Re: Coating prints with polyurethane wood finish

All good questions, Ryuji.

Breathing Color (www.breathingcolor.com is the actual manufacturer;
inkjetart.com is a distributor) says that the University of Michigan is
currently conducting archival-standards tests on all Breathing Color
substrates and coatings. Final results are sill 6-8 weeks off according
to Breathing Color.

I'm not sure what percentage of inkjet printers are using the varnish to
"increase permanence." Many are more interested in the change in
surface, both in terms of look, and in making the surface of the print
more resistant to scuffing and flaking during handling.

Having seen Jack Spencer's coated prints, I can tell you that his
mixture of gloss and matte gives a nice semi-gloss surface which works
perfectly for the reach earthy tones he's using in his latest color
work. Breathing Color says even a completely "gloss" coating of their
Glamour II veneer will not give a "wet" look when applied to matte or
textured inkjet papers. Seems much the same would apply to most of the
papers we use for alt printing. Of course the surface appearance is
going to change; only you can decide if it's for the better. ;^)

Hope this helps!

Dan

Ryuji Suzuki wrote on 2/3/06, 1:13 AM:

> Ok, a non-yellowing varnish is used for inkjet prints to increase
> permanence. And this material costs $50 per liter. It says a lot of
> stuff but doesn't say archival for their intended application. It says
> non-yellowing, non-cracking, moisture resistant, etc., "according to
> the company officials." I also couldn't find a third party test
> results on this product.
>
> Does anyone use this Breathing Color Varnish?
> Does it leave glossy or wet-like appearance when the varnish is dried?

-- 
www.DanBurkholder.com
www.TinyTutorials.com