Orange peel effect on drymounted glossy photo

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Emibub

Emibub

PFG, Picture Framing God
Joined
Nov 2, 2001
Posts
9,246
Loc
Centennial, CO, USA
I have a client who brought in a 24x30 photo that she had framed elsewhere. It has a semi glossy surface and has been dry mounted. It does have that orange peel effect and she would like to minimize it. It is not one of those high gloss photos. If I had done the original order I wouldn't have dry mounted it but she told me it was very wavy and she had requested it.

My question is is there a spray you can spray on photos to eliminate the glossy finish? My client is convinced if she gets rid of the glossy surface it will cut down on the orange peel look. I honestly don't think it looks that bad but she is apparently hanging it where it gets mega light. My other thought is to maybe put a coat of the matte printguard over it. But since I have never tried to get rid of the orange peel look I'm not sure what my options are. I don't even want to proceed with her until I know there are viable options. Any ideas? Thanks.
 
Whew, when I saw that you had posted this, I thought "Man, what else is going to go wrong for this gal!" You had me worried there. I can't answer your question. I just wanted to offer moral support!

Betty
 
Thanks Betty, I need all the support I can get!!!! :rolleyes: I don't even know if I'll get an answer, I think everybody but you and me are in Atlanta. I didn't get to go because I didn't finish my peas and carrots, how about you?
 
Oh, I finished mine. I just have to make sure everybody else finishes theirs.

Bet
 
Kathy,

I haven't left yet for Atlanta so my answer is;

I've used the Matte finish and/or dulling spray
When this happened. It isn't exactly The Conservation/Preservation thing to do but it works. Just make the customer aware of the situation and offer no garantees (sp)
 
Hey Jerry, If you have done it before that is good enough for me. She isn't worried about conservation but I don't want to start spraying something and have the emulsion get all funky. She doesn't seem as concerned about that as I do,I'm just doing a little CYA first!
 
Kathy,
Always test spray a sacraficial photo before working on the real one, and get a signed release from the customer. In an unrelated thread I spoke of a fellow local framer that followed the publishers, Client's and the manufacturers instructions/ requests to spray a UV top coat on a Giclee, and the spray tip fouled up and put a huge blob of product in the middle of the print. They are now trying to figure out how to pay for the giclee.
Best of luck, and keep an eye out for the tool gremlins.
Wally
 
If spraying is risky is printguard a better option? This lady makes me a little nervous, she seems to think it is the framers fault. I told her it was just the nature of glossy surfaces and that maybe they could have chosen a different substrate but honestly if I had dry mounted it it would have turned out the same. She says she doesn't care about what happens to the photograph but I can just see her going down the road to the next framer........"Guess what so and so up the street did to my photograph." A little bad press goes a long way. I don't want to send her away either because she will think I am the hero if I fix it and a little good press goes a long way.....boy what a tiny little tight rope we walk on daily.....quite a balancing act........I'm not lookin for any trouble.
 
Kathy,
I use a photographic lacquer spray with a UV inhibitor, Pro-Tecta-Cote #3072 Matte from United.
It comes in 6 finishes, Matte(flat matte), Matte Special(semi matte), Luster(semi gloss),Clear(high gloss),Retouch Vellum(for retouching), and Pro-Texture(for creating different textures). I use the first four, and have never had a problem. Make sure you spray it outside in the shade. I have used this product to protect Giclee prints, and to coat water damaged photos. I'm sure it is used to protect photos being framed without glass.

I no longer use my press for photos. I use 3M's Positionable Mounting Adhesive #568, and burnish them by hand. The rolls come up to 24" x 50'.
 
Marshalls, the company that makes oil colors for tinting B&W photos also has a matte spray made for photos... try a good art supply store.

Best,
Jason.
 
Originally posted by lessafinger:
I no longer use my press for photos. I use 3M's Positionable Mounting Adhesive #568, and burnish them by hand. The rolls come up to 24" x 50'.
Click to expand...
Less, I'm curious, are you saying the heat causes the orange peel surface? I honestly haven't used the 3M stuff but I will have to check it out. I have also become very dubious of mounting photos since there are so many out there right now. I know Ron uses something I haven't tried yet that doesn't involve heat. Gee I guess that's what tradeshows are for. :rolleyes:

I appreciate the advice on the sprays from everybody. You would think that after all the years I have framed I would have encountered this before.
 
I would go with the matte printguard. Better for you, the print and the enviroment. :eek: Spraying photographic lacquers can be tricky, especially if you don't have a proper spray booth. The wrong conditions tempurature and humidity wise can lead to disaterous results and make the problem worse. Not to mention, photographic lacquers are explosive and carcenogenic and can lead to problems with the photograph down the road. If you already have the ability and know how to use the printguard, it's definitely the best option. Should you decide to throw caution to the wind and go with the lacquer, two brands made especially for photos are Sureguard and Lacquermat. They are still available through photo suppliers, even though fewer places are using them.
 
