Basics of Conservative Framing

The environment around us is basically acidic. Air pollution, sulphur dioxide from vehicle emissions, and most everything that we consider a convenience today generates some form of damaging airborne product that can damage a piece of paper art over a period of time. Insect infestation, moisture condensation, and household cooking odors all contribute to the deterioration of paper products. The paper itself, if made from wood products, contains acids (called lignins) which will break down paper products over a long period of time even if no other outside influence is present. Most limited edition art prints, therefore, are manufactured on 100% cotton rag paper stock which contains no wood pulp products and is totally acid free. But this isn't enough to ensure the long term preservation of art prints unless they are properly housed in some form of display that is designed to conserve the art work and protect it against deterioration. This process of using the proper materials to mount and display a work of art is called Conservation Framing and is a very exacting and precise process. The print should be mounted to an acid free backing board using acid free hinges or archival corners that will not stain or burn the paper art touching it.

Basics of Matting

Art mat boards are used primarily to separate the art print or image being framed from the surface of the glass protecting it. Moisture condensing on the inside of the glass can cause the image to stick to the glass and permanently damage the image. A mat or series of mats are placed between the image and the glass to allow air to circulate and minimize condensation on the glass. In addition, mats can enhance the look of an image by complimenting the color scheme of the image or draw the viewer's eye toward the focal point of the image. Only 100% cotton rag mats should be used for matting valuable images because the mat and paper that the image is printed on are in constant contact with each other. Acid migration can occur using a conventional paper mat made of wood pulp.

Framing Notes

Frame mouldings come in a large variety of styles and sizes. Choices of frame mouldings in wood, metal, and composite materials give the art owner a nearly unlimited selection of styles, widths, and finishes from which to choose. When the frame package is prepared and assembled properly, the frame moulding should never come in direct contact with the image paper. This would allow for acid migration from the wood to the paper and would contribute to premature deterioration of the print paper.

Final Fitting of the Frame Package

The final fitting of the art package is as important as the materials used in its construction. It should be designed so that all the parts fit perfectly and nothing is loose or moving around within the frame. Glass should be cleaned to perfection and there should be no lint or other foreign debris left on the mats or image. The framed package should be sealed with a dust cover which is adhered to the back of the frame. This cover helps to keep dust, moisture, and insects out of the framed area and further reduces the possiblilty of damage to the art. Hanging hardware should be properly sized to support the weight of the framed art and rubber bumpers should be attached to the bottom corners of the frame to help hold it away from the wall and prevent excessive shifting around after it is hung. To do this correctly takes considerable time and is rarely noticed by the customer unless it is done wrong.

The Finished Package

The end result of all of these processes is to provide the art buyer with a finished piece that can be displayed proudly and offer the protection to the art piece from contamination that cannot be gottten from other sources. Much of the time spent on conservation framing is dedicated to causing something NOT to happen and is a very important, albiet little known, part of the framing process. The next time you look at a piece of framed art, consider the time it took fo NOT have lint or dirt in the print area or on the surface of the mats. And think about what was required to get all the mat borders evenly cut and precisely the same size. Appreciate the fact that there are absolutely no fingerprints on the inside of the glass and the mitered corners of the picture frame fit properly. These assets aren't automatic to the process of conservative framing.