Frequently Asked Questions: Preservation

Filtering out ultraviolet radiation removes the most damaging part of sunlight, but all light is damaging to paper, not just ultraviolet light.

Acrylic glazing is now available as "anti-static," which can be safely used to frame works with powdery media like pastels, charcoal, and graphite pencil. Acrylic glazing can filter out ultraviolet and is lighter, less brittle, and therefore safer to handle than glass. The downsides to acrylic is that it scratches more easily and is less rigid than glass and tends to bow in a frame when the acrylic sheet exceeds a certain size.

Dust with a lint-free soft cloth, especially when cleaning acrylic glazing. If it is necessary to use a wet cleaning agent, use an appropriate agent for the glazing type (acrylic or glass) and apply the cleaning agent to the cleaning cloth; do not directly apply the agent to the glazing.