Mounting Your Print

How do you go about mounting your newly bought print so it lasts as long as possible? We will try to give you the best advice on how to do it both in a good way and at the same time give you a few tips on how to save.

 

What destroys your print?

Inkjet prints printed with archive quality pigment ink (professional ink, apart from consumer level dye ink used in regular photo-printers) usually last 75+ years if kept right and printed on art quality papers. So what does then destroy your art prematurely? Answer: sunlight, chemicals and moisture.

 

Protection: What saves your bacon?

First, sunlight: Easiest and hardest to protect from. Easy as in putting all your art in the closet, hard as you want to see it but keep sunlight off it. While special glass can help a bit, the best solution is always to keep your art on walls without direct sunlight.
Second, chemicals: Usually, the biggest threat is from clorine, since a lot of cheap frames come with, passepartouts, boards or backplanes made from cheap paper or fibre-mass board. The latter also often contains formaldehyde which also destroys art. Some plastic glass used in cheap frames  are made from plastics containing clorine. The solution is either to use a professional framer or buying frames that are declared free from harmful chemicals. Art-supply stores often carries deals that fits the budget-minded, and sometimes places like IKEA have frames where you simply can replace the back-board with one made from bleach-free paper. Included masking-papers/passepartouts should also be replaced unless declared clorine-free.
Third, moisture: Most homes are dry enough for keeping inkjets safe. If not, your house is unhealthy to live in. 😉