Raw & Post Processing, Printing > Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks
Yellowing of a framed print?
tom.nevesely:
Hi guys,
I was recently changing out some framed photos at home when I noticed that on one of the pictures there was some definite yellowing, especially near the mat and I’m wondering if anyone can tell me why it happened.
Here are the details:
* The image was printed on Epson Ultra Premium Lustre paper using my old Epson R1800 printer.
* The photo was then framed in a cheap Ikea frame, with (I’m guessing) cheap plain glass and a cheap, probably not acid free, mat.
* The photo was on a wall in the basement that received a few hours of direct sunlight each day in the afternoons.
* The photo had been on the wall for about 5 or 6 years.
Now, according to Wilhelm Imaging Research, the print should have lasted 64 years under glass or at least 34 years bear bulb but in my case is didn’t even last 6 years.
I’m including a scan of a portion of the print. Here you can hopefully see (as indicated by the arrows) the yellowing of the print, especially on the white clouds. The area where the clouds appear white is where they were covered by the mat.
Another thing that I noticed, that may or may not be related, is that on the inside of the glass (closest to the print) I could see a ghost image of the printed image. Like if some of the ink from the print off-gassed and settled on the glass.
Since this was just a print at home, and one that I could reprint at any time, this wasn’t a big deal but I still would really appreciate if anyone could tell me what happened and why.
Paul2660:
The ghosting, is Outgassing. This will happen with any RC print from Epson, or Canon (not sure on HP). it's because the glycols in the ink are not able to pass through the back of the print due to the RC coating. Thus they move the front and stop at the glass. You will tend to see more off the effect over darker areas of a print, more black or dark blue etc.
No way to avoid this besides:
1. Waiting to frame an RC print over 2 to 3 weeks allowing most of the outgassing to pass. You can speed this up by laying newspaper over the face of the print as it will absorb the gasses faster.
2. Heat up the print, in a dry mount press. I never see this issue when I dry mount RC prints 185 to 205 degees F, for about 5 minutes. This just moves the process forward and gets most of the glycols out. You will still see just a bit.
3. Use a non RC paper, fibre based, like Epson Exhibition Fiber or Canon Platine. There are a lot more, but these are two I use. You will not get outgassing to the face as the fibre base allows the gassing out the back.
The yellowing, more than likely from the lighting, both Tungsten and fluorescent lights will cause this and sooner than later, fluorescent are very damaging. The use of a UV protective glass will help prevent this, like Tru Vue Conservation Clear. I am willing to bet your mat faded considerably also.
With mats to prevent fading, use a non paper (framing term) mat. Paper mats are the lowest grade, and will yellow very quickly, the cores also will look yellow. You can pick pure cotton rag, expensive or alpha cellulose much less. Crescent makes a great line of brite cores, that will not loss their white core over time.
Paul
Wayne Fox:
--- Quote from: tom.nevesely on September 02, 2015, 01:41:49 pm ---Hi guys,
* The photo was on a wall in the basement that received a few hours of direct sunlight each day in the afternoons.
* The photo had been on the wall for about 5 or 6 years.
Now, according to Wilhelm Imaging Research, the print should have lasted 64 years under glass or at least 34 years bear bulb but in my case is didn’t even last 6 years.
--- End quote ---
I’m puzzled by the scan, it does look a little odd, however, can’t see the yellowing in context with the entire image so not sure why it would be so distinct like that.
However, a few hours of direct sunlight every day for several years is far more UV light than traditional images and which the wilhelm rating is based on.
Paul2660:
I believe the mat covered the rest of the file, so it did not get any light, if I read his first post correcetly.
Paul
Alan Goldhammer:
IIRC, this paper has lots of Optical Brightening Agents that suffer burnout when exposed to too much light for prolonged periods of time. When that happens you get yellowing of the paper. This would be consistent with seeing it in the clouds area and the fact that you don't see anything where the mat covered the paper makes this the simplest answer. If it were acid leaching from the mat board, you would see degradation in other areas. Direct sunlight is the worst thing for prints. With respect to outgassing being an issue, most of the gasses are gone within 24-48 hours after printing but if you have intense sunlight heating up a print other chemical reactions can occur that would lead to deposits on the framing glass.
With respect to Paul2000's comments: never use newsprint to cover anything you value as being archival. It's certainly not acid free and you can get inexpensive acid-free sheets to place over prints while they dry. UV protectant glass negates the benefits of papers with OBAs that provide paper brightness. Blocking the UV will mean the dyes will not fluoresce and your print will not be as white. It also does not deal with the high temperatures arising from direct sunlight.
Hope this helps.
Alan
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