Lamination or coating ?

[Sunny Alan]

What is the best surface/UV protection for prints: Hot vacuum lamination, cold lamination or coating?
What is common best for paper and canvas?
I am heard 'Hot glass vacuum press' method is best. How you rate this method?

Pros and cons of lamination vs coating?
Please suggest cost-effective brands of machines, materials etc.

Thanks in advance,
Sunny Alan

UPDATE:
Though I got few valuable comments and suggestions, I am yet to receive a mass verdict on which method is best.
Request more insights on this commonly useful subject.

[na goodman]

This is the nicest lamination I have seen on canvas. I'm not sure of their process but it does not look like other laminates I have seen. I had a client switch
to this process because of the durability. Oops, here's the link http://www.colorplak.com/

[Sunny Alan]

Thanks na goodman...
Is generally lamination on canvass a 'No,no' and varnish coating is the traditional practice?

[framah]

Thanks na goodman...
Is generally lamination on canvass a 'No,no' and varnish coating is the traditional practice?

No, there is no traditional practice for prints on canvas or paper. Whatever you want to use.
The laminate is way more durable than any spray or roll on  coating.

I laminate print canvases all the time with no problem except that i used to use Beinfang matte finish and they decided to sell off that division to some company who seems to be making their laminate in some fourth world country. The stuff is JUNK as it has a definite green cast to it.
I have a roll of  laminate on order from DryTac which is supposed to be a top notch product and will do a test with that before committing any customers work.

[Bullfrog]

This is the nicest lamination I have seen on canvas. I'm not sure of their process but it does not look like other laminates I have seen. I had a client switch
to this process because of the durability. Oops, here's the link http://www.colorplak.com/

Yes, its durable.

While I'm sure there are devotees to it, the plaked product I have seen (its widely franchised and I'm assuming its the same thing I have seen since the "PLak" word is trademarked) is in my opinion tawdry looking.

Is it art?  Certainly art is in the eye of the beholder and who am I to say, but go to any gallery, or juried art exhibition - or really ANYWHERE that images are sold as "fine art" (I'm assuming we don't include Walmart art as fine art) and you will not anything plaked.

Its great for memorabilia, and school diplomas or other artifacts the owner has sentimental attachment to (ribbons, awards, citations etc) because you can immortalize them in plastic from now until eternity.

Yes, its bomb proof durable and really heavy, if you get tired of looking at it on a wall you could take it off the wall and use it as a paper weight - or door jam

CLEARLY - I am not a fan of the Plak. 

[jferrari]

Just got my roll of Drytac Mattex yesterday. Hope to try it soon. Product looks good...

[na goodman]

They use it for the durability. When doing shows all year long, they needed something that would hold up to packing and unpacking. I spray all of my canvases.
Actually quite a few artists that do shows in this area use them. That's how my client found out about them. It's the least looking "laminate" I have seen.

[dgberg]

Seals print guard luster looks really nice on canvas but you need a hot roll laminator to apply it.

[Bullfrog]

They use it for the durability. When doing shows all year long, they needed something that would hold up to packing and unpacking. I spray all of my canvases.
Actually quite a few artists that do shows in this area use them. That's how my client found out about them. It's the least looking "laminate" I have seen.

Interesting.  I'd be thrilled to be wrong - but am certain the product I saw was nothing like canvas and everything like images encased in plastic goo. 
However it was maybe 3 years ago - and like any technology maybe they have a new process.
As I said, I can certainly see the value of Plaking a diploma or certificate or ribbons - and I think that is where they got started.

I just checked the Plak-it website here in Ontario Canada which I assume is the same company - and the product offerings looks the same as they did a few years ago although they do offer canvas transfer - which is different (I think) and possibly new and maybe that is what you are referring to.

http://www.plak-it.com/Default.aspx

Glad it works for you. 

[Roscolo]

What is the best surface/UV protection for prints: Hot vacuum lamination, cold lamination or coating?
What is common best for paper and canvas?
I am heard 'Hot glass vacuum press' method is best. How you rate this method?

Pros and cons of lamination vs coating?

