Print Coatings

[N80]

I've been reading a few books about fine art inkjet printing. I've been making B&W prints on an Epson R2400 since this model came out. One of the books mentioned that putting B&W images under glass when you mount/frame them is not ideal because of glare, etc. It suggested spray on coating for your prints and framing them without glass.

This sounded interesting to me since I am interested in picking up second hand frames, repairing them, cutting my own mats and mounting my own images, primarily for home use. The glass would be the part I could not do myself.

I'm not sold on the idea and my wife felt like mounting prints without glass would be problematic, particularly in an old and dusty house. Keeping them clean might be a challenge.

I'm also concerned about how effective aerosol sprays would be on a fine art print. Isn't there a risk of uneven coverage, clumping, spotting, running, etc.

I'd be interested on people's opinion regarding with/without glass and the pros and cons of spray on coatings.

[Rand47]

There are several high end glass products, especially for framing, that are genuinely glare free and quite amazing IMO - including the price compared to regular framing glass.  They are worth the cost as I see it.

As to your comment about aerosol sprays.  They actually work very well, including spray cans (e.g. Print Shield), and will provide a very even coat if applied carefully and 'to the instructions.'  The biggest problem is controlling dust entrainment, but even that can be overcome with some care.  Lots of good stuff on Youtube about application.

Rand

[John Nollendorfs]

George,
The main reason for framing under glass is to of course protect the print. For inkjet  prints this is especially essential, to keep atmospheric contaminates from the inkjet receptor layer, which is microporous. Ozone is a common culprit, which will attack dye and pigment ink readily. Just about any spray product will help seal the microporous inkjet surface, but will not protect against physical contact and spillages. Some people have also used museum wax. Yes, glass has problems with reflections, and low reflection products are quite expensive, and you still haven't gotten rid of all the reflections, just minimized them. Best solution is to display them in venues that minimize reflections.  Or, just display the prints unprotected, and keep your fingers crossed. Many photographers have gone to printing large  prints on canvas, protecting the surface with vinyl acrylic coatings--quite effective protection.

[DeanChriss]

...
The glass would be the part I could not do myself.
...

FWIW, I frequently cut glass from larger sheets with a $10 hand held glass cutter and a straight edge. It's way easier than you may think. A professional framer I know showed me how, which probably saved me from breaking some pieces practicing. I'd guess I had one broken piece out of the last 50. It's easiest to use a cutting guide - just a straight edge with foam backing that keeps it from slipping easily.

Good luck!

Edit: I should have mentioned that with museum glass and UV absorbing glass you need to score the side that does NOT have the UV coating. The coated side says “this side faces artwork”.

[schertz]

I've used Moab Desert Varnish on some Baryta type papers (like Ilford GFS) have been pleased with the results. I find it helps with:

A) Gloss differential: This is the area of greatest improvement for me, and the primary reason I use it.
B) Overall Look: I feel like the print looks more "polished" overall when handheld, entirely subjective...
C) Physical Protection: The coating on Baryta and Platine papers can be delicate (varying, depends on brand/type) and the spray makes the print a little more robust, again useful for hand holding/ passing prints around
D) I don't have any metric for if/how it affect print longevity
E) It doesn't appear to hurt image sharpness in any way.

Uses/issues:
1) I have only sprayed small (8.5x11 or 5x7) prints, which are manageable and not too pricey. Anything larger is framed behind glass.
2) Sprayed Baryta paper is glossy enough that displaying it without glass doesn't really reduce glare problems (IMHO).
3) I've never sprayed matte prints (I print very little matte) so I can't comment there.
4) The spray is a bit expensive, which is why I only use it for small prints, hand-held or displayed without glass. I have some small "frames" that are really just a fancy base with a 8x10 mat (5x7 cutout) on top that don't have glass and sit on a shelf.
5) Fibre papers usually have enough texture that I don't notice any "stippling" of the spray that I couldn't just chalk up to paper texture itself. I haven't had any problems with even-ness of coverage or running etc. It's actually really easy to do...
6) Make sure the print is dust free before spraying, spots of dust stuck in the coating are frustrating.

MS

[N80]

Thanks all. Very useful information. I will probably lean toward glass. I might try my hand at cutting it. How hard is it to cut plexi-glass or lexan? I know they are probably less desirable than glass but if they are cheaper and easier to cut this might be the way for me to go. Again, this is not gallery stuff. These just hang in my house.

[DeanChriss]

Thanks all. Very useful information. I will probably lean toward glass. I might try my hand at cutting it. How hard is it to cut plexi-glass or lexan? I know they are probably less desirable than glass but if they are cheaper and easier to cut this might be the way for me to go. Again, this is not gallery stuff. These just hang in my house.

This video shows how plexi is cut in the first 40 seconds. It's easy and probably easier than glass to get right on your first ever attempt. If you decide to cut glass it takes a little practice to get the technique down perfectly but after that it's dead simple. The keys are:

1. Place the glass flat on a table. I put a piece short nap indoor/outdoor carpeting under it. If the surface is hard small pieces of class from cutting can get between the glass and table and scratch the glass.

2. Position your straight edge so the cutter's wheel is on the line you want to cut.

3. Here's the hardest part. Position the cutter's wheel as close to the far edge of the glass as you possibly can. Apply enough vertical pressure to the cutter to get a good score line and keep that pressure even along the length of the score. You should hear the score being made. It's like a continuous hiss or scratching sound as you draw the cutter across the glass. Too much pressure (within reason) just gives a rough edge. It's not jagged, just rough like sandpaper, and is typically hidden under the frame anyway. Too little pressure will have the glass breaking where you don't want it to. Do not go over the score line more than once. If you stop part way along the score line keep the cutter perfectly still until you resume. It's best to make the score in one fairly slow motion (I'm guessing slightly more than 2 seconds per linear foot). Once in a blue moon it's possible to re-score a piece of glass, but it's usually a disaster.

4. Break the glass along the score line. The easiest (most controllable) way is to use glass running pliers. Just Google it and you'll see what they are. Position them per instructions and squeeze until you see the crack "running" down the score line.

5. The freshly cut edge is can be sharper than the sharpest thing you've ever seen. Really. It's best to go over it with a sanding block to blunt the edge. Otherwise it can cut you without you even realizing it. Glass working gloves (made of Kevlar with non-slit rubber bumps) are also a good thing to have when you handle the cut glass, but I can't wear them when scoring. You really need to feel the cutter in your hand when you do that.

Other people have different techniques but this has worked for me for years. You'll do better if you're not hesitant and intimidated by the process when you start. Just get a piece of glass somewhere and practice by cutting pieces from it.

Good luck!