Discoloration on print where print rested on acid free mat?

[Luminous]

I posted this over at the EB forums, but I wanted to see what you guys might have to say about it as well:

I recently decided I would like to use the frame I was using for my Ansin Looper print on another piece of art. I used a single acid free mat and I had the framer use one strip of Framers Tape 2 along the top edge of the print. Both the sides and the bottom simply rested on the mat. The mat I used was Bainbridge 8442 Kona. Conservation glass was used and that it was never under direct sun light.

When the framer removed the tape from the print we discovered that there was discoloration on the art side of the creme stock paper. Here are some pics:







Does anyone know what could have possibly caused this? The framer was stumped. The only thing he could come up with is that it might be due to the nature of the paper. It should be noted that I've been going to this framer for a long time and I trust him implicitly. Not to mention he does a lot of work for the local museums.

My biggest concern in all of this is figuring out how to approach framing here on out. Heck, it may even factor into my collecting habits. I've got the Stout Guardians variant and it appears to be printed on similar paper. How do I go about framing that if this sort of thing is going to happen again?

[FROBAY]

That looks like it is from the mat. Was this hung in the sunlight

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by FROBAY

That looks like it is from the mat. Was this hung in the sunlight

It's exactly where the art rested on the mat and no it was never under direct sun light.

So the questions are; how does acid free matting effect the print and since it was never under direct sun light how could it be sun fading?

[FROBAY]

Wow. My first guess is sun fading. 2nd is the mat was damp when it was Framed. 3rd it's not an Acid free mat. 4th the frame up was not air tight causing it to lighten up with time.

You should call poster mountain, they would know for sure, I would imagine.

[Matches Malone]

Sorry about your luck Luminous. It is almost as though these pieces have to stay buried in a flat file to last

[risingstar]

I've seen this before. It depends on the type of glass you used too. If you didn't use museum glass and simply used standard glass, this might happen, especially if the piece was displayed in an office area with lots of industrial lighting or too much lighting (i.e., high wattage light bulbs).

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by FROBAY

Wow. My first guess is sun fading. 2nd is the mat was damp when it was Framed. 3rd it's not an Acid free mat. 4th the frame up was not air tight causing it to lighten up with time.

You should call poster mountain, they would know for sure, I would imagine.

Yeah, I should see what they say.

Originally Posted by Matches Malone

Sorry about your luck Luminous. It is almost as though these pieces have to stay buried in a flat file to last

For real.

Originally Posted by risingstar

I've seen this before. It depends on the type of glass you used too. If you didn't use museum glass and simply used standard glass, this might happen, especially if the piece was displayed in an office area with lots of industrial lighting or too much lighting (i.e., high wattage light bulbs).

It was behind 98 - 99% UV protected conservation glass.

It seems we've determined over at EB that it isn't sun fading. The back of the print is the same color as the front part that was NOT touching the mat. So that means the discoloration came from contact with the mat.

[Sithlord32]

Most likely the dye they used in making the mat affected the paper for whatever reason. Could have been an air or humidity issue or the dye used or the mat did not meet the correct standards for being acid free.

[ReplicantSavior]

It's interesting that the discoloration would be so even where the mat rested. Remember some acid free materials do change over time. Some faster than others. Many recommend changing out the materials over certain periods of time even if acid free. I would show it to Poster Mountain or another paper conservation specialist and see what they say. But my guess is the mat wasn't as acid free or degraded over time and affected the screen print nature of the artwork. I think I've seen the reverse of this on old comics with poor boards or even some acid free boards. The comic board underneath will look fine but there will be a color change around the border edges where I think the board was pulling the acid from the comic.

What does the bottom of the mat look like where it touched the print, any color change?

[Luminous]

Originally Posted by ReplicantSavior

It's interesting that the discoloration would be so even where the mat rested. Remember some acid free materials do change over time. Some faster than others. Many recommend changing out the materials over certain periods of time even if acid free. I would show it to Poster Mountain or another paper conservation specialist and see what they say. But my guess is the mat wasn't as acid free or degraded over time and affected the screen print nature of the artwork. I think I've seen the reverse of this on old comics with poor boards or even some acid free boards. The comic board underneath will look fine but there will be a color change around the border edges where I think the board was pulling the acid from the comic.

What does the bottom of the mat look like where it touched the print, any color change?

I'll have to get back to you on that. The mat is not with me at the moment.