Laminate Seal
Should I seal my prints? We look at the pros and cons of adding a laminate seal to your print.
A seal is a protective film applied to your print to help minimise damage from scuffing, finger prints and UV rays.
Adding a protective seal over a photographic print used to be a standard procedure in a gallery exhibition.
The seal allowed it to be carefully cleaned with a damp lint-free cloth and protected the image from scuffing and harmful UV rays, which could damage and fade your print over time.
However, this has changed over the years with both galleries and artists realising there are both pros and cons to having your print sealed.
We offer two different seals, but would not necessarily recommend them for fine art prints.
Matt seal
Our most popular seal, this is a durable PVC lamination film. It has a very matt anti-reflective surface. It does knock blacks slightly.
| inches | mm | (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 10x8 | 254 x 203 | £12.00 |
| 12x10 | 305 x 254 | £12.00 |
| A4 | 297 x 210 | £12.00 |
| 12x16 | 305 x 406 | £17.40 |
| A3 | 420 x 297 | £17.40 |
| 20 x 16 | 508 x 406 | £17.40 |
| A2 | 594 x 420 | £18.50 |
| 20 x 24 | 508 x 610 | £18.50 |
| 30 x 20 | 762 x 508 | £19.80 |
| 30 x 30 | 762 x 762 | £21.60 |
| A1 | 841 x 594 | £21.60 |
| 36 x 24 | 914 x 610 | £21.60 |
| 40 x 30 | 1016 x 762 | £24.00 |
| 40 x 40 | 1016 x 1016 | £32.40 |
| A0 | 1189 x 841 | £37.20 |
| 48 x 36 | 1220 x 914 | £37.20 |
| 48 x 40 | 1220 x 1016 | £37.20 |
| 48 x 48 | 1220 x 1220 | £48.00 |
| 60 x 40 | 1524 x 1016 | £54.00 |
| 60 x 48 | 1524 x 1220 | £66.00 |
| 72 x 48 | 1828 x 1220 | £84.00 |
| 96 x 48 | 2438 x 1220 | £102.00 |
Prices stated above are in addition to the cost of the print |
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Gloss seal
This offers better clarity than the matt seal. However, the high gloss surface highlights the slight wavering surface texture of all mounting substrates (this is not a problem with aluminium). The very glossy surface is even more prone to surface scratching than a gloss photo print.
| inches | mm | (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 10x8 | 254 x 203 | £12.00 |
| 12x10 | 305 x 254 | £12.00 |
| A4 | 297 x 210 | £12.00 |
| 12x16 | 305 x 406 | £15.00 |
| A3 | 420 x 297 | £15.00 |
| 20 x 16 | 508 x 406 | £15.00 |
| A2 | 594 x 420 | £16.80 |
| 20 x 24 | 508 x 610 | £16.80 |
| 30 x 20 | 762 x 508 | £19.80 |
| 30 x 30 | 762 x 762 | £21.60 |
| A1 | 841 x 594 | £21.60 |
| 36 x 24 | 914 x 610 | £21.60 |
| 40 x 30 | 1016 x 762 | £30.00 |
| 40 x 40 | 1016 x 1016 | £42.00 |
| A0 | 1189 x 841 | £30.00 |
| 48 x 36 | 1220 x 914 | £42.00 |
| 48 x 40 | 1220 x 1016 | £45.00 |
| 48 x 48 | 1220 x 1220 | £60.00 |
| 60 x 40 | 1524 x 1016 | £59.00 |
| 60 x 48 | 1524 x 1220 | £84.00 |
| 72 x 48 | 1828 x 1220 | £108.00 |
| 96 x 48 | 2438 x 1220 | £135.00 |
Prices stated above are in addition to the cost of the print |
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