Digital BW, The Print

Last week, I posed several questions to the list regarding outgassing and UV 
protection for pigment inkjet (Epson 2200) prints mounted bare, without glass. 
  No one replied, so I went to Sam Flax and looked at the options.   Krylon 
seems to own the market for sealants, so I tried two:   UV-Resistant Matte 
Finish (1309) and UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating (1305).   

DO NOT USE THE MATTE FINISH ON EPSON 2200 INKSETS!   I ruined a print with 
this stuff -- it changed the pigments rather dramatically, rendering the 
previous natural skintones into an approximation of half-peeled sunburn.   It also 
seems to leave a chalky residue on the paper.   

The Clear Acrylic Coating, by contrast, did not seem to alter the image, but 
it did add a gloss to the surface (I had printed onto Epson Premium Lustre).   
It does not offend, but it also does not look as nice as the bare paper.

Does ayone on the list have a better suggestion, short of mounting the print 
behind glass?   (I hate glass.)   Are there other products that offer some UV 
protection and smudge resistance, that are less detectable over pigment inkjet 
prints?   

And, again, I would be grateful if someone could suggest the best way to 
clean fingerprints and smudges from bare pigment inkjet prints, that will not 
disturb the pigments themselves.

Sanders McNew.


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