The Ultimate Cover Up, Plastic or Glass?????

[Tom Swaman]

Uncle Buck,

I never put an unmatted photo behind glass no matter what kind of print. This includes any other artworkk. Even the best quality glass in contact with a print can hasten the degradation of the print and or the artwork.

When I use an easel or tabletop frame, I do use a high grade of acrylic. The optical properties are better than glass overall and the thermal insulating properties of the acrylic minimize and usually eliminate unwanted condensation. Also, tabletop frames tend to be relatively small so the better optical quality of the acrylic facilitates better viewing of the print.

In a museum ojects of art are typically protected from contact with people and the elements or people are prohibited from getting too near artwork. Museums often use temperature, illumination and humidity control that are normally not used where most of us view and display our prints. Glass and acrylic, used properly, have a very important role in displaying and protecting art. The key is the word properly!

Tom