What to spray on a photo to protect it?

<p>I have seen photos that have been printed and framed without glass and they look amazing. They have all have some type of protective spray on them. <br>

I tried out the Krylon - Low Odour Clear Matte spray on a photo that I printed on my Epson R1900 and it ruined the photo.<br>

What kind of spray adds a texture to the photo and protects it?</p>

<p>Paul, One of the funny things about PNet is when you post a question, the ads on the right side often have the answer. This ad shows on my browser right now: http://adtuition.com/redirect/redirect?product_id=1554013&ad_impression_uuid=d99dac60-0012-012d-8228-1231380089b2&publisher_ad_unit_id=3225&sig=209075abdf54a003144ebc2c7a9e2f2ad08b9736&product_click_counter=false</p>

<p>However, I have big concerns about the archival properties of any spray.</p>

<p>For the best protection possible, I would suggest film lamination which seals photos from air and moisture from both sides of the the print which is critical to preserving photos. I believe that the sprays are only for lab prints.</p>

<p>I haven't used it but Hahnemuhle makes a protective spray, I think it is about $30 for 2 cans.</p>

<p>On occasion, I've had my lab apply a laminate - specifically for when the print will be displayed without glazing. If you go with a matte finish laminate, the image can appear just a bit softer, but that may be a reasonable price to pay for not having a a highly reflective pieceof glass out in front of it, or having to pay a fortune for museum glass. The laminates provide a nice, tough surface.</p>

<blockquote>

<p> They have all have some type of protective spray on them.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>They might just be glossy paper.</p>

<p>I use Lacquer-Mat:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.lacquer-mat.com/">http://www.lacquer-mat.com/</a></p>

<p>You can make a spray hood out of a huge cardboard box.</p>

<p>I don't use laminates so I can't recommend a particular route for you to take, but there is a PDF on this at Wilhelm's site that might like to read.</p>

<p>http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/HW_Book_04_of_20_HiRes_v1a.pdf</p>

<p>Peter</p>

<p>Some folks like Premier Print Shield.<br>

<a href="http://www.ecoprintshield.com/coating-with-printshield/">http://www.ecoprintshield.com/coating-with-printshield/</a></p>

<p>Nothing is worthwhile, in my opinion, unless you don't care about long term preservation of your prints. Wilhelm suggests a need for a better lacquer, but states that no prints intended for museum or preservation should be lacquered, or laminated, or subjected to 3M's Photoguard (if you are in a very high humidity area, the latter can be helpful though to prevent print fungus. It can also protect prints that are not separated from glass by a spacer).</p>

<p>Why not simply frame and present your prints as such? Unless they are under very high UV exposure (direct sunlight, for example) coating is probably more harmful than beneficial. The texture of a fine print material is usually what is best and many print materials have built-in UV blockers.</p>

<p>Note that the Wilhelm article is 20 years old.</p>

<p>thank you very much for all the responses.</p>

<p>In years past I used a product called McDonald's Photo Laquer. I suggest call and artist's supply store and see if they still carry it. I had pretty good success in keeping smudges and moisture off my prints. It is worth a try since Krylon is not doing the job for you. Artist's who work in charcoal need to spray their work, and that is why the art supply suggestion i put forth, Paul.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone who responded to my inquiry. I am sort of leaning toward the matte finish laminate that you suggested Matt. But I will give one of the sprays a go also just to see the results. Thanks again to all. <br>

John </p>