--- David Dyer-Bennet <dd-b@dd-b.net> wrote: > Michael Greer <mgreer942@yahoo.com> writes on 25 January 2000 at 17:51:52 > -0800 > > > Not ineffective; actually harmful, over longer exposures. This was > Wilhelm's report from controlled tests, and this is Ctein's report > anecdotally (old portfolio prints sprayed to "protect" them, other > prints from the same negative and batch of paper not sprayed, compared > about a decade later, and the sprayed ones were badly damaged, the > unsprayed ones were okay; in fact, the only places the sprayed ones > *weren't* damaged was where fingerprints had removed the coating!). > > I think the length of time may be the key. You're saying that coating > clearly works in actual experience over a couple of years. Fine, I > won't argue with experimental evidence (though one can argue with the > experiment design sometimes). I'd be very likely to coat prints made > using Epson OEM materials that I needed to last 2 or so years and > didn't need to last much longer, based on your and other reports. > > BUT, I think you're generalizing too much, and I think you're > forgetting the different time scales people are interested in. A > coating that extends 6-month Epson materials to 2 years may very well > *damage* 30-year materials after only 7 years. I think the evidence > for this happening is strong enough that I won't coat prints I intend > for long life. Of course there is no way I can refute what you write. You may very well be right. But in siting some of your examples, you don't acknowledge that products improve over time . So coatings that damaged prints years/decades ago, *might* not do the same today. Having said that, your position on this issue is logical and sensible. ===== Visit my digital photography web site along with a lot of other interesting stuff at http://greer.simplenet.com. Also, Greer and Associates (http://www.greeraa.com) offers studio photography, digital imaging services, web site design/construction, and training. Mike Greer __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com - Please turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for instructions.