Got a Laminator ... not so impressed

CBG

Just got a lamination machine.. not so impressed.  The plastic did not adhere to the front surface enough to ensure deep rich blacks... it does a good enough job for making menus I suppose... but for proper color in the darks it might not cut it.

I will use it for now.. but just a thought/question...

Has anyone ever tried varnishing a photo?  IS there a kind of varnish that would protect it enough so that you could dab and wipe oil paint off of it as you would a laminated photo?  Does or would it look better than a laminated photo??

I'm working from a photo... initially I had placed it behind a glass pane I took out of a picture frame (thought I was clever) but the glare and reflections (even of my own face) make seeing the blacks in the photo impossible.

KingstonFineArt

I spray my prints with Digital Photo Clear Acrylic Sealer. It seals the print and wipes clean . Another approach is clear acetate. Buy the stuff from an art supple store. Just tape it on.

tassieguy

No need for a laminator. I just use bits clear plasic/acetate. I cut pieces about 1" X 4". I put a dab of paint on the plastic, hold it flat against the photo which is flat on my painting so no glare  I don't worry about wiping the plastic clean. When it gets covered with swatches of paint I just toss it and get a new bit. It's easy, cheap and it works.

CBG

@KingstonFineArt

@tassieguy

Thank you for the tips!

Intothevoid

I use a roll of clear plastic used for covering books, sticky on one side and extremely cheap. 
Cut to size, peel the backing off and trim the edges

CBG

@KingstonFineArt

What brand of Digital Photo Clear Acrylic Sealer do you use?  Can I use it inside without any worry of chemical fumes?

If I had to choose between gloss or satin or other texture which would simultaneously reduce glare and reflections (that's why my glass pane is not usable) while allowing me to wipe paint daubs away?

KingstonFineArt

@CBG
I bought 4 cans a long time ago at Pearl Paint when the were just going under. I still have 2 partial cans. I only spray 20 prints a year. I spray outdoors year round. Even in sub freezing temps.
These sprays are for UV protection of high end digital prints. They are matte finish. Digital print suppliers offer them. Pearl is gone.

CBG

@KingstonFineArt

Thanks for the tip, so I bought this stuff:

InkPress Image Guard - for inkjet printed images

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/841410-REG/Inkpress_IIGUVS_Image_Guard_Protective_Coating.html


I've sprayed it on my inkjet reference photos, and they look quite good with this coating, exhibiting little to no glare... I have yet to try dabbing on them and wiping off with my acrylics. Fingers crossed.

PS: as an experiment I had tried using craft/multipurpose clear coat (satin) spray and it totally messed up the colors of my inkjet prints, interacting with the inks in a very bad way, so I am very happy with the InkPress product.. it does what it is meant to do.

Again thanks for the tip!

KingstonFineArt

@CBG
Some digital print surfaces do not tolerate Acrylics. Luster and glossy with a good spray are ok. but don't try to rub off the dabs. You are putting plastic on plastic it will FIU. 

CBG

@KingstonFineArt

Just to clarify, when you said

KingstonFineArt said:

I spray my prints with Digital Photo Clear Acrylic Sealer. It seals the print and wipes clean . 

 are you referring only to oil paint "wiping clean"?  

i.e. when you say

KingstonFineArt said:

but don't try to rub off the dabs. You are putting plastic on plastic it will FIU. 

does that mean Acrylic paint would not wipe clean even with the spray you used?

KingstonFineArt

@CBG
The spray is acrylic at least mine is. So Glossier and Expensive luster are better but Canvas and some expensive coated papers are not. You have to test. Give it a third coat. Then the acrylic paint will be working into the spray only.
I used to sell prints that I painted over with acrylic paint. Sort of like a mono print. But the paper wasn't coated like some are. You have to test them.
I just did a test. Epson Premium Luster. with and without spray no problem. Where it was sprayed the paint came off cleaner.
Thats expensive paper with Epson Ultrachrome inks

CBG

@KingstonFineArt

Thank you that helps. 

My paper is also a "Luster" (Canon Photo Paper Pro Luster) so things should be good... I'll also try to remember to wipe my reference photo quickly after checking... rather than painting first and coming back to clean it.

Hopefully I can finally practice DMP color checking directly on my reference photo!

KingstonFineArt

@CBG
My experience is that Acrylic is not as opaque you may have to lay it on very thick. Oil and Acrylic are two different things. Each has it strengths but they're not the same.

Bucky

@CBG I too have been trying different ways to do color checking without a laminating machine and just recently discovered Self-Adhesive Single Sided Laminating Sheets made by Fellowes (other companies may make them as well).

They are basically very thin sheets of plastic and typically come in 9 x 12" size sheets. They're very easy to apply (adhere) to the photo and to get a perfectly tight seal. I get little to no glare (although the amount of glare of course also depends on the photo's relationship to light sources). And the best thing of all, the paint wipes off completely clean. 

This is by far the best solution I've discovered to do color checking without a laminating machine.

They're cheap, too.   You can get a 20 pack of sheets for about $10

CBG

Bucky said:

@CBG I too have been trying different ways to do color checking without a laminating machine and just recently discovered Self-Adhesive Single Sided Laminating Sheets made by Fellowes (other companies may make them as well).

They are basically very thin sheets of plastic and typically come in 9 x 12" size sheets. They're very easy to apply (adhere) to the photo and to get a perfectly tight seal. I get little to no glare (although the amount of glare of course also depends on the photo's relationship to light sources). And the best thing of all, the paint wipes off completely clean. 

This is by far the best solution I've discovered to do color checking without a laminating machine.

They're cheap, too.   You can get a 20 pack of sheets for about $10

Thanks for the tip!  I might try those out one day!


Update:  The inkpress image guard works well with my acrylics.  I do have to wipe rather quickly... because drying starts immediately even though I am using Golden Open (slower dry times).  The satin finish is a trade off, - better glare suppression but less forgiving on wiping... if you wipe a bit too late you will get a very thin film of dried paint, which will set into the stain finish, which itself is very subtle but not ideal.  So wipe quickly!