Laminated Print Longevity Question

[T_om]

Can anyone point me towards any definitive research on the effects of cold lamination on print longevity?

Tom

[dkeyes]

You might try www.wilhelm-research.com
They do all sorts of testing and I think they have some articles on mounting. I'm not sure how recent the articles are on mounting though.
- Doug

[T_om]

You might try www.wilhelm-research.com
They do all sorts of testing and I think they have some articles on mounting. I'm not sure how recent the articles are on mounting though.
- Doug
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=130487\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I found the area on Wilhelm that basically said using sprays was a waste of time, but did not find as much info about lamination.  As a matter of fact, doing a search on Wilhelm turned up only four hits on the word "Lamination".  Trying to wade through that site is like picking pepper out of fly sh*t (Old Southern Term).

A puzzle.

Tom

[dkeyes]

I found the area on Wilhelm that basically said using sprays was a waste of time, but did not find as much info about lamination.  As a matter of fact, doing a search on Wilhelm turned up only four hits on the word "Lamination".  Trying to wade through that site is like picking pepper out of fly sh*t (Old Southern Term).

A puzzle.

Tom
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=130540\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Actually, the info I found was on mounting not laminating, I read your post wrong. Wilhelm site is poorly organized for sure.

I used to face mount my color images to plex and did some research into that. Got some info from a researcher in Germany that did lamination testing and he came to the conclusion that any laminating that keeps the elements (oxygen, pollutants, UV light) off the print would help, not hinder the print. That was assuming the glues were ph neutral or close to it. It also assumed that the back of your print was air tight to some degree. Which meant laminating both sides or using polyester based print material (cibachrome, fuji supergloss) or even a sealed frame would work. The main reason I stopped doing it was I couldn't find a vendor who could reliably do it without ruining at least a few prints. Plus the plex got scratched easily.

[ed j]

Can anyone point me towards any definitive research on the effects of cold lamination on print longevity?

Tom
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=130449\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

 i sell signage printed on a epson 7800 and 9600 printers. all items are laminated
life of a print un laminated printed on coated vinyl mounted on plastic and attached to a buildings exterior

un laminated 6 to 9 months
laminated 2 to 4 years

both facing southwest in florida sun

indoors no lamination is needed. as long as direct sun light is not hitting it
i have several in door posters that look almost new that are over 4 years old
that are un laminated.

avoid the stuff they sell to laminate its more expensive then clear material thats not promoted as a laminate. best stuff or stuff i use is oracal clear vinyl 2 types 651 clear  extruded and 751 series cast . both have excelent uv properties.

if u use dye inks will need a laminator. pigment inks u can use soap and water to apply except for matt black or any colors that have matt black in them. matt black is not water proof. be it pigment or dye inks.

Ed

[Colourcurve]

Hi

I used to get involved in this sort of work.

A good tip is to get a bank note tester - a small hand held UV strip bulb used by retailers to check the bank notes they take are not fake - they are cheap & easy to pick up.

Most high quality gloss photo-type medias have a high amount of optical brightener in them to make them appear white.

This is a chemical also found in washing powders which "diverts" some blue light out of the invisible UV spectrum into our visible spectrum.

Thus the paper (or clothing!) has a cold, blue-white appearance which people like and if tested with one of these bank-note testers will "glow".

Now put a laminate on the print and test again - if you still see the "glow" then the laminate is a poor one as it is not stopping the UV light given off by the print.

If the glow has gone you have a good UV laminate.

Remember this is UV fading we are dealing with.

Just as much damage is done by gas or ozone (pollutants) attacking the paper base.

This is simply stopped by removing airflow across the print by sealing it behind anything - laminate, glass etc etc.