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 To ensure the long life of a print, keep all materials containing acid away from it.
When you buy a print from me, you will receive
printed guidelines (similar to the passages below) regarding displaying and caring for your print. You will also receive a warranty. You should follow my guidelines, or the warranty will be void.
Unpacking and Storage:
A print that you purchase from me will be protected
by a sheet of acid-free interleaving paper and plastic and placed in a shipping box. Unpack and unroll the print. Allow it to resume its “flatness” by laying it
flat, sandwiched between the sheets of acid-free paper it was rolled with. Weight if necessary. Store in like manner.
Matting and Framing Design:
In general, it is best to frame and matt anything simply. You will be looking at the print, not the frame.
The matt should probably be of a neutral color and
not be too large for the image. A double matt can be very attractive and has the added advantage that the surface of the print is kept safely away from the
surface of the glass more efficiently than with a single matt.
The frame should be simple. I like metal frames which come in a variety of sections and colors. A metal frame contains, obviously, no acidic wood and
usually no glues as all the framing mechanisms are also metal
Keeping the print behind glass is essential to ensure print longevity. There is no necessity for any special glass - some of which also tends to dullen the appearance of the work behind it.
Matting:
The longevity of your print will suffer if it is matted in
such a way that it touches, or is even close to, any material containing acid. The only papers and boards that can be acid-free are cotton based - commonly
called “cotton rag.” Wood is naturally acidic, so avoid wood pulp based materials. Wood-based board can be buffered with calcium carbonate so that it tests “acid-neutral.” This retards the aging process
caused by acid, but not as well as acid-free cotton rag board. Acid free conservation board tends to be more limited in color range, but, for example, Bainbridge produces a good selection in
its Alpharag Artcare Museum Series. In addition to the matt board used, it is also important to use no glues, labels or mounting devices that can be harmful to the print.
If you are going to take the print to a framing shop, please make certain that they know what “archival” or “conservation” framing means. Most will be able to help you. Good
matting will cost a little more, but not grossly so. If you are going to matt the print yourself, good sources for both materials and information include www.framing4yourself.com, www.lineco.com, www.mattcutter.com and www.lightimpressionsdirect.com. Light Impressions put out a good mail order catalog.
If you purchase their pre-cut matts it is quite easy to do the framing yourself -- and quite a bit cheaper
The danger of incorrect matting is not just that the print may fade after 10 years.
Deterioration can be more rapid. For example, if you use the wrong mounting devices and the wrong glues, spotting and staining can occur in a short time.
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