Digital BW, The Print

Is there a spray I can buy that will protect the surface of a matte 
print without altering it?

>Is there a spray I can buy that will protect the surface of a matte 
>print without altering it?


I use Lascaux Fixativ for matte paper.  It's not total protection, but it's
better than nothing.  See
http://www.dickblick.com/zz217/14/products.asp?ig_id=4138



Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Will this fixative affect the longevity of the print.  UT on PhotoRag for example.



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@v...> 
wrote:

> >Is there a spray I can buy that will protect the surface of a matte 
> >print without altering it?
> 
> 
> I use Lascaux Fixativ for matte paper.  It's not total protection, but it's
> better than nothing.  See
> http://www.dickblick.com/zz217/14/products.asp?ig_id=4138
> 
> 
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com

Paul-

Longevity, plasticizers and other issues aside, have you done color tests on
these coatings??  I don't have the equipment to do so.

I'm just curious about a non-inked page with coating compared to uncoated.
Something like a week and a month later in the sun.

Has that been done?

Seth

==-----Original Message-----
==From: Paul Roark [mailto:paul.roark@...] 
==
==
==I use Lascaux Fixativ for matte paper.  It's not total 
==protection, but it's better than nothing.  See
==http://www.dickblick.com/zz217/14/products.asp?ig_id=4138
==

>Will this fixative affect the longevity of the print.  
>UT on PhotoRag for example.

In my fade testing Lascaux Fixativ seems to have little if any effect.  The
acrylic inside the can is Rolm & Haas B72, which is a well known material
that is used by conservationists often.  It appears to have even been used
on old masters by the Tate.   That's all I have on it.

>Longevity, plasticizers and other issues aside, have you done 
>color tests on these coatings?

It has a minor effect.  The reason I use it as opposed to PremierArt Print
Shield on matte paper is that it has a much lower impact on the dmax.  With
3 light coats, there is a minor reduction, but substantially less than with
Print Shield.  

Pastel artists I know say Lascaux is about the best in terms of not having
an impact on the colors, but some also say they all affect the image to some
degree.  

>I'm just curious about a non-inked page with coating compared to uncoated.
>Something like a week and a month later in the sun.

Lascaux is supposed to be non-yellowing.  I have not done a sun test, but in
fade testing no yellowing appeared.

I'm going to test Sennelier Latour spray also.  Some seem to like it better
than Lascaux.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com 

_____________________


==-----Original Message-----
==From: Paul Roark [mailto:paul.roark@...] 
==
==
==I use Lascaux Fixativ for matte paper.  It's not total 
==protection, but it's better than nothing.  See
==http://www.dickblick.com/zz217/14/products.asp?ig_id=4138
==




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Hi Paul,

I've been working on various coating techniques for a long time and
have mastered some aspects of it. The objective is to achieve the best
look with less concern on longevity. But the irony is in the process I
have come to appreciate the un-coated look and feel of the matte
print.

I have tried various fixatives including Lascaux, Sennlier Latour and
Delacroix. They all reduce your dmax somewhat. Lascaux may be the
best. But like you said the fixative hardly helps reduce scuffing. To
really reduce scuffing you'd have to apply a full liquid coating ...
sort of liquid lamination, but this may be disastrous in terms of both
time and personal taste.

As I said earlier I have really grown to appreciate the uncoated matte
print after experimenting with coatings for a couple years. Now the
question for me has become: how do I reduce both surface scuffing and
flaking. Most of my prints are intended to be touched by viewers so
finding a solution to this problem is critical.

I love the Hahnemuhle William Turner paper but it flakes like crazy.
All the Lascaux does to it is reduce dmax. Last night I tried
something I never tried before: I actually sanded down the paper's
coating using very fine grained sandpaper before printing. Sofar so
good. I've been handling the paper for a while now, including
shuffling it in a stack, and no scuffing or flaking whatsoever. I may
have lost a bit of dmax by sanding but this is nothing compared to any
coating no matter how light.

I think my next experiment will be on finding the best way to prepare
the matte surface before printing.

--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark"
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:

> I'm going to test Sennelier Latour spray also.  Some seem to like
it 

> better than Lascaux.
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com

Hello Nick,

>I love the Hahnemuhle William Turner paper but it flakes like crazy.
>All the Lascaux does to it is reduce dmax. Last night I tried
>something I never tried before: I actually sanded down the paper's
>coating using very fine grained sandpaper before printing. Sofar so
>good. I've been handling the paper for a while now, including
>shuffling it in a stack, and no scuffing or flaking whatsoever. 

>I think my next experiment will be on finding the best way to prepare
> the matte surface before printing.

Very interesting!  Please keep us posted.

Re the sanding, I have some 600 grade black sandpaper, is that similar
to what you used?  How hard did you rub?


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

Hello Clayton,

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Clayton Jones"
<cj@c...> wrote:
> Re the sanding, I have some 600 grade black sandpaper, is that 
> similar to what you used?  How hard did you rub? ...

Great news. I started out with the extreme measure of sanding down the
paper but I have since backed off a bit and still got great results.
One thing for sure is I have greatly reduced the amount of flaking. I
still have to rough handle the paper for some period of time before I
can speak for certain but sofar the result is very promising. Of the
prints I have made sofar none has flaked yet. Scuffing ... yes, there
is still some mild scruffing but not as bad as it was before the
pre-print treatment.

If you have handled the Hahnemuhle William Turner you know exactly
what I'm talking about. You don't dare to touch the print after it
came out of the printer. An accidental touch of a dark area and you
end up with a print with nice bright flakes.

I found a tough nylon brush which is almost as tough as those steel
barbecue grill scrubber. Well ... not that tough but it's definitely
not a paint brush. This thing won't grind down your inkjet receptive
coating like sandpaper but it's tough enough to turn it into velvet.
Then after some vigorous scrubbing shake off any loosen flakes.

Try this on a scrap piece of your favorite fineart paper,
especially one that has a gritty surface like the Hahn. WT. Then feel
the difference between the scrubbed and unscrubbed surfaces.

This definitely works great on the Hahn. WT and it gives me a
tremendous amount of confidence on the paper. I will try this same
preparation on other smoother papers to see if it will also help.

--nick