Acrylic 'Glass' Prints
Acrylic print face mounting ('glass' prints) enhances the contrast, adds sharpness and colour saturation to photographic prints for a gloss look unobtainable by any other framing method. Acrylic mounted prints are a truly stunning, unique product and will be the focal point for any room. For this reason they are suitable for contemporary homes, office spaces, hotel lobbies, and restaurants.
The process of bonding photographs to acrylic 'glass' (Plexiglass) protects the print from impurities in the air, scratching and premature fading. This framing technique is widely used in museums and galleries throughout the world and remains one of the most impressive ways to showcase an image.
When light hits the layer of acrylic, the reflection on the prints surface is completely different from when a print is framed with general-purpose glass. With this unique production method the 'depth' and colour saturation of the print is optimised due to the clarity of acrylic glass. As a result the colours seem more brilliant, intense and direct, bringing a whole new dimension to the print.
An Exclusive Picture Framing Style
At Gusha Pro face mounting of your print creates a permanent, smooth fusion of print and 6mm acrylic glass. The technique creates an airtight bond of the prints front side to the back of acrylic. For a clean finish, the final assembly involves attaching a discrete polyester sheet with an industrial bonding agent. The hanging system is then attached and acts as a spacer to provide that "floating" illusion of your print when mounted to the wall.
Behind the Scenes
Longevity of 'Glass' Mounted Prints?
The life of a print depends in part on what type of material the image is printed onto and the type of inks used. It also depends on the print's exposure to light, how bright that light is, and other factors such as humidity and temperature stability. A key feature of GushaPro acrylics is that we print on an acid free media specifically designed for face mounting. This mounting process seals the print from moisture and contaminants in the atmosphere as air can no longer come into contact with the ink and paper. In addition, the acrylic over the face of the print also filters 65% of ambient UV light.
Acrylic 'Glass' Mounts - Key Features
- Clear acrylic with optical clarity higher than that of glass at 93%.
- Shinkolite 6mm thick acrylic sheet
- Polished edges, not just raw cut.
- Printed using museum standard Canon Prograf inkjet printers.
- A hidden hanging system floats the acrylic off the wall by approximately 2cm.
- Our prices include printing & mounting costs, a ready to hang artwork.
Face Mounted Print or Direct Print?
Digital prints can be printed directly onto acrylic and glass sheets rather than mounting a print onto acrylic. However, there are a couple of important differences between face mounting paper prints to acrylic and printing directly to acrylic. At Gusha Pro we first print to a gloss media and then apply that print to the acrylic. We believe a better print is created as the media we use holds more ink than what can be adhered directly to glass. Richer colour, smooth tones and gradations, and better contrast is the result.
Direct to sheet printing is performed using 'flatbed' printers. However, reducing print imperfections from dust when printing on large flat bed printers becomes extremely difficult.
Finally, the edges of glass are greenish in colour whereas the edges of acrylic are completely colourless. What this also means for prints on glass is there may be a slight greenish cast over the print. In conventional picture framing it’s common to use the thinnest glass possible to save weight and cost but also to reduce this problem.
Museums and those wanting the best picture framing often choose acrylic rather than glass as it has superior clarity. Acrylic sheet is also half the weight of glass with five times the strength.