Diasec is a patented process used for face-mounting Chromogenic prints to plexiglass and became very popular in the 1990’s by artist such as Andreas Gursky. C-prints fade whether they are mounted to plexiglass or not. Plexiglas just adds more complications. Because of this I switched to more permanent processes but many very well known artists continue to use this long out of date technology which is a puzzle for me to no end. C-print Mounted to Plexiglass & the Issues with Fading is a huge concern you need to pay attention to.
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Gursky was one of the first artists to make oversized c-prints. “If you were going to make big colour prints in the early 1990s, you had to do it chromogenically,” says Wilson. “Inkjet printing was just not good enough then.” Because c-prints on this scale are relatively recent it is only now that collectors and conservators are starting to understand fully the challenges of maintaining such works.
Another issue with Gursky’s work is that each image is face-mounted; a layer of Plexiglass is placed on top of the image and, in effect, the picture is fused to it. Conservators say they do not yet know if this process, which gives photographs a slick, wet look, accelerates degradation. Plexiglass is also sensitive and scratches easily. Because the image is fused to it, it cannot be replaced the way a layer of glass would be.
Hello,
I can across this post while exploring best options to print large-scale photography. Gurksy type size.
What has changed since your post above in 2013?
What type of printing would you recommend today? C-Type VS Giclