Q's on outgassing and flattening

[kiro]

OK - I just got a batch of 4 16X20 prints made on an epson with k3 inks on epson lustre paper, and have

8 more coming tomorrow. they look fantastic... i think i may be in the market for an epson soon... but i

digress. i'm super-paranoid about inkjet prints so i have a couple questions.

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First, is it OK to stack these prints on top of each other as I put about 50 pounds of books on them to

flatten for a couple days? Any risk of damage there?

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Second, do I need to give them time to outgas first? they won't be framed anytime soon, but will be

wrapped in plastic for sale next week... do i still use the tissue paper method for these like you do for

other inks?

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thanks all...<p>

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here</a> to see what i'm printing

[barry schmetter]

I've been printing up a storm for an upcoming show and I've been letting my lustre prints dry for 4-5 days before stacking and eventual framing. I figure the prints will cure faster if left exposed to the air. The lustre paper has a plastic coating, so it seems like it would impede the final drydown process if they were tightly stacked. So I'd give then a chance to fully dry before flattening and sticking into sleeves.

[kiro]

thanks barry - once they're dry, can i flatten them all at once in one stack or am i gonna have

16X20's all over the house covering every flat surface i can muster?

[barry schmetter]

I've been interleaving with tissue and stacking prior to framing. I haven't noticed any rippling of the tissue, so I assume they're reasonably dry. So I think it would be ok to stack before flattening. Even if you get a little outgassing on the sleeves, it doesn't seem like it would be a major problem--as opposed to pulling prints out of their frames.

[beauh44]

Hi Kier, At one time I believe Epson recommended putting a piece of paper - regular typing paper will do - on top of the print to act sort of like a "wick" to help draw out the gasses from the pigment inks. This was back in the 2200 days though and I'm not sure if they still feel that's necessary with newer, K3 inks. Anyhoo, you might want to look into that, and if it's still suggested, put a piece of paper between the prints when stacking them. I couldn't see how it would hurt anything to do it anyway. Good luck!

[dickhilker]

The easiest and fastest method to hasten outgassing is to use a hair dryer. The prints are dry as they come from the printer, but the glycol ink solvent takes several days to evaporate. I've never found need to flatten Epson papers before framing, inasmuch as I use an archival spray adhesive to attach them to the foamcore mounting board. This works well on prints up to 24" X 48".

[ellis_vener_photography]

Bill Atkinson recommends putting a sheet of pH neutral paper ovr the prints for a couple of

hours and then replacing it with a clean one for another day or so to take care of outgassing

issues.

[kiro]

thanks everyone - at this point i've got the outgassing going with the sheets of paper on them. however, is it OK to flatten all at once with the prints stacked one on top of the other? again, i'm super paranoid with inkjet prints, so just let me know if i'm over analyzing it... thanks!

[laura_serventi1]

Hi Kier,

I work in a printing studio, and what we usually do is put archival glassines between the prints to protect the surface. We've flatten many prints together many times in a press and I've seen it's perfectly fine, so don't worry.

About the drying time, 24 hours is the minimum time you should wait to frame the print.

Good luck on the exhibition,

Laura