Know Custom Framing
Vladimir Arts has been framing and preserving art since 1975.
We emphasize three things to consider when framing your prints.
1. DO NOT USE GLASS ON ANYTHING LARGER THAN AN 8X10- Glass today is still the standard in most frame shops. Certainly glass with UV inhibitors is better than no UV protection at all but consider that glass shatters and it's at least four times the weight. ACRYLIC has UV inhibitors, is "optically pure" and ensures that in travel your art will stay protected. Acrylic can break but will not shatter like glass.
2. Virtually all mats today are acid free, don't be fooled, you want to hear the term ARCHIVAL when referring to Mat Boards. Archival matting ensures that the mats are not only acid free but LIGNIN free. Lignin, not as much acid today, is why you'll see mat cuts turning yellow over time and transposing damage to the print.
3. Do not let a framer tape down your limited edition prints. Many framing classes teach their students this technique. Any use of tapes will restrict the natural expansion and contraction of prints due to humidity changes over time. Framing should last lifetimes if done correctly. Over the course of decades there will be humidity changes in the environment of your art. The tape prevents your print from expanding and contracting and you'll see rippling in prints. We use a "float mount" technique where Acrylic tabs mount the print. Margins are left slightly open for expansion and contraction. This is also referred to as a museum mount.
Damage on lithographs is more often than not irreversible. Dyes and inks fading, yellowing on the print, and taping a print down is considered damage. Any Secondary market values for prints are contingent on the print being in perfect shape. The idea is that if you were to take the print out of the frame a hundred years after framing that it would be in the same condition as when you put it into the frame. More important than secondary market value is your own enjoyment in your art. Frame it correctly and you'll be able to pass it down for generations. Do not pay a framer to damage your print.
