After care
It is worth taking a little time to consider how best to protect the print whether screen prints or giclee. So some advice about after care is given here.
Prints are vulnerable objects easily bent and creased, and prone to atmospheric pollution. The traditional solution has been to frame the work. Real collectors of expensive rare prints keep their prints in special containers called solander cases. However I think most people want to look at their artwork and enjoy it regularly. If you must handle the print before framing handle as though lifting a butterfly wing, gently with two hands if a medium or large print.
The trouble is much poor framing is available and actively damages the paper and value of the artwork. The solution is to seek professional advice from a reputable framer who understands conservation framing.
You need to be armed with the right questions to put to the framer. What sort of mount boards (mats) will you use? How will you hinge the print? What sort of barrier will be behind the print?
My prints are all on acid free paper. This means that they are not subject to internal attack from acid bearing ingredients which cause browning or foxing of the paper. So any mount placed directly on the print paper should also be acid free either in the form of Conservation board or even better Museum board. The life of these boards ranges from 70 to perhaps 200 years. Ordinary Standard board is not acid free and may actively attack the paper within a few months leaving brown staining which 'creeps' into the paper.
Similarly the backing barrier should also be acid free. The print should never be glued down or even dry mounted. Any adhesive tapes stuck to the back of the print should be acid free and only enough used to secure the top of the paper. (Paper expands and contracts with humidity, so always allow for this in framing.)
I recommend simple contemporary frames in ash or light oak from sustainable sources, but it is a matter of taste but the back should be sealed with neutral tape.
Never hang a print in direct sunlight or opposite a large bright window. Sunlight will inevitably fade some colours, particularly reds. Neither is it wise to hang framed prints above direct sources of heat such as radiators or open fires, or on damp stone outer walls.
Finally prints will suffer if hung in kitchens, bathrooms or conservatories. There are ways round this including hermetically sealing the frames and using expensive UV protective glass. You get what you are prepared to pay for.
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