It is a good practice to use archival materials when storing and framing alternative process prints. 

 

Storage 

 

For storage, neutral buffering is ideal for kallitypes. Avoid papers with alkaline bufferings to counteract acidic paper. 

 

Ultraviolet (UV)-protected glass

 

UV can damage your art as it’s transmitted through the glass. To guard against this, some glass coating reflects or absorb the UV spectrum. Some use organic UV absorbers, which are added to a silica-based coating to create an absorbing layer on one side of the glass. This coating can block anywhere from 92% to 99% of the UV radiation. The drawback to these filters is that they create a slight warming effect on the color of the artwork. This will be especially true with coatings that block 98% or more UV radiation. 

 

Pros: Protects against fading

Cons: Increased cost, slight warming effect of the artwork’s color

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Other glass coatings (not required)

 

Non-Glare Glass

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Non-glare picture frame glass has an etched surface that helps to disperse the light and reduce reflections. The etched surface has the drawback of slightly reducing the sharpness. For instance, it might be more difficult to make out individual hairs on a portrait of a person, for example. For this type of glass to work properly, it has to be close to the artwork, so it can’t be used in picture frames with large spacers or in a shadow box frame. 

 

Pros: Least expensive reflection control glass

Cons: Slight loss of sharpness, can't be used in a shadow box frame

 

Anti-Reflective Glass

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This type of glass has a special type of coating to greatly reduce reflections, very similar to that used on glasses and sunglasses you wear. 

 

Pros: Virtually eliminates reflections

Cons: Most expensive type of reflection control glass

 

https://tru-vue.com/products/ (a chart with types of glass and plexi)

 

Mat Board 

 

As we’ve seen while toning, cyanotype is very sensitive to acids. For any long-term presentation, framing it is important to use an acid-free mat board and ideally a backing board. For the backing board, you can use an acid-free foam board or a piece of acid-free mat board. If the mat board, as a backing board, is not rigid enough, you may want an additional foam board behind the first board, which does not have to be acid-free. 

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Mat Board Options

Museum Board - 100% Cotton:

Made from cotton pulp, museum board is the most chemically stable archival paper product available.

 

Conservation Board:

Conservation board is manufactured from purified wood fiber, which is still archivally safe but more economical.

 

4 ply is the standard mat board thickness. 8-ply is extra thick. I don’t recommend 2 ply as it is very thin and may not be rigid enough.​​​​

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