Digital BW, The Print

Hi,

I just tried out some Renaissance wax as a final coat on Epson Premium Luster 
paper.  It seems to work really well, giving an almost invisible finish to the print.  I 
rubbed it on the print with a cotton cloth and then buffed lightly with another.  Dries 
very fast and becomes quite hard - won't show finger prints.  I also tried putting it on 
after spraying the print with Premium Art Print Shield and it goes on even easier and 
smoother.  I am planning to try out this combination on large 32x40 and 40x50 prints 
mounted on gatorfoam or dibond and framed without glass.  I'm still a little worried 
about how durable this combo will be and about how it will affect the longevity of my 
pigment ink (10K) prints.  

However, the blurb from Renaissance (sold by Light Impressions for $19.95/8oz) 
says that it is acid-free, developed for preservation use, and used by museums on 
the surface of fiber-based silver photographic prints.  I also tried it on Photorag for 
the hell of it - turns the image to soft mush.  I'm hoping that this is the solution to 
my quest for glassless framing.  If not I may use another spray such as Liquetex.  
What I like about the Print Shield/Wax combo is that it gives a surface that is 
relatively indistinguishable from the untreated print. 

I haven't tried it on Epson Premium Semimatte yet.  I just ordered a roll and printed 
on it for the first time using my custom profile for Luster and can't easily tell the 
difference between it and Luster, except the semimatte is very smooth and the 
Luster has a very fine pebbly texture when viewed in certain light.  I wish it came in 
sheets as well as rolls.  Cheers,

Tom Andrews
http://www.wildlandart.com