My frame shop is part of a photo lab so I've seen this before. I also use the 3M positionable adhesive on all my the photos I have to mount now.
Once I turned a piece of non-glare glass backwards (where the etched surface is facing the print) on a photo one to lessen the glaring orange peal effect. It worked fairly well without risking the sprays.
The Print-Gaurd lamination could also be an alternative, but I can often still see the perforated holes in the finished product.
Test first on a photo you can ruin. (often your local photo lab will give you some ruined paper so you can test)
Good luck!!

New to the Grumble.
Wendy
 
I'd send it back to the other framer. Orange peel can also be caused by release paper that is no longer useable. If it would have done the same thing for you then you are probably using too high of a heat setting. I also had one photographer tell me sometimes the processing of the photo can be the cause.

Kathy, I really need to comment on your bad press, good press issue. I feel the bad press goes much further than the chance you might become a hero. Having her tell someone you couldn't correct a problem such as that will gain you much more in the long run. Do you know anyone who planned to be a hero or if they had time to really think about it as an heroic act would have done it for that reason. OK, I'm spouting off.

I'm just looking at it from another angle and hope you will too.

Good luck.
 
Kathy,
Use speedmount. Low heat pre-glued foam core. It gives you the smooth look you are looking for.
Bill
 
Originally posted by emibub:
I know Ron uses something I haven't tried yet that doesn't involve heat. Gee I guess that's what tradeshows are for. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Crescent Perfect Mount on Supersmooth board. Not easy to find, but I did post a list of distributors a while back.

I have used the photo sprays. The are nasty even compared to other aeresols, so ventilate, hold your breath and use them at the end of the day so you don't get a hangover just by being in the same neighborhood. I might use these to fix my own boo-boos, but not someone else's.
 
Thanks for the info Ron. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't be so gung ho on doing this but she is just thuroughly convinced that she can't live with it the way it is. For whatever reason she has no interest in going to the original framer. I think the reason I have never had the occasion to correct this type of thing before is plain and simply because I could afford to refuse it. I figure right now at this stage of the game I need to be a little more open to some of this stuff. I don't want to get involved in any liability issues but right now I am teetering on such a wobbly footing that it feels like even one sale could make or break me. Am I pitiful or what?
 
I don't know anything about matte sprays, but I'd like to welcome another NC framer to the horde. Welcome Wendy! Come check us normal, uh, other folks out on Warped. Glad to have ya!
 
Kathy,

Clearly the thing for her to do is get another photo rather than invest in repairing this one. How was it mounted? If it was spray mounted it can easily be removed with adhesive release then mounted as Ron suggested (more economical than buying a supply of PMA) Just clean all the adhesive residue off the back with adhesive release. If it was dry mounted with tissue you may be able to remove it from the substrate with adhesive release but it will be very labor intensive.

Can the customer get another copy of the photo? Is it a real photo and not one of the photos on computer paper? If it is a real photo and she can get a copy then explain the risk, and go ahead and spray it. It might be a good idea to her to sign a release noting the risks and that she is ok with it.

Krylon matte finish spray will do a good job for you, and it is much more readily available than the other sprays that have been mentioned. You can get it at craft stores and other places that sell Krylon.

Practice on a few old photos. To prevent the "blush" Anne L. mentioned make sure your room and the mounted photo is warm and dry. Turn off any fans that may be aimed where you are working so the spray won't blow, and won't blow debris in the wet spray.

A little complicated? Yes. Does she have a choice? Not really, if she is unhappy with it as it is. I think both of you will be pleased with the results.
 
Hi Jo, Since I haven't actually taken the picture apart I'm not sure what it is drymounted on. I really don't want to get involved in lifting it up because there is huge potential to ruin it. She doesn't have a negative, otherwise she would replace it.

She is supposed to bring it back in tomorrow since I gave her a go ahead so I'll let everybody know the outcome. I think I got enough info from everybody here to proceed. I love this site!
 
This is my first posting. I thought this might be helpful for future reference...I am a full time landscape photographer with a gallery, so I mount many photographs. i stay away from heat for color photos. I use a spray adhesive, preferably acid free, and vaccuum mount them on smooth 3/16 inch mighty core. Make sure, of course, no dust particles get in. I mount images up to 4x8 feet this way. I found the most orange peel effect occurs because of the mounting material/mounting board. For smaller pieces I mount on Bien Fang AF Foam board, as it has a consistent surface. I hope this is helpful to some of you.

jon
 
Since this got brought back up to the top, I solved my clients problem with non glare glass. Simple as that! I did however get some good information for future use.
 
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