When a print or other piece of 2-dimensional art has been permanently sealed in clear plastic, this is known as laminating. Occasionally, the laminate plastic will have a texture to it, mimicking canvas, for example. Sometimes called plastic laminated or satin laminated, when a print has been protected in this way, there is no need for matting or glazing when framing. (Matting is the use of one or more decorative paper mats to hold the glazing - glass or clear acrylic - off the surface of the print, which protects the surface from damage... including moisture damage from possible condensation on the inside of the glass.)
I do not provide laminated versions of my prints, but a fine art distributor who purchases quantities of my prints for resale to galleries may do so. You may be interested in the differences this option provides.
The prints I sell directly are usually unmatted and unframed, allowing you to have the print matted and framed as YOU would like. And while it'll have to be framed under glass (unlike the laminated version), many people PREFER the more conventional look of a matted, framed print. For example, if desired, it allows the customer to pick up on a color in the image with a double mat, that can echo a color in the décor of the room the piece will be hung in. And while it's more expensive to mat a piece of art and provide glass in the frame, the finished result is larger and usually showcases the work more elegantly.
But perhaps MOST importantly, these prints are all from the same limited edition, which means once they sell out, NO more of these lithographs will be created. As availability drops, history has shown the collectors' value of each print is likely to increase, unless the individual print has been damaged or altered - which is where the laminating may be a negative. Professionals who have a great deal of experience with limited edition prints and their value, feel that once a print has been laminated, it has been altered to the point where its collectors' value has been reduced to that of a poster. So while the print may be framed without glass because of the lamination process, its potential increase in value (especially likely when the edition sells out) - has essentially been destroyed.
Mike Mayone - Middlebury, Vermont
