Many photographers use foam board to mount their photographs on before placing them in a frame. Artists do the same thing and many of them will tell you that if you do not mount your work properly it can be easily ruined. There are many different qualities and thicknesses of foam board to choose from. You may find your local art store either has very limited selection or outrageous pricing. The most expensive form of foam board is known as archival quality and should be chosen when you are mounting professional photographs or serious artwork that you need to look their best for extended lengths of time.

Archival board is free from Acids and will not off-gas with can cause all sorts of problems such as blistering, spotting or yellowing. Regular foam should only be used in less critical applications that are more temporary in nature. It is important to use a good quality foam board as the last thing you want to deal with is a flimsy board that is going to warp and ruin the artwork or photograph. When you want you work to last for many years to come, you what to buy the best quality board you can find. On the other hand, if you are putting together a poster display to go in a trade show booth you can get away with using a much less expensive board that will still do the job quite well. Cheaper foam board is made from a thin layer of foam that has been covered on both faces with just paperboard or cardboard. Higher quality board is usually made with a special clay coating on both faces that will absorb many airborne toxins and acids that may be coming from the photograph or paper mounted the boards.

One problem that many people find is that they can only find type of foam board in their local art supply store and absolutely nothing in their office supply stores. This can be frustrating especially when you have a very important project that must be completed in a short period of time. We highly recommend buying your foam in bulk and keeping extra on hand (both inexpensive foam and higher quality or archival foam)-- It's almost ridiculous how much money you'll save over the long haul. Not only will you save money, but you'll likely be using better product as well. When you start looking online for a reputable place to buy all of your foam board products from, you will find that IBoyds has one of the most extensive inventories available online. This is a family run business that shops for the best prices on all of the products they carry so that they can pass them on to you in the form of direct discounts. They offer superior customers service and rapid shipping to ensure that you get exactly what you need, when you need it.