Digital BW, The Print

Hello Jim, As a lurking learner I just want to thank you for a terrific
post.  It is very helpful!!

 

Phil Radlick

 

-----Original Message-----
From: jim hayes [mailto:jimhayes@...] 
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 9:36 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Paper/Framing tips (long), was B/W Photo
Framing/Paper question

 

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "BluesVan"
<BluesVan@a...> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I've got an Epson 2200 and ImagePrint, and I'm getting excellent B/W 
> prints.  I am fairly new to this and wanted to know if there is a 
> preferred paper type (matte, rag, etc..) and brand (should I even 
> consider using non-Epson papers ?) for B/W archival photos which 
> will be framed under glass (are there alternatives here as well ?).  
> I'm looking at print sizes ranging from 5 x 7 to 5 x 8.75 to 8 x 10.
> 
> Thanks for any info,
> Brian

I use the same combo, though I print larger. I frame myself since the
markup is tremendous (can be 5x, am told). Here's some thoughts. They
are longish, and my opinion only, others may have other preferences/
better and longer experiences:

1) "Ghosting" can occur with glossy but not matte papers. This is were
you frame something, and 6 months later, the ink sort of outgasses,
forming an image on the inside of the glass. It can be solved,
according to many, by simply putting a sheet of paper over the print
after it is printed for a couple of days to absorb stuff. Then frame
it. I use matte paper so haven't ever messed with this.

2) Some matte paper can have the coating flake off in little bits,
creating white spots. Brushing with a drafters brush or an anti-static
cloth just before printer insertion may minimise this, as may spraying
the print after. Hahnemule paper is notorious for flaking but is
otherwise a top paper. Low humidity can worsen the problem. Non-Epson
paper is fine, except don't tell Epson you've used them if you need
Epson tech support. Weird. Some papers have optical brightners to make
them whiteter- some people think this is not strictly archival or that
the paper will dull in time.

3) If you spray the print with a fixative it can improve longevity.
Some coatings deepen the blacks on glossy paper- this is a subject in
itself. There are many sprays. Premier Art "Print Shield" has been
tested to improve longevity officially. It is transpartent on matte
paper, on glossy too if you spray it with care.

4) go to htttp://inkjetart.com and click on the 2200 link and then the
media recomendations link for paper recomendations. This is a
commercial site. But they try to have a lot of plain facts about this
stuff.

5) I use metal frames over wood because they have less chance of
contamination (acid in wood) getting into the mat, and can be taken
apart and reassembled in a flash if you don't put Kraft paper on the
back. W/o Kraft paper the print can breathe too. I buy cardboard
corners that go over the  metal corners to prevent nicks on frames for
transport. I buy from http://www.framingsupplies.com which has good
service, huge variety, and discounts on hangers to mat cutters. You
can get metal and wood moulding cut to many lengths. A metal frame
moulding, cut to 18x24 with assembly hadware, costs only $11.

6) Lucite is better for shipping and has less of a tint to it than
glass, but I never use it anymore. It scratches too easily and the
staic electricity collects dust and can contribute to print flaking. I
use Conservation-clear glass made by Tru-Vue. This glass has an
anti-UV coating on the inside, which contributes to longevity of
print. I don't get anti-glare version simply because I don't like it,
but it is also made by etching the inside of the glass with acid-
slightly questionable. Lucite anti-glare is made differently I believe
and is safe. Anti-UV lucite is also made but hard to find (try Light
Impressions). If you buy the glass cut request that they sand the
edges, and ask that they put a bit of masking tape on the outside
face, so you dont have to scratch the border with a razor blade to
tell which side has the UV coating and ahould face inside. I use
Tru-Vue (purple) glass cleaner because it is safe for the UV coating
and I presume archival. Shop around for glass, I found prices vary
locally.

7) I have used Logan's top of the line mat cutter called "Framer's
Edge"  for about 1 1/2 years, bought at a discount from
framingsupplies.com, although they carry other brands. Logan can be
pretty bad, a friend that has framed all his life tells me he hates
Logan, but this is a decent model at a good price. I don't think I'd
buy any other model they make but that's up to you. Always use at
least a 4 ply window mat so that the print will never touch the glass-
it can breathe.

8) There are a few ways to attach the print to the back mat and hold
it behind the window mat. I never dry mount anymore. Some people use 
ragged edge torn Japanese Mulberry paper strips to form hinges with
either wheat or rice paste adhesive to attach to top of print. Lineco
even makes pre-adhesive torn strips-right out of the box. I like
mounting corners better. They are little corner pockets, paper or
plastic that hold the work in place, hopefully hidden behind the
window mat. They go on in seconds and you can remove the print and
even swap prints out with these. My favorite new item I use is
see-thru polyester mounting strips by Lineco, which are just strips
that hold an edge of your print overlapping it... you can then form
your own corners, cut the strips to any length (1/2-1 inch for your
size), hold the long edge of a print in the middle, trim the overlap
to not be visible under window mat (!) etc. With corners or strips,
leave a little gap so the print can expand under temp extremes without
buckling. From what I can see it looks like the strips promote
expansion better than the corners, but I've just started using them.
If using the hinges, you don't worry about this.

9) Consider a bigger frame. The fashion now is to have wide window mat
borders. Some folks like to weight the window, making the top border
narrower than the bottom border. I try not to go below a 3 inch
border, even on the top; you may get away with less on a smaller
print- certainly 5x7. I think when I added up the entire cost of
framing something in an 11 x 14 frame, including glass, mat board,
rubber feet, etc, it was about $15 materials, getting it from the
right sources.

10) I called up Crescent and ordered most of their archival mat board
corner samples, and a display stand to hold them. This is what the
frame shops have. It's only 18 inches long and holds about 230 
different corner samples. Something like $35 for both. I also ordered
about 30 sample metal frame "corners" from framingsupplies.com - they
cut them for you for this purpose if you want. So I now have a mini
frame shop. I look at corner samples, hold them next to print, then
just call up a local frame shop and order up a 32x40 sheet of whatever
mat color I want. I can save a dollar/sheet if I order a pack of 25
from framingsupplies.com but they sometimes get creased in shipping.
You can buy the mat corner sample kit from them too but it's more
expensive than from Crescent. 

11) I learned a lot of this by simply buying a few books and reading
them and then making a few mistakes. And following threads on this
forum (aka "ghosting") and others. A lot of framing books get well,
silly (my opinion) by after a chapter or two on basic framing, going
into how they made frames out of junk found in flea markets, gluing
glitter to the frame moulding, welding frames out of rusty iron, very
weird stuff. I suggest: keep the frame simple and understated. And
research the books you buy carefully...get lots of pages of nitty
gritty, and less on special frames and triple window mat cutting with
notches in the corners, etc. Actually, it can be a simple task
requiring minimal skills.

Jim Hayes    





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