designation was for AI lenses: http://bythom.com/lensacronyms.htm

Nikon has used N to refer to new types of glass: http://nikkor.com/story/nwords-e.html#retrofoc but I doubt that this glossary entry is the same N as the -N of my lens.

Still another N is suffixed to f/2.8, as in http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/glossary.htm, meaning, "new," as in certain improvements to the EL-NIKKOR 50mm f/2.8N in 1979. See http://nikon.com/about/feelnikon/recollections/r15_e/index.htm

For more on coatings, see SIC and N in this glossary: http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/glossary.htm. See also http://nikkor.com/history/03.html.

So what does the -N on my lens stand for? At first, I thought it might refer to the presence of a negative meniscus lens element. However, it seems likely that -N refers to the close-focus mechanical innovation that makes this lens significant as noted above. Evidence for this view is the use of -N in the 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor-N Auto Wideangle Lens, which appears to include the same near-focus mechanics. Since I have not seen any remarks to this effect, it would be nice to hear the views of others.