General Purpose Mounts
(GP mounts)
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"General Purpose" (GP) slide mounts are used for
virtually all slide processing
and duplicating. The aperture (opening) in a GP mount is designed to hide 3 - 6%
of the image edges for two good reasons:
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Cameras and lenses differ in the
size of image they expose onto
film (nominally 24x36 mm). The aperture is designed to be smaller than the
smallest image likely to be on the film so no black film edges will show. Most camera viewfinders don’t
show the full image being recorded anyway so the crop isn’t usually
noticeable. |
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Normal film curl during processing can cause the position of the film “chip”
to vary ± 3/100 inch in the mount. Again, the slightly smaller opening keeps
image edges from showing. This normal positioning variation isn’t noticeable on
most scenes but can be obvious when title slides with graphics and text are
magnified on-screen. |
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Different manufacturers also use slightly
different sizes, proportions and corner styles for the openings in their mounts.
This can cause problems when critical alignment is important.
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We use German Loersch plastic GP mounts and Seary cardboard
GP mounts for film processing and most slide duplicating. They're both the best
available.
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GP Mount Tips:
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Slide Mount Imprinting
is available in several styles. |
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Cardboard mounts are lightweight
for shipping and easy to label with regular pens but lack the durability of
plastic mounts. |
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Plastic mounts require “Sharpie”
type pens for writing but are very durable. |
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80% of our customers choose plastic
mounts. |
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Image alignment in our general
purpose Loersch plastic mounts can be changed slightly by carefully
squeezing the
film chip between two cotton-gloved finger tips and carefully, slowly
applying firm pressure in the direction it needs to move. The internal
adhesive will yield and allow you to move the film chip. |
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Film chips in cardboard mounts
cannot be repositioned. |
Full Frame Mounts
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Full frame mounts do just that...... they show the
full image on the film. As long as the image conforms to certain image-size
standards no black film edge will show. The film chips must be hand
mounted and the mounts are relatively expensive. We can help if you think you
need them.
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Pin Registered Mounts
(pin mounts)
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Pin registered mounts provide critical alignment by holding
the film chip on precision registration “pins” that fit into the film
sprocket holes. Unfortunately, they can only be used with film exposed in
special pin registered cameras (like high-end slide duplicating cameras and some
35mm digital film recorders). "Pin mounts" can't be used on film
exposed in normal cameras because, without special mechanics, the images on the
film aren't positioned correctly in relation to the film's sprocket holes.
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Our Maron® slide duplicating cameras do
"pin register" the film but slide dupes are usually mounted in general
purpose mounts anyway to help keep prices down. For 99.99% of customers’
needs, general purpose mounts position film accurately enough. Because critical
graphics are often present, film imaged in our 35mm digital film recorders is
always mounted in "pin mounts."
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If your slide duplicate order includes text and graphics that
are very close to the picture edges you probably need the extra precision of pin
registered mounts. Please ask for a special quote.
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Glass Slide Mounts
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Glass mounts come in both GP (general purpose) and PR
(pin-registered) types. They do protect film from fingerprints but are very
expensive ($1.50 each loaded) and often collect moisture and debris inside the
mount as they age. They’re also heavy when shipped and may scratch the film if
broken. We usually don't recommend them because they often cause more problems
than they solve.
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Rear Screen Projection Mounts
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We offer special 2-sided white mounts
for rear screen projection on request.
Rear Screen Projection requires reversing the mounts in the slide tray.
Unfortunately, Kodak's newest projectors will often overheat, warp and jam
colored mounts unless an optional heat absorbing glass has been installed. (This heat absorbing glass used to be standard.)
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Our special 2-sided white mounts
won't overheat.
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