Digital BW, The Print

I'm rather picky about what I spray on my prints.  Historically, 
coatings have had all sorts of trouble with yellowing, cracking, and, 
I'm sure, other problems.  One spray I tested for a seller yellowed 
visibly in only 100 hours in my fade testing (about 1 Wilhelm year).

My reading suggested that a good acrylic is about the best with 
respect to yellowing.  Lascaux is pure acrylic and what I was led 
to.  My pastel painter friends also say that while they all change 
the colors slightly, Lascaux is the best they've found.  It also 
lowers the dmax the least on matte papers in my testing.  Lascaux 
does not contain a UV blocker like Premier Art Print Shield, and it 
is not as effective at dealing with reflective artifacts on glossy 
prints.  But for a bit of protection for matte prints that, for 
example, might get damaged in shipping, I find it useful

For glossy paper, where these sprays raise the dmax, or where a UV 
blocker is more important than a better dmax on matte paper, I use 
Print Shield.  The Wilhelm testing gives me some confidense it will 
not yellow.   

In general, I'd rather not have to use these coatings at all.  It's 
simply more efficient to have a workflow that produces a print that 
is ready to use without more work. 

 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com