cold lamination film

[johnchoy]

I'm going to print some 40x 50 inch prints using the HP ID satin by my Z3100 for a future photo exhibition. However, I encounter some difficulty with its presentation because of glare and reflection. I wonder if there is any  cold lamination method/products can solve the problem without doing any harm to prints.

I had some poster ( also HP ID satin) cold laminated by a friend who is printing outdoor poster, and what he was using for lamination were just some cheap and ordinary material. Anyway, it solve the reflection problem but can't tell anything about longevity.

Google searching leads me to a product called D&K Matte Film with non-yellowing adhesive
http://artgrafix.com/store/page120.html

Is it archival?

Would be very appreciated for any comments, recommendation or alternative.

[pulley]

Check out some Sign Supply companies, they all carry cold uv laminate films with different finishes.

[bill t.]

I have some inkjet prints that were laminated with an adhesive based process a few years ago.  They have all developed highly visible, very ugly bubbles between the laminate and the print.  Maybe the best materials can avoid this, but ever since then the idea of laminating over the surface of prints has given me the creeps.

Also, many prints I mounted just a year ago using peel-off adhesive on foamcore are now developing bubbles.  Most of the problem prints were mounted during the summer during periods of relatively high humidity, so moisture may be an issue with any adhesive based process.

[framah]

I think one of the main problems here is cold vs hot lamination. Usually, a person doing cold lamination and/or mounting at home doesn't have the capabilities to put enough pressure on it to make it hold.  A good hot mount laminate will keep holding  where a cold lam will always have that possibility of bubbling up.

...and yes, humidity is also in play here. The heat mounting machine will dry the print before the laminating.

Take them to a good framer and have them heat laminated if your printer inks are heat compatible.

[bill t.]

Yes those were all cold lamination processes which I would not consider using again.  The prints were mounted with a pretty good press with 4" diameter rollers that applied a lot of even pressure, didn't seem to help much bubble-wise in the long term.

[framah]

So it was one of those Seal roller machines where you feed it thru a set of rollers?
I've been hearing more than a few comments from other framers that those machines don't offer enough dwell time to properly mount and/or laminate items.  For laminating, a heat/vacuum mount table will give you even 10 - 15 lbs pressure for apx 12 minutes at 190 degrees where a roller press has a very small surface to heat and press the laminate and it doesn't seem to work. Even cold pressing doesn't give it enough even pressure for a long enough amount of time for the adhesive to activate and hold.
Plus most things need to be weighted till they are either cold or have had time for the adhesive to set up.

I almost bought one for the store and now am glad I kept my trusty old heat table.

[Brian Gilkes]

Lamination is not the sort of thing the fine art community often gets in to so I have limited experience here.
It is clear though,  that if the print exudes gas when laminated trouble could be expected.
For some considerable time after an inkjet print seems dry, glycols and other chemicals evaporate.
I would suggest prints are allowed to dry for at least a week at 20+ deg C at relative humidity below 60%, before  laminating. A pile of prints should be interleaved with archival (acid free) paper with a change or two of paper during this period. If prints are sprayed for UV protection they must be allowed to cure in light (not in piles) for a week . Accelerated curing with IR radiation can reduce this time.
Cheers
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au

[petermarrek]

Operated a colour lab for many years and used cold mounting & laminating exclusively. Never had problems with the mounting of prints, with laminating films the prints had to be DRY. Also PVC based laminating films were very forgiving, polyester films were not and if the material being laminated was not dry could form bubbles and creases when exposed to warm/very dry environments. When mounting backlit material or face-mounting prints to plexiglass the same problems were there, acrylic material was more forgiving than polycarbonate, although outgassing from acrylic in hot lightboxes sometimes caused problems. The key to success was to be knowlegeable about the process. The answer to the original question is Yes, they are permanent if properly chosen and applied. Luigi at Drytac in Toronto is The guy to ask for advice, for both ot & cold mounting & laminating.

[johnchoy]

Thanks for all the reply.

Since I'm living in Hong Kong and those lamination film here are mostly for outdoor banner. I wonder can I find and get the high quality one from internet.

I see on Drytac website that its Protac™ pressure-sensitive laminating films have UV protection but it does not mention whether its adhesive is Acid Free as what the D&K Matte Film with non-yellowing adhesive said. The Artgrafix site also say the D&K meets The Library of Congress standards.

Anyone has any experience and comments on this 2 products. Please advice.

[framah]

Remember.. acid free is not the same as archival.  Acid free just means the chemicals that make up the adhesive are PH neutral or even slightly alkaline.

Archival means that what ever you use can not have an irreversible effect on the art.  Any solvent based adhesive is by definition, not archival.  Rice or wheat paste is acid free and archival and completely reversible.  

So the final answer is that there is no archival lamination out there because it is solvent based and not completely reversible.

[johnchoy]

Remember.. acid free is not the same as archival.  Acid free just means the chemicals that make up the adhesive are PH neutral or even slightly alkaline.

Archival means that what ever you use can not have an irreversible effect on the art.  Any solvent based adhesive is by definition, not archival.  Rice or wheat paste is acid free and archival and completely reversible. 

So the final answer is that there is no archival lamination out there because it is solvent based and not completely reversible.
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Really thanks for the reminder.

I admit I maybe a bit speculative, want to avoid the glare and reflection plus print longevity.

Anyway, If I lower the standard and let's say if there's any lamination film material that can last as long as I live. If it's possible.

[framah]

Yes. pretty much all laminates done properly will outlive you unless you are only in your 20's. Then, who knows.

I figure life time warranty only applies if you die before something goes bad.

 As long as my prints last another 15 to 20 years, that's good enough for me!

[bill t.]

I prefer to work with the "long lasting" paradigm rather than the "archival" paradigm.

A well mounted, well framed print is almost always going to be long lasting.  An archivally mounted print may remain chemically archival, but IMHO archival framing techniques create a package that is not necessarily long lasting.  In specific, archival techniques almost always allow art packages bigger than around 8x10" to warp and ripple as the years march on.  Yes I know about the "well you can always just reframe it" thing, but honestly the people who buy most of our photographs would hope not to do that.