UV coating of flush mount pages necessary?

[christopher_newkumet]

<p>To cover a lower price point, I'm pulling together a studio sample of one of those peel-and-stick wedding albums from Neil. Basically, I've done the album design in Photoshop and now have to get the 10x10 prints made. I was figuring to just order the prints on basic E-Surface paper and be done with it.<br>

Should I spring for the UV coating for the prints? It's going to be a sample album, so I'm not sure I care if it lasts 100 years. Still, I want to be sure it looks nice after several people have paged through it. The only printed items I've used coating on are business cards and promotional post cards, and they tend to look rather glossy and are prone to smudging and fingerprints when handled. That is certainly not what I'd want for the album sample.<br>

Does anyone know if the big album companies like Leather Craftsman coat their prints?</p>

[frank uhlig]

<p>Rather than an album, have you ever thought of a nice photobook instead?</p>

[david_zhang5]

<p>UV coating is helpful if the album will be looked at frequently. It protects the paper from coffee and water spills. There was one time when a client spilled some coffee on my sample album, I just simply wiped it off. There was no trace of it.</p>

[ted_suss]

<p>The "album binders" like Leather Craftsmen, etc. all lacquer their prints before mounting. This is available from most professional labs when ordering your prints in various levels of matte/gloss. It's a really good idea.</p>

[jason_moore4]

<p>yes it's necessary if you want to have your albums last for a very long time. and like the earlier guy said, to protect it from spills and smudges. i use Artifex albums because it's affordable.</p>