I researched this and almost invested in a laminator. Good folks here talked me into spray laminate instead. Good thing, too. What is "best" is entirely subjective and depends on the job. Major university in my area had gone with a big company that printed and laminated a bunch of prints. Someone referred them to me. They compared my prints that were spray coated to the big company's fancy lamination. They said mine looked better and felt better. They dumped the big company and hired me. Those prints had 6-8 coats on them. You just about need a computer chip manufacturer level clean room to laminate and not get little pieces of lint, dust, etc. under the coating. If you can maintain such an environment I think roll lamination makes more sense. With spray, as was pointed out to me when I was laminator shopping, you just pick out any defects. Laminator is still useful for mounting. The dirt and boogers are still a concern, but nowhere near what they are with a roll of laminate.

[Sunny Alan]

http://www.lionindia.net/product.php?cat_id=48

This is the Laminator (Made in UK) I mentioned.
the HGP 360 -- 42’’ x 67’’ Code No.   2342 costs $5000 and biggest one 50’’x 98’’ size costs a whopping $15000 !
My question is: Is it worth that money by qualitative necessity and volume production?

Me think quality wise hot- vacuum- press method is superlative to other processes. Laminated surface is very sturdy, even and you can use it as Table-mat, water, abration-proof it is. It even straighten minor wrinkles by heat and vacuum.

It helps in improvement in volume production too: Once the canvas with attached laminating film is put inside and push button, it immediately do the job one after other.

But I found not many members here are aware of this method and not using it, I think it is because they prefer the orthodox method of hand varnishing...

[John Nollendorfs]

Vacuum table laminators are nice, but use lots of electricity and require lots of space! With canvas, lamination tends to get a "plasticy" look.
LOL

[na goodman]

The coloplak method that was used on the canvases I saw did not look "plasticy" at all. I think that is why so many artist in this area doing shows
are using them. Believe me, I inspected them with a very discerning eye and really thought I was going to see and feel that plastic looking material,
but I didn't. You actually would think they were sprayed but much more durable.

[Sunny Alan]

Yes, a 'plastic' laminated look if happened is really disheartening and just opposite to art, 'cause art and paintings are supposed to be hand-drawn.

And printing? Never !

But today most of painters are creating a painting on their Laptop on Photoshop environment.

A matt film will solve the 'plasticky' appearance....

[Ernst Dinkla]

http://www.lionindia.net/product.php?cat_id=48

But I found not many members here are aware of this method and not using it, I think it is because they prefer the orthodox method of hand varnishing...

Two weeks ago in the archive of the local museum I was shown a photo canvas, very large, approximately 5x10 feet, that had a lamination. Due to the size it had been stored at the artist's house as a roll. Delamination happened on several spots and the restoration people could not fix that. The plan is to reproduce it. I tend to think that it would have been less of a problem if it had been spray coated with some layers of Lascaux acrylic varnish.

--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[Sunny Alan]

Well, I am sure you are citing a tragic story of 'Cold film lamination', the earlier method, which is no more used by art laminating industry. Now it is hot vacuum lamination using high quality Acrylic adhesive.

'Drytac' too have similar system.

Hand varnishing is ok for an artist or photographer to do his own painting or photos. But when it comes to volume jobs, say 100 more numbers per day, hand-varnishing is tedious and less productive, hence lamination.

[Bullfrog]

Hand varnishing is ok for an artist or photographer to do his own painting or photos. But when it comes to volume jobs, say 100 more numbers per day, hand-varnishing is tedious and less productive, hence lamination.

Exactly.  I "hard varnish" - it is tedious, and it is not designed for mass production .  Funny story (or not) - I was speaking to an artist at Golden who used their varnish on acrylic paintings (not photographs) - her story recanted to me:

She was an employee asked to varnish a HUGE canvas - forgot dimensions but we are talking 10 or 15 feet or more and very tall.  She was in the southern climate (bugs) and varnishing outdoors because of the fumes a solvent based varnish gives off and presumably the size of the canvas.

Anyway, in the process of drying (which takes longer in high heat) all kinds of bugs got stuck on the canvas and she painstakingly picked each bug's legs (or leg) off before it dried...only to do it all over again for the second coat.

Having said that - artists sell original paintings for thousands of dollars - and you cannot plak a painting,  so its cost benefit.

I coat indoors and much smaller - and if I was asked to do a giant canvas I would have to outsource because of space.

And to address that:  People who post here tell me they use Breathing Colour - it dries in 40 minutes (Dan Berg told me that on another thread) - if I was faced with a huge job, or was in business with volume customers, I would go that route.  It takes a minute to spray on - the compressor and gun cannot cost anywhere near $5K and while you cannot punt it like a football - its durable for "art" standards.

Why that isn't an option for you I don't know.  I would be curious to understand why you feel lamination is better.

As far as Plak - seeing is believing.  When I actually see one PLaked that doesn't look like a space capsule ready to take off - I will be the first to say it rocks.

ETA:  As far as durability - varnishing with solvents is tedious - but it is truly archival and can be repaired and while I'm not able to project 100 years into the future, its been used for decades on other mediums and proven to stand the test of time.

[Bullfrog]

UPDATE:
Though I got few valuable comments and suggestions, I am yet to receive a mass verdict on which method is best.
Request more insights on this commonly useful subject.

There is no best.  I have found however that how you start out is how you end up - meaning, once you commit money, resources, time to LEARN a process - its hard to walk away from.
So, speaking for myself, I'm reluctant to invest a lot of capital in equipment until I know I have a market for it.

Is $5000 or $15000 worth the investment? Well, putting aside your time, and operational costs (electricity, telephone, internet, rent etc etc) - how many canvases would you have to laminate to break even?

I see canvas services now offered on-line everywhere - and giclee printers in my area (Ontario) price a wrapped canvas coated (likely with Breathing colour) at about $150.00 for 20x30.  A lot of them hand wrap.  This is taking the customer's snap shot, enlarging it , printing, coating and wrapping.

If you are charging a competitive price - then spending $5000 on equipment only means a LOT of canvases are done before any profit.

However, if you have hundreds of customers ready to give you money - then its not a problem.

My own (biased) view is the market is saturated with many options for custom printing of art and what I find many giclee printers do in my area from my unofficial search, is balance that offering with other services - such as framing, and photography or studio training (2 or 3 day courses targeted at a specific audience).

My 2 cents.

[Sunny Alan]

I agree your points.
Why I am looking for a mass process for surface protection is, I mean volume production.
Now, except those already-settled few, new entrants in art-reproduction business have to look for other avenues too, apart from fine art and art photography, to make it profitable.

As such I plan to mass-print paintings, God pictures, scenerys, traditional performing art forms and commonly used many art forms, even commercial pictures etc, but in a long lasting product form.

Only volume can save. Here apart from 'fine art' element, nobody insist for hand varnish or life long longevity.

So I may have to adopt both methods for different sections...

Hope you got why I insist for well accepted mass coating method.
Even I am looking for a varnish htat can be coated using my automatic screen press. Buy so far no info of such a varnish of longevity....

[Scott Martin]

I work with a lot of high volume shops that have 20-60 printers cranking out prints all day long. Some shops like to use a liquid dip and dunk machine to apply the same types of liquid laminates that others spray to an entire roll. They print on the printer without cutting and collect on the take-up reel. The next day they run the roll through the liquid machine which literally dunks the canvas (front and back) in the liquid. Its economical and fast but you've got to keep the machine clean. There's also lots of liquid laminate surfaces to choose from which is nice.

Other shops use roll-to-roll presses to apply a sheet of laminate to the canvas. Along with the increased cost of this process is the increased durability. With a heat press this creates a process that is very similar to the old vacuum press method (which like spraying, no volume shop uses anymore). I did like the look and durability of the old vacuum press method!

Of course, by far the most common thing for these high volume shops is to print on a solvent printer and not coat at all. Optimal printer calibration is one of the biggest challenges here but once it's dialed in this process saves a lot of workflow headaches. Some people are starting to experiment the UV Curable on canvas which offers even better economy but (for now) not quite the color gamut or DMax.