Glazing is any protective layer of glass, acrylic or laminate that covers the artwork. The glass helps protect the artwork in many ways. It is available with a UV (ultraviolet) light screening, which is a coating on the glass or acrylic that cuts out up to 98% of the UV light. Glass also comes with different non-reflective coatings or treatments which helps cut down on the glare from natural or artificial light

Light can cause extreme fading of colors and also interacts with the acids and other chemicals that might be present in the mats and in the frame. It does not have to be direct sunlight to cause extreme damage.

While UV protecting glass is not a cure-all, it does significantly extend the life of most paper art. But if you hang the artwork where it will get direct sunlight, moderate fading will occur over time. There are also other light rays that cause fading and damage that are not cut out by the UV protective coatings.

When should UV Filtering Glass be Used?
UV Filtering glass should be used on most custom framing jobs, since damage from UV light rays come from both indoor and outdoor light sources.  Conservation framing materials and techniques should always be used on sentimental, valuable, limited edition and one-of-a-kind artwork.  Use UV Filtering glass on all works of art you would like to protect, especially posters and open edition prints.  These items are candidates for UV Filtering glass because the inks, papers and other materials used to create them are more likely to deteriorate than those used in higher end reproductions.

Museum Glass

Museum Glass is the highest quality anti-reflective picture framing glass available in the industry.  Tru VueŽ has a proprietary manufacturing process, called Magnetron Sputtering, which produces an ultra protective, nearly invisible finish.  It protects against 99% of harmful indoor and outdoor UV light rays and has the highest light transmission along with the lowest reflection rating of any other glass product.  The result is consistent, durable quality and the most attractive display for artwork.