AboutJennifer Pierce Expertise I can answer any questions related to picture framing, art display, or art installation, including very large pieces, canvas stretching, shadow boxing, needlework mounting, and just about any type of dimensional or non-dimensional artwork display. The only questions I cannot answer pertain to fine artwork restoration (e.g. your Van Gogh oil painting is faded and you want it to be restored to the original brilliance--call a reputable museum for that).
Experience I have been in the picture framing business since 1987, with a specialization in hospitality (hotels) and commercial office installations. I have worked on artwork for nearly every major hotel and design firm in the world and have designed some pretty wild installations. Additionally, I have experience with almost every type of conservation technique
Education/Credentials All of my education was acquired in the field.
I was hoping you could provide some information to me on whether or not Laminating Photographs will help preserve them, or if it will damage them.
Is a special Laminating film required so as the chemicals don't damage the photo over time...and is a special laminator or temperature for the laminator needed so that the photos don't get damaged from the heat? Do people usually Laminate their photographs?
The photographs that may get Laminated(depending on your response) were professionally printed and cost a fair amount...so I'm just skeptical of whether laminating would ruin them, or if they are better off tucked away in my portfolio and in albums.
Answer It is most definitely possible to laminate photographs without damaging them; lamination is a valid application for most photos. There are a few photo emulsion/paper combinations, most notably resin-coated photos, which can't take heat and therefore cannot be laminated. Before you start, check with your printer to find out whether she recommends lamination for the substrate/emulsion used in your photos.
The first thing to consider is why you're laminating them. Photos basically have three enemies: light, moisture, and handling. Light fades them. Moisture isn't in and of itself a bad thing, necessarily (photos are made in liquid, after all), but if you get a photo wet and something touches the emulsion on the face while it's wet, it will probably damage the photo (smear the emulsion). Handling can damage photos for obvious reasons (denting, crinkling, fingerprints etc).
Lamination can protect against at least the moisture and people's fingers; a UV-protective laminate will offer some shielding against the ravages of light. (Lamination is not generally considered the world's best method for dealing with light exposure, so if exposure to light is your only concern, there are better ways to handle that, like storing them away from light or framing them under UV glass.)
So if you feel like you'll be holding and passing your photos around a lot, or if you're planning to take your photo album on your annual rainforest trip, lamination could be a good solution.
Definitely have it done professionally, if you decide to do it. Homemade lamination is extremely tricky at best; getting all the air bubbles out is key, and it's very difficult to do that without experience and/or equipment.
There are basically two ways to laminate. The most common way photos are laminated is to mount them first on rigid board like foamcore, then apply the laminate to the surface. This will make your photo stiff and thick; it'd be difficult to put it in an album after using this process, but it's great when you're going to frame the photo. In this case, only the front is laminated, so the assembly is not waterproof when complete.
The other way to laminate them is to do it like a driver's license, where the photo is simply encased in a thin plastic sleeve which is then stuck or heat-sealed together. This is like the type of sticky laminate sold at the office-supply store. Again, a professional will do a much better job using his specialty equipment than you can do at home with a sticky plastic sheet and your fingers. You have to be careful not to trap dust under the plastic; you have to get all the bubbles out; the seal must be perfect. It's a PIA. However, done correctly, it'll be water-resistant, if not waterproof. The edges will be surrounded by a small amount of clear laminate, which may not be attractive to you.
Professional printers (and map stores; check those out as well) have a great many types of laminate to choose from: matte, shiny, textured, UV protective, etc. Some will improve the appearance of your photo; some can make it look cheap and weird, so take a look at some samples. Some are just gorgeous. None are particularly cheap. :)
If your ultimate goal is simply to preserve the photos so nothing happens to them, and you don't anticipate that they will be handled often, don't bother with laminating. Put them in a conservation photo album, or frame and display them. (Don't use those "magnetic" albums. Make sure your photo album is labeled "inert" or otherwise promises that the plastic sleeves will not affect your photos. Alternatively, you can use those little paper corners to hold them into the album.
Keeping them in the album will keep them away from the three major enemies and will also keep them from rubbing against each other as they will when stored loose in a box. Photos rubbing together will create miniscule scratches in the surface emulsion which will ultimately wear the surface away over time. (Think walking on a painted floor for years and years and years; the paint wears thin and then disappears.)
If you can possibly swing it, scan your originals and make a high-quality digital copy of each one. This way if anything happens and you can't get them reprinted by the original printer, you will have a copy to print.
If the photos were mine, I wouldn't mess with laminating them unless I wanted to frame them without glass and hang them on the wall. That, next to frequent handling, is probably one of the best reasons to laminate.
I hope this has helped you. Please let me know if you have any more questions; the topic of lamination is a bit convoluted, I know.
