Wax

[David J. Woodruff]

I once saw the work of an artist who "waxed" his inkjet prints.
Apparently this used to be a common practice for sealing photographs.

Any info on wax products/practices?

 

[David J. Woodruff]

fine
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-9807.html

 

[ksmattfish]

While I can see waxing my fiber base, gelatin silver prints, I'm not sure the matte ink-jet prints I get would stand up to the rubbing necessary. The blacks scuff pretty easily. I need a spray on or dunk in sealer.

 

[mysteryscribe]

I tried to clean a stain off a kodak dye sub print and it just disolved in my hand. Well not the base but the colors.

 

[Torus34]

Well, . . .

First, a disclaimer. I've used the products mentioned below, but not in your specific application. Caveat emptor.

If you're in the mood to experiment, you might get hold of a can of pastel fixative at your local art supply store. This is an acrylate, related to hair spray. [In fact, for a really quick test, just use hair spray. It's got all sorts of additives which may discolor with time, though.] When sprayed on a pastel drawing, it forms a protective film and holds the pigments in place. Pastels are nothing but pigment in a soft chalky base.

Try it on a simple ink-jet print on standard photo paper or, say, Hammermill OfficeOne 32# stock [An interesting low-cost alternative to ink-jet photo paper.] You might need more than one coat before the ink will withstand the waxing process with its wipe-on application and polishing.

If you are using a paste wax, sprinkle cornstarch on your cloth prior to polishing. Speeds up the process something fierce. It's also a bit messy. Cornstarch works well with old-fashioned paste car waxes when polishing your car, too.

 

[mysteryscribe]

Back when I was experimenting with the new digital processes, I had some cardstock that was smooth not like index cards but almost slick. After ink jet finished I sprayed it with clear acrylic from the home depot... I was amazed how much better the print looked. It held up pretty well except in sunlight. But a spill didn't hurt it at all. And the colors were so much better under the slight gloss. It even looked some sharper for some reason.

But my favorite paper was a lighweight water color paper. It absorbed the ink and blurred a little. It looked more like a painting than a print.