A word about glazing….
Not all glazing is created equal….
Although glazing, which could be either glass or plexiglass in picture framing is often one of the last items considered in the framing design process, it is one of the most important components. Why? Because it protects the framed items from the environment as well as influencing the way the artwork looks.
There are two main factors in how the glazing we use protects your artwork:
It provides a physical barrier from dirt, dust, flyspecks etc. and, the glazing we use in our shop(not all shops adhere to this) is u.v. filtering. This is very important to the protection of the items being framed.
In conjunction with proper care and placement of the framed pieces at home or office, the u.v. filtering glazing will reduce the possibility of fading and will prolong the life of paper artwork.
Aside from the u.v. filtering that is built in to the glazing we use, we have three types that have different visual characteristics:
Clear glass, which looks similar to plain glass the you are used to seeing.
Non Glare glass which has an etched side that faces the artwork – this glass reduces reflection by softening it, however it also softens the clarity of the artwork.
Anti Reflective glass which is virtually invisible. This glass is the best choice for maximum clarity and minimum reflection. It is clearer than clear glass. This is our top recommended glass and we have many framed pieces in our shop that showcase this type of glass.
Plexiglass
In addition to these types of glass we also feature u.v. filtering Plexiglass which is also u.v. filtering and comes in clear, non glare and anti reflective version.
Plexiglass provides similar u.v. protection but goes even further in that it provides shatterproof protection and it very light weight. We recommend using plexiglass for pieces that might go in a public space, might be quite large and/or have great monetary or personal value.
Additionally, the Museum Plexi (anti reflective) does not scratch and has no static charge so it can actually be used to frame a chalk pastel without adverse effects which is awesome. We have displays of this in our shop as well, one that has a piece of steel wool to demonstrate how abrasion resistant it is.