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PRINTMAKING
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Archival |
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Washington Printmakers Gallery guarantees that any framed print that you purchase from us is matted and framed archivally.
A print is normally mounted on a backing board and separated from the glass or plexiglass by a mat or by framing spacers. Archival framing simply means that the materials which come into contact with your print – the mat, backing, and adhesives – are either acid-free or acid-neutral. In addition, your print is protected from contact with the glass or plexiglass either by the mat or by framing spacers.
The acid content of non-archival framing materials causes them to deteriorate, eventually damaging a framed print. (We see examples of this kind of deterioration in newspaper pages, magazines, cardboard, and ordinary tape. All of these materials have a very high acid content and become yellow and brittle as they age.) If the glass or plexiglass is in direct contact with a print, damage may result from any moisture which may condense inside the frame during changes in temperature or humidity.
Look at the bevel edge of the "window" opening in your mat. In an archival mat the bevel edge will be a uniform color. (The bevel is usually the same color as the front of the mat, although there are certain colored mats where the top layer – only – may be a different color.) In a non-archival mat, the front and back of the mat are a different color from the inner core of the board. Now look at the back of the frame. The best quality backing will be matte (acid-free foam core backing, rather than shiny (regular foam core backing.) Shiny backing isn't by itself a bad sign; the artist may have sandwiched a layer of acid-free material (which you can't see) between the mat board and the work of art. But the combination of a non-archival mat and shiny backing usually indicates that the matting and framing is non-archival. Finally, check to make sure that, if the print is "floated" in the frame without a mat, there are spacers or other devices used to keep the print from coming into contact with the glass or plexiglass. |
