A dry-mount press is available for your use in the print-finishing area. Your instructor will demonstrate its proper use. There are a number of methods for presenting your work; dry mounting is just one of them but it is convenient, archival, and relatively quick. Careless and improper use of the press will result in your ruining your photographs and possibly the press itself and the process is irreversible. If you have not dry-mounted prints before, use some test prints for practice before you move on to your finished work.

The supplies you will need are : mount board or museum board, dry mount tissue (Seal ColorMount for RC, color, or fiber-based prints, Seal MT-5 for fiber-based prints only), an exacto knife and a metal straight edge. (Do not try to use a cheap wooden ruler for a straight edge as it will not give you a clean cut.)

Never, ever use the dry-mount press without a cover sheet both above and below the print! Pressing without a cover sheet may ruin both your prints and the press. Do not use a cover sheet that is wrinkled; it may impress the wrinkles right into your print.

Never exceed the recommended mounting temperature for the type of paper that you are mounting! For RC or color prints, a temperature of 175 is sufficient and not to be exceeded; for fiber-based prints, the press should be set no higher than 225F. Excessive temperatures can scorch or melt your prints. Leaving the print in the press for too long a time can also burn it. Thirty seconds should be sufficient for a good bond. If, after the first pressing, the edges of the print appear to be lifting off the board, put it back in the press for another thirty seconds.

Turn off the press and the tacking iron before leaving the area! Unplug the tacking iron and turn the switch off on the press, leaving it in the open position. Failure to do so can create a fire hazard in the lab.

Exercise care in the use of exacto knifes! Cut only on the sections of the table covered with chipboard. Exacto knifes are extremely sharp; don’t use them nonchalantly. A straight-edge lined on one wide with a cork backing is a good investment; it is less likely to slip and may help to avoid an accident.

Print finishing space in the lab is limited. A suggestion: tack and trim your prints at home. The tip of a household iron, set to the "cotton" setting makes a good tacking iron. After the prints are tacked to the boards, they can be brought into the lab for a quick run through the dry-mount press.