I want to display some of my photos in my office window at work–some of these are images I created as part of my scientific research, and, hence are relevant to my position.
My office window is adjacent to an exterior corridor and receives a lot of nice natural light–with a fair amount of direct sun, especially in summer. Fortunately, much of it is filtered by trees. It likely gets somewhat hot in there when I’m not around with the AC on (much of the summer!).
Anyway, I want to find a print medium (paper, metal–does it make a difference??) and ink/dye type that will be up to the task and not fade dramatically and quickly. I don’t expect these to last forever, but a few years would be nice. Some type of UV protection would be best, I would think.
I also am trying to figure a way to make these adhere to the glass without using scotch tape (which looks like crap and is hard to remove). I have blinds on the window and don’t want the photos falling off every time I open the blinds.
Any thoughts on what to use? (I do not own a printer–I am much happier using an online service for the time being). Thanks!
Hello, I second Claes’ suggestion to prefer pigment inks.
Choose a quality paper, for example from Hahnemuhle (German brand). They state on their website that their fine-art papers like Photo Baryta FB 350g Brillant can last “for over 300 years” - of course when stored in an black box under the ground. But in general, quality papers are “museum grade”, so made to last.
Ask your printer as well to use a protective spray on the final print, that protects the image against humidity and scratches and makes the paper better resistant to UV.
@paperdigits
I interpret the Wish of the OP™ such
that the office is adjacent to a corridor,
being separated by a wall with glass panes,
onto which the OP wants to display the prints,
facing outwards, to be seen by those passing by.
Let me try to describe the office and the project a little better. Outside my office is a corridor, bounded on one side by offices (e.g., mine) and the other side by a railing–otherwise it is open air. Upon exiting my office, you are really in the outdoors except for a railing (to prevent you from falling to the ground from a height of three floors) and a “roof” formed by the floor above. I want to place photos on the inside of my window so that they will be visible to passersby outside my office. I am looking for some way to make them adhere to the inside of the window that does not involve tape.
Oh, minus the glass wall in my description, meaning the window is the only glass.
Disclaimer: I don’t have much experience with print media.
To bring attention to each photo, I would put each in a matted black picture frame hung by wire, with or without glass or acrylic glazing. An extra layer could protect the photo from UV if it is on paper stock. If you rely on sunlight, you would need a brilliant print to offset the window refraction, glare and haze and have an output profile that suits the surrounding ambient light.
Try a sign shop. I’d suggest solvent or latex ink, and a window adhesive laminate overcoat. These could be applied directly to the windows, and peeled off at a later date. For proper adhesion, the windows should be cleaned with white vinegar, and brown (cheap) paper towels. Fancy towels have additives that leave residue which can cause problems with adhesion.
Hmmm… couple of ideas. Not sure how useful! There are quite a lot of companies online who will print stickers, and I think at least some can do the sort that’s meant to be stuck on the inside of your car window etc. I guess that would work, and would avoid issues of reflections between the glass and the picture. Downsides, they would need very careful application to the window to avoid unsightly air bubbles trapped between the stick and the glass, also, they might be hard to remove in the long term.
Next thought.
You could frame the photos as has been suggested already, and either hang with a long wire or string from the window frame, or, you can get small self-adhesive hangers or hooks that could be attached to the glass… you can buy those in a supermarket here… I expect elsewhere too.
Edit: Oh! I just discovered that @Marcsitkin had beaten me to it with the sticker suggestion.
The trouble with sticking directly to the window is that window glass refractions, glare and haze will affect the photos more. Also, I don’t know if the window has a film that would interact with an adhesive or peel when you remove the photographs. If there is nothing like that, then all is good.
But in general, quality papers are “museum grade”, so made to last.