Hi all,
I've been going through all the threads on varnishing and testing all sorts of products and still can't come up with a satisfying result.
After lots of trial and error I finally found a good solution and getting great dMax on MATTE paper using Epson Hot Press Natural and printing from QTR. I mount my images on Dibond with a floating frame without glass to preserve the beauty of the print - but they're super fragile....
I've tried :
1) Rolling and spraying Timeless Matte - beautiful finish but leaves a cloudy vail and KILLS dmax
2) same issues with Glamour II
3) Krylon Kamar - great blacks but leaves a strange texture on matte paper
3.5) Various Water based finishes from Golden etc (same problems with vail and killing dMax)
So far the only things that look good are
4) Hahnemuhle protective spray and Lascaux fixativ, unfortunately these products really don't do much to protect from scratches and marring.
5) Krylon Workable Fixative also looks good and seems slightly more protective but still scratches too easily.
From what I've read, there are only two real solutions, water based acrylic finishes and solvent based ones. The water based finishes seems to create a nice protective coating while the solvent based versions do not.
I'm interested in trying the following products and wonder if anyone has any experience they would like to share :
6) Premier Eco Print Shield (this is water based and I have a hunch it will look similar to Timeless)
7) Premier Print Shield (this is the solvent based version)
ClearStar ClearJet and ClearStar ClearShield
9) Moab Desert Varnish Spray (a solvent based lacquer that claims to improve scratch resistance)
10) a combination of a spray fixativ and Renaissance Wax - though I heard it shouldn't be used on matte papers...
11) spraying a fixativ and hand rubbing some other type of non-yellowing lacquer or "art" varnish
Are there any miracle products I've overlooked ?
This is the look I'm going for (yes it was a chilly day ;-)
Paul