Protecting an big inkjet print

[paulr]

I just brought home a 60" wide print from my current project (yikes). It was for a customer, but my printmaker damaged it almost imperceptibly while mounting to the dibond. I'm not ready to shell out $$$ for a frame, so it's going to hang buck naked from a wooden cleat.

I'm worried about protection for the print. Not so much from bumps, but from when it gets dusty and i have to clean it. Doesn't help that we have an open kitchen, which leads to a film of grease accumulating on things.

Lamination is out. I'd also like to avoid things that noticeably alter the surface. I'm assuming that the goop that gets painted over canvas prints would do this. Something Lascaux fixative would be easy and invisible, but I don't know if it provides any real protection.

The print is in epson pigment inks, on Canson baryta paper.

Thoughts?

[Peter De Smidt]

PremierArt Print Shield?

[Lenny Eiger]

PremierArt Print Shield?

I've often wondered about this.

I've used this, and a similar product from Lascaux. I've put on 2-3 coats and it seems to just sink in. (It's nice, it doesn't change the image as lamination does.) I'm know it provides some protection, but it seems quite minimal to me.... Have you. or anyone, tried enough coats to really protect a print's surface from the kind of dusting the OP is talking about? How many coats does it take before you can you wipe a damp rag across the print? Is this possible?

Lenny

[Peter De Smidt]

Hi Lenny,

Sorry, that's never been my goal. I used it for awhile on the recommendation of Paul Roark. According to his tests, it lead to the least changes in print appearance of this type of product, and it's done well in the longevity testing at Aardenburg. I decided that for my use (framed prints) that I didn't want to deal with spraying prints.

Paul, you might send Paul Roark a message asking for advice. He's always very helpful, in my experience.

[Greg Miller]

I've often wondered about this.

I've used this, and a similar product from Lascaux. I've put on 2-3 coats and it seems to just sink in. (It's nice, it doesn't change the image as lamination does.) I'm know it provides some protection, but it seems quite minimal to me.... Have you. or anyone, tried enough coats to really protect a print's surface from the kind of dusting the OP is talking about? How many coats does it take before you can you wipe a damp rag across the print? Is this possible?

Lenny

Correct me if I'm wrong, bu this stuff also throws off lots of toxic fumes, so spraying in someone's abode probably is not a good idea.

[Drew Wiley]

It's a butyl acetate lacquer. Good for awhile, not good for your lungs (use a proper spray booth with an explosion-proof fan - or else just the aerosol can under a
fume hood. Not joking. Lacquers like this can violently explode with a spark from an improper spray rig). After a decade or so distinct yellowing will being, then
maybe cracking, depending on substrate compatibility. These kinds of overcoats have been around a long time and their properties are well know. Hardly "archival"
in any true sense. True sheet overcoats are available from numerous sources like MacTac or Seal, but require specialized roll applicators and training. It's important in any of these cases that the inkjet is thoroughly cured, that is, outgassed of glycols, which takes considerably longer than just the apparent dry time.

[paulr]

I just talked to Premier Art. They say the product seals a print and is waterproof, so even if you had water-soluble inks you'd be able clean a print with a wet cloth.

The MSDS says the only hazard is isopropyl alcohol fumes.

This looks a good bet. Thanks for the tip!

[Drew Wiley]

We were posting at the same time, Greg. Sometimes people think I exaggerate about the hazards; but over the years I've seen entire industrial building explode
from improper lacquer booths. It can be like a bomb going off. People I once knew have been instantly vaporized. On slightly smaller scale, all it would take is someone lighting a cigarette when an aerosol spray is in the air and you'd end up with a meth lab scenario of severe ether burns. I find it odd that these kinds of
lacquers can still be sold for hobby use, when equivalent flammable lacquers for cabinet shops have been illegal for quite some time due to safety issues. But
butyl acetate lacquers are now illegal here in Calif even in art stores. Also very very bad for the central nervous system. I know people who constantly incontrollably shake like a leaf due to being around these chemicals. But I mentioned a fume hood - better have a spark-proof motor in that too - but nobody does, so go figure. Think Hindenburg - the blimp incident, that is.

[Drew Wiley]

The MSDS says it's "highly flammable". Get it? At least the solvent isn't acetone or lacquer thinner, but it's still something than can explode aerosolized until the
alchohol dissipates from the surrounding air. And it's still butyl acetate, which is hardly healthy. And it's still illegal around here, for a very good reason. I'm not
saying, don't try it; just use common sense. It's not like a can of Krylon acrylic spray!

[Bruce Watson]

I just brought home a 60" wide print from my current project (yikes). It was for a customer, but my printmaker damaged it almost imperceptibly while mounting to the dibond. I'm not ready to shell out $$$ for a frame, so it's going to hang buck naked from a wooden cleat.

First, what's the substrate? Paper or fabric? The standard for fabrics like canvas is a water based coating. Ask your printmaker -- he's probably already set up to spray / roll coatings on canvas. If it's paper, there are again water based coatings, mostly applied in a spray booth. They can be nearly invisible and not change the look of the print, to anything you want -- take a matte print to full gloss if you want.

So... ask your printmaker.

Alternatively, you could use this "free" print for an experimental mounting. For example, you could experiment with mounting to an aluminum sheet.

Or you could just use push pins in the corners and cease thinking about it at all.