GB2235873A - Decorated picture mounts - Google Patents

Abstract

A border decoration for picture mounts or the like, comprises one or more decorative paper strips (16) having an adhesive coating on one face which is releasably adhered to a backing sheet or strip (17), the product being preferably in roll form and packaged in a box from which it may be dispensed through a slot. The adhesive coating is of the type which will enable the strip once applied to a substrate to be lifted therefrom and repositioned prior to final burnishing. The width of the strip or strips (16) is less than that of the backing sheet (17) to facilitate release of the strip or strips (16) and to protect the outer edges thereof. Two or more of the strips (16) may be spaced apart on backing strip (17) or divided only by a cut line (18). <IMAGE>

Description

DECORATED PICTURE MOUNTS THIS INVENTION concerns a border decoration for picture mounts or the like.

When framing pictures, particularly those of a traditional nature, the picture itself is usually positioned centrally in the frame behind a cardboard mount in which a picture aperture is pre-cut, often with a bevelled edge. In certain cases a framer will wish to decorate the mount around the aperture with a border which may consist of several parallel lines, drawn perhaps in different coloured inks and in some cases separated by an area having a colour wash or pattern.

Three methods are currently available for creating this effect. The first of these is a wash and line technique in which a number of border lines are drawn around the aperture at spaced distances from its edge.

These are normally drawn with a pen producing a line of coloured or gold appearance, and in many cases one or more of the spaces between the lines is coloured with a light colour wash. Whilst the lines may be drawn with reasonable accuracy it is difficult to avoid overlap and thus increased density of colour at the start and finish position, usually at one corner.

In another method several strips of coloured or patterned gummed paper are cut by hand from sheets thereof, moistened and applied individually to the mount. This method requires great accuracy in matching the strips at the corners, and in many cases all corners mtist be mitred separately with the strips abutting. The widths of the adjoining ends of the strips may differ slightly and the whole process is extremely time consuming and expensive requiring highly skilled personnel.

One further conventional technique which avoids the use of wetted paper involves the use of a single colour self-adhesive sheet supplied on a release backing card, and again the sheet must be cut accurately into strips which are then peeled off the backing card and applied directly to the mount. Because of the nature of the material and its ability to be readily removed from the backing card, its thickness is usually greater than in the case of gummed paper. Furthermore, the self-adhesive coating on the reverse side of the sheet is of considerable strength and if two adjoining ends are overlapped to enable a mitred cut there is a tendency for the upper of the two layers, when removed, to strip a part of the colour from the lower layer.Also, owing to the increased thickness of the material considerable pressure is required at the mitred joint for the cutting tool to penetrate both layers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means for border decorating picture mounts or the like, wherein the aforementioned difficulties are overcome. In particular, the invention provides for a much less expensive technique which may be carried out by lesser or non-skilled personnel and yet produce a high quality product acceptable to the most discerning eye.

According to the present invention, a border decoration for picture mounts or the like, comprises a decorative strip of material such as paper having an adhesive coating on one face which is releasably adhered to a backing sheet, characterised in that the adhesive coating is of the type which will enable the decorative strip, once applied to a picture mount to be lifted therefrom and repositioned, and in that the width of the decorative strip is less than that of said backing sheet.

Preferably, a plurality of said decorative strips is attached to a single backing sheet thus to provide two or more individual strip like pieces removable separately or simultaneously from the backing sheet. This provides the advantage that a user may cut simultaneously, from a roll or sheet, the required lengths for two equal and opposite sides of a rectangular picture mount.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a border decoration in the form of a pre-printed and cut sheet; and Fig 2 illustrates a similar product in roll form.

In Fig. 1, a first sheet 10 preferably of paper bearing a repeating parallel pattern, is adhered to a second or backing sheet 11.

The sheet 10 is divided by cut lines 12 into a plurality of parallel strips of equal width so that each strip may be readily removed from the backing sheet 11 by peeling as indicated at 12.

The pattern may be printed, as in this example, offset from the cut lines so that each strip has a narrow stripe of colour 13 at one edge and a broader stripe 14 of the same colour at the opposite edge.

The central region 15 may be plain or patterned, and the pattern may be random or consist of further stripes of different colours. Typically the stripes 13, 14 will be gold blocked.

In use therefore in the case of a rectangular mount, four lengths of the pre-cut and pre-printed paper sheet are removed from the backing sheet 11 and placed as a rectangular border around the mount aperture parallel to the sides thereof and spaced outwardly therefrom by a pre-determined distance. The corners are preferably mitre joined by overlapping the strips and cutting through both layers at an angle of 450 to each strip, and finally removing the surplus end portion of each strip, to produce a butt joint. Once all four corners are cut the border is complete, and the whole operation may be carried out in just a matter of minutes by semi-skilled or non-skilled personnel.

Since the sheet 10 is pre-printed preferably using a lithographic process, a series of different patterns may be produced using a variety of colours and artistic effects. In manufacture the sheets may be batch numbered to ensure uniform colqur density and accurate register with the cut lines.

It is immaterial whether the sheet is cut before or after printing providing there is the option to offset the pattern with respect to the cut lines if required.

The adhesive coating applied to the reverse surface of the sheet 10 is of a type which will permit repositioning of the strips, and consequently only a light adhesion is provided initially thus preventing removal of any of the surface effect from the strip when overlapped at the corners. Similarly, the adhesive will not interfere with the surface texture or colour of the mount itself so that repositioning of the strips will leave no unsightly marks.

Once the strip has been correctly located it may be burnished which, together with natural curing of the adhesive with time, renders the adhesive permanent.

Whilst the sheet 10 has been illustrated as cut into strips of equal width it may, alternatively, be but cut during manufacture into different ornamental shapes such as ovals, circles or corners to provide additional decoration or to match mount apertures of different shapes. In these cases the chosen design elements within the border may run concentrically as desired. In these examples again, the pattern would be repeated across the sheet so that many decorative borders may be produced out of a single manufactured sheet. During manufacture the cut lines are effected using a rotary die or fixed bed platen press, and the printing will be carried out on a continuous web which is cut into sheets of convenient size for packaging and marketing.

Alternatively, as illustrated in Fig. 2 the product may be marketed in the form of a roll of predetermined length. The roll may consist of a single decorative strip or several cut strips 16 of material side-by-side, and a backing strip 17 which is of a width slightly greater than the decorative strip or strips so as to protect the edges of the latter during storage and transportation, and to facilitate release of the strips 16 by bending back the backing strip.

The strips 16 may be spaced apart on the strip 17, or as shown, divided only by a cut line 18. In the latter case, the decorative strip may include a common broad band of colour 19 divided by the cut. By providing two pre-formed strips 16 side-by-side on a roll, the user may readily cut a length off the roll to provide two strips at a time for the opposite and parallel sides of a rectangular picture mount, but each strip may be removed from the backing strip individually.

The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 may be supplied in a box having a slot through which the strip 17 may be dispensed. If required, the box may have a cutting edge co-operating with, for example, adjustable means for dispensing a predetermined length of roll.

Again, in the roll form as illustrated in Fig. 2, for certain applications there may be a single strip 16 releasably attached to backing strip 17, or more than two such strips, as determined by ease of manufacture and market requirements.

In all cases, s-ilce the backing strip 17 is wider than the decorative strip or strips attached thereto, the outer edges of the latter are protected during handling of the roll or movement thereof within a box.

When compared with the conventional techniques adopted for decorating picture mounts, the present invention provides several advantages namely each design is completely prepared ready for immediate use on picture mounts by semi-skilled or even entirely non-experienced personnel to produce results which are readily acceptable as a high quality product. The time taken to produce a decorated picture mount is likely to be only about one tenth of that required using conventional techniques thus considerably reducing the production cost.

There is guaranteed perfect edge alignment at the mitred corners and with perfect colour match. The printing is carried out using light-fast inks thus ensuring maximum resistance to fading.

A variety of materials, textures and finishes may be reproduced in one composite strip, and the paper used is extremely thin so that the product will lie flat upon the mount surface beneath the picture glass to such a degree that the effect can actually simulate a traditionally hand-applied wet watercolour wash.

The mechanical manufacturing process used to produce the pre-cut and pre-printed sheets enables picture mount decorations or motifs of circular, oval or other shapes to be produced, which has previously been considered impossible using conventional techniques.

Whilst the invention has been described in relation to a product for decorating picture mounts, the pre-printed strips may be applied as decoration to other articles and indeed may be applied directly to drawing or water colour papers, children's exercise books, gift wrapping paper and indeed any stationery item to be enhanced by a decorative border or strip.

Claims (11)

1. A border decoration for picture mounts or the like, comprising a decorative strip of material such as paper having an adhesive coating on one face which is releasably adhered to a backing sheet, characterised in that the adhesive coating is of the type which will enable the decorative strip, once applied to a picture mount to be lifted therefrom and repositioned, and in that the width of the decorative strip is less than that of said backing sheet.

2. A border decoration according to Claim 1, wherein a plurality of said decorative strips is attached to a single backing sheet thus to provide two or more individual strip-like pieces removable separately or simultaneously from the backing sheet.

3. A border decoration according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in the form of a roll from which a length may be cut as required.

4. A border decoration according to Claim 3, wherein said roll is packaged in a box to be dispensed therefrom through a slot in the wall of the box.

5. A border decoration according to Claim 2, wherein said plurality of decorative strips are spaced apart laterally on said backing sheet.

6. A border decoration according to Claim 2, wherein said plurality of decorative strips are located side-by-side on the backing sheet and divided only by a cut line between the or each consecutive pair of strips.

7. A border decoration according to Claim 6, wherein said decorative strips include a common broad band of colour divided said cut line.

8. A border decoration according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each decorative strip is in the form of pre-determined ornamental shapes such as ovals, circles or corners.

9. A border decoration according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the backing sheet is a flat sheet of release paper.

10. A border decoration according to any preceding claim, wherein said decorative strips are decorated by printing thereon a pattern using lightfast inks to ensure maximum resistance to fading.

11. A border decoration for picture mounts or the like, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.