Digital BW, The Print

Do either Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta 325 or Gold Fibre Silk need a
spray sealer to protect the surface? If so, which one do you
recommend? I'm assuming a solvent spray is best?

I keep my B&W photos mostly in archival storage boxes, and the prints
I display are all indoors. I use a 2400 with K3 inks, and occasionally
use an MIS ink in the yellow position.

Thanks,
George Le Masurier

glemasurier wrote:
> Do either Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta 325 or Gold Fibre Silk need a
> spray sealer to protect the surface? If so, which one do you
> recommend? I'm assuming a solvent spray is best?
Prints on paper destined for a stacking in drawers or display framed 
under glazing don't *need* to be overcoated or laminated. In fact, 
unless done well and throughly dried an overcoating can cause prints to 
stick together when stacked, even to stick to interleaving papers. This 
can be a quick way to destroy lots of prints all at once if you aren't 
exceedingly careful.

But if you decide you *want* to do it anyway, please do it responsibly. 
The volatile organic compounds (VOC) in solvent based sprays are bad for 
both your health (and everyone else's) and for the environment. The VOCs 
are so bad that solvent based paints and inks are being outlawed in most 
countries around the world because of the damage they do. Europe leads 
on this; already in the USA solvent based paints are hard to find. IIRC 
they'll be illegal in a year or two.

What I'm saying is, if you are going to spray, at least use a water 
based spray. HPs gloss optimizer, for example, is water based, as is 
Epson's GLOP. Most popular overcoats are water based. Breathing Color's 
Glamor II, Clear Star's Clear Shield Type C, etc. are water based.
--
Bruce Watson

> > Do either Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta 325 or Gold Fibre Silk need a
> > spray sealer to protect the surface? If so, which one do you
> > recommend? I'm assuming a solvent spray is best?

I don't know about those particular papers, but Premier Art Print 
Shield is what I sometimes use to spray glossy prints.  It does offer 
some protection against abraision, as well as hide gloss differential 
and bronzing.  This is a solvent based spray that does have the nasty 
VOCs in it.  Where I live an open garage works; gogles and a 
respirator (or just holding your breath) are recommended.

> ...
> unless ... throughly dried an overcoating can cause prints to 
> stick together when stacked, ...

I've found this only with the water based coatings. 

...
> The volatile organic compounds (VOC) in solvent based 
> sprays are bad for both your health (and everyone else's) 
> and for the environment. 

True.  Even the water based ones are not necessarily healthy.  They 
are most commonly suspensions of what one expert referred to 
as "gooey golf balls" of solvent and coating.  I think you'll see in 
the commercial field "100% solids" is where the industry is going to 
try and get away from these solvents.  I'm not sure we have any such 
coatings available to us.

I, frankly, prefer no spraying at all, but given the way our pigments 
tend to sit on top of the paper, they are all too easy to damage.  
Some type of over-coat would be nice.

Perhpas Daniela and Mantinieri are onto something with their gelatin 
coating.  See message 93834.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Your point about VOC compounds are duly noted, and I'm going to not 
replace my Printshield spray cans... What do you think is the best 
water based coating?  And will these coatings work for both gloss and 
matte type papers?  I've only done gloss spraying... 

I like to mount my prints directly on 3/4 in. blk gatorboard w/ no 
frame or glass, and in PS add a 1/2 in black edge.  I'm using harman 
gloss paper w/ 3 med. coats of Printshield spray.  A clean look I 
think ... 

SteveB


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "pr_roark" 
<pr_roark@...> wrote:
>
> 
> > > Do either Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta 325 or Gold Fibre Silk need 
a
> > > spray sealer to protect the surface? If so, which one do you
> > > recommend? I'm assuming a solvent spray is best?
> 
> I don't know about those particular papers, but Premier Art Print 
> Shield is what I sometimes use to spray glossy prints.  It does 
offer 
> some protection against abraision, as well as hide gloss 
differential 
> and bronzing.  This is a solvent based spray that does have the 
nasty 
> VOCs in it.  Where I live an open garage works; gogles and a 
> respirator (or just holding your breath) are recommended.
> 
> > ...
> > unless ... throughly dried an overcoating can cause prints to 
> > stick together when stacked, ...
> 
> I've found this only with the water based coatings. 
> 
> ...
> > The volatile organic compounds (VOC) in solvent based 
> > sprays are bad for both your health (and everyone else's) 
> > and for the environment. 
> 
> True.  Even the water based ones are not necessarily healthy.  They 
> are most commonly suspensions of what one expert referred to 
> as "gooey golf balls" of solvent and coating.  I think you'll see 
in 
> the commercial field "100% solids" is where the industry is going 
to 
> try and get away from these solvents.  I'm not sure we have any 
such 
> coatings available to us.
> 
> I, frankly, prefer no spraying at all, but given the way our 
pigments 
> tend to sit on top of the paper, they are all too easy to damage.  
> Some type of over-coat would be nice.
> 
> Perhpas Daniela and Mantinieri are onto something with their 
gelatin 

> coating.  See message 93834.
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com
>

>...What do you think is the best water based coating?

For what I do, I have not found any that I like well enough to use.

If I were a pro lab with a spray booth, etc. and doing canvas, it might 
be a different story.  

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com