inkjet drying time

Instructions for my Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy paper tell me to let
prints dry for 24 hours before doing anything with them. How crucial is
that for a 5x7 print? Is overnight drying enough? I printed one at about
9pm and want to put it in a glass frame (no matt) tomorrow at about 10am
(need to give it as a gift and don't have time to wait for a full 24
hours).

 

I've yet to know an image which wasn't dry within 24 hours, but like wet
paint sometimes it can feel dry but still have a residual wetness which
isn't obvious except under longer contact. Someone mentioned here a
while back that you shouldn't mount your image directly behind glass but
with a mask... I assume they meant the thin card rectangle inner frame?

 

I depends a lot on the paper. I've used some combinations of ink and paper
that never dried properly. It was more of a problem with my HP970 and really
cheap Sam's Club paper than with my Canon S9000. I usually try to wait at
least 4 hours before dry mounting or putting the print into glassine holders.

Earle Rich
Mont Vernon, NH

 

Someone mentioned here a

I think you mean a mat. And yes, if the picture is something you want to keep
for a long time (vs. a snapshot that will be changed out within a year) a mat,
or some type of spacer between the print and glass is highly recommended. I
can't even count how many people have come into my frameshop over the years
with ruined photos because they fused to the glass. Moisture plays a big role
in this too, so if there's ANY question of it not being dry, glass directly on
it would be a bad thing.

 

Yeah, I forgot to mention that matte paper dries almost instantly

 

Am I right in thinking this would be more for glossy than matte paper? I
have framed a few matte prints which seem fine.

 

I'm using one of those slide-the-photo-in stand-up frames and I don't
think there's not enough room for a mat. I think I'll just make a very
narrow mat from some extra thick paper and see if it'll slide in with
the photo. It's not a super high quality photo, and it's a gift vs work
for a paying client. I'll tell my friend that if the photo starts
looking weird I'll do another print and use a mat and different frame.
Thanks to all for your tips for my last-minute-rush gift idea!