Print Room & Framing Blog
What is Anti-Reflective Museum Glass?
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A helpful guide to anti-reflective museum glass
Simply put, anti-reflective glass is one of the most fascinating products when it comes to framing materials. It makes such an impactful difference on the way that your custom frame is viewed. It can be used to elevate any image or artwork into something absolutely mesmerizing. At Orms Print Room & Framing, we are lucky enough to offer several types of museum grade glazing (glass) – all internationally renowned options.
First, let’s talk about what is so special about this “invisible glass” and how it differs from normal glass. All of our anti-reflective museum glazing options have both UV protective properties as well as being anti-reflective. This makes them the perfect choice for conservation and archival framing as well.
UV Protection
Like most things on our planet, we are subject to varying degrees of ultra-violet light on a daily basis. This is bad news for the prized possessions that are being framed. Sunlight reacts with the surface of an artwork or photograph and changes the chemical composition, breaking down the bonds of the paper, dye and pigment. Normal glass cannot stop enough UV rays and most of the damaging rays pass straight through and into your frame. This is where UV protection comes in, the glass is coated by a microscopic scattering of particles which creates an ultra-thin UV barrier. It is not visible to the naked eye and does not alter the look or clarity of the glass. Depending on the coating applied, this thin film can stop anything from 70 to 92% of harmful UV rays – in turn, prolonging the lifetime of your work.
Anti-Reflective
The anti-reflective properties are also produced by adding microscopic particles to the surface of the glass – as thin as one thousandth of a human hair. This technology started development decades ago – primarily to minimize reflection on the scopes of submarines and weapons so that enemies could not spot the sun bouncing off the glass surfaces. Today, it is used in high-end electronic displays, prescription glasses, museums, galleries and other advanced display scenarios. When light hits the glass surface, the microscopic layers disperse the light in such a way that it reduces reflections drastically. It aims to achieve an “invisible glass” scenario where the viewing of said item or display is not hindered by distracting reflections from nearby light sources. When placed over an artwork or print, it seems like one can reach out and touch the work. It provides the purest way to view artwork or prints that are protected behind glass – an unobstructed view.
Which anti-reflective museum glass products do we offer?
Orms Blue
A consumer-friendly glass that offers both UV protection and anti-reflective properties. The UV protection on this glass cancels out 70% of harmful UV rays that can discolor and damage your artwork. The anti-reflective nature of the glass removes most distracting reflections to create an “invisible glass” effect.
We’ve introduced this glass so that we can offer anti-reflective museum glass at a lower price point. Anti-reflective options do come with a steep price tag and this offering helps to make it more accessible to everyone. The only technical difference between Orms Blue and other museum glass options, is the percentage of UV protection at 70%.
MAX SIZE: 1200 x 1600 mm
AR92
A premium quality museum grade glass that offers both UV protection and anti-reflective properties. The UV protection on AR92 is high and cancels out 92% of harmful UV rays that can discolor and damage your artwork – ideal for conservation. The anti-reflective nature of the glass removes distracting reflections to provide a true pure-view experience.
The high level of UV protection combined with top-class anti-reflection, makes this the ideal choice for galleries and museums. It will always be recommended for any works of value, whether sentimental or financial. The AR92 offering is on par with international standards and is imported from Europe.
MAX SIZE: 1200 x 1600 mm
In addition to the anti-reflective museum glass options, we also stock a variety of other professional glazing namely; Gallery Plexiglas with 100% UV protection and Low-Iron Clear Float glass for premium clarity and colour control.
How do you know if you already have this product in your frame?
Our team can easily spot anti-reflective glass, down to the make and type. It might seem like a difficult thing to note, but once you learn how to spot the differences, it is quite easy.
When we fit any museum glass products in your custom frame, we will apply a museum glass care sticker to the back. This sticker serves to note that the frame contains a museum glass product and contains helpful information about the care and handling.
Failing any identification on the rear of your frame, there is one other way to easily spot whether you have anti-reflective glass fitted in your frame. Simply hold the frame and tilt it left and right until you have a reflection of a spot-light or window on the glass surface. If the colour of the spot-light or window remains neutral (white), then that is an indication that no anti-reflective glass is fitted. If the colour of the light turns to purple, green, blue or aqua, then you have a winner!
Every manufacturer of anti-reflective glass chooses a refraction colour. The coating on the glass needs to disperse the light in a specific way – essentially manipulating or bending the light rays that bounce off of the glass surface. The way this is done causes the reflection of the light to change from white to another colour. The colour is not an indication of quality but is very helpful in identifying which glass is fitted.
Why would you use anti-reflective museum glass?
Artwork or printed medium is always best viewed in its natural form. We tend to link art automatically to frames, but it is important to remember that every artwork has an existence of its own.
Each printed or painted piece has unique textures, tones, depth and colour. When placing this behind glass, you are essentially viewing the image through an additional plane or barrier. Normal glass is not 100% clear and will always reflect any light that hits the surface. When glass reflects, it obscures all the detail in the work and can be very distracting. Anti-reflective glass aims to remove that barrier between viewer and work so that every piece can be viewed as originally intended by the artist.
When visiting the Orms Print Room & Framing showroom, our expert team of framing consultants will always advise on the best solution for your work. We have beautiful examples, in-store, that you can play with to help you make the right decisions. There is an entire spectrum of options from clear glass to the highest quality anti-reflective museum glass – we will find the right fit for you and your pocket.
