Odd 'marks' from dark prints under glass

London Rob · 09-22-2011, 11:50 AM

I shoot with as K-5 and previously a K-x though I'm certain the camera nor the processing has anything to do with what I experience. I presume it's more to do with photo paper or finish.

On every image I have printed, when it is framed and in contact with the glass I get smudge like marks where the very dark parts are. Looks as if there's moisture or smeared ink. Take the photo out, no marks. Put it back and they appear again. I print on those stand alone Kodak machines in branches of Boots in the uk and they come out on Fuji paper finished quite gossy.

How can I avoid this ? I have googled this many times but never found a reference.....

neurocyclist · 09-22-2011, 11:58 AM

Quite normal when glossy prints touch glass. I'd try printing in matte, or framing in a way in which the print and glass don't touch.

London Rob · 09-22-2011, 12:05 PM

Thought it would be a gloss issue, or that my kids were alien spies (It's normally visible in their pupils). Will try some matte version of the same pictures. And of course I've now walked round the house looking at professional prints I own and they have a border mount, seperating the image and the glass. Smart these experts aren't they ! Cheers.

LowVoltage · 09-22-2011, 12:31 PM

Oh my stars, get a mat board between the print and the glass, and do it soon!

Never let the paper touch the glass or you're asking for trouble. I've had many customers come to my store with an old print in a frame asking if they can get the image duplicated, only to discover the photo is stuck to the glass. This is because moisture is getting into the frame and the gelatin in the paper essentially becomes an adhesive. You might not have gelatin in the instant print paper with today's kiosks, but you can still find yourself with a nasty mold problem. The print needs to be able to breathe!

The issue with your dark spots is definitely caused by the finish of the paper interacting with the surface of the glass. There's probably a scientific term for the phenomenon and I'd have a hard time finding out what it is, but in any case the paper needs to be apart from the glass. While I've seen it happen mostly with glossy papers, it can still occur with smooth-matte and lustre papers, as well.

London Rob · 09-22-2011, 02:06 PM

Thank you LowVoltage, if my print habbits don't change my framing ones certainly will! Luckily although it is my wedding snaps I do have the RAW and Jpeg files so can easily re-print.
Thanks again all.

09-22-2011, 11:50 AM	#1
London Rob Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 92	Odd 'marks' from dark prints under glass I shoot with as K-5 and previously a K-x though I'm certain the camera nor the processing has anything to do with what I experience. I presume it's more to do with photo paper or finish. On every image I have printed, when it is framed and in contact with the glass I get smudge like marks where the very dark parts are. Looks as if there's moisture or smeared ink. Take the photo out, no marks. Put it back and they appear again. I print on those stand alone Kodak machines in branches of Boots in the uk and they come out on Fuji paper finished quite gossy. How can I avoid this ? I have googled this many times but never found a reference.....

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09-22-2011, 11:58 AM	#2
neurocyclist Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 72	Quite normal when glossy prints touch glass. I'd try printing in matte, or framing in a way in which the print and glass don't touch.

09-22-2011, 12:05 PM	#3
London Rob Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 92 Original Poster	Thought it would be a gloss issue, or that my kids were alien spies (It's normally visible in their pupils). Will try some matte version of the same pictures. And of course I've now walked round the house looking at professional prints I own and they have a border mount, seperating the image and the glass. Smart these experts aren't they ! Cheers.

09-22-2011, 12:31 PM	#4
LowVoltage Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Mount Joy, PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 544	Oh my stars, get a mat board between the print and the glass, and do it soon! Never let the paper touch the glass or you're asking for trouble. I've had many customers come to my store with an old print in a frame asking if they can get the image duplicated, only to discover the photo is stuck to the glass. This is because moisture is getting into the frame and the gelatin in the paper essentially becomes an adhesive. You might not have gelatin in the instant print paper with today's kiosks, but you can still find yourself with a nasty mold problem. The print needs to be able to breathe! The issue with your dark spots is definitely caused by the finish of the paper interacting with the surface of the glass. There's probably a scientific term for the phenomenon and I'd have a hard time finding out what it is, but in any case the paper needs to be apart from the glass. While I've seen it happen mostly with glossy papers, it can still occur with smooth-matte and lustre papers, as well.

09-22-2011, 02:06 PM	#5
London Rob Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 92 Original Poster	Thank you LowVoltage, if my print habbits don't change my framing ones certainly will! Luckily although it is my wedding snaps I do have the RAW and Jpeg files so can easily re-print. Thanks again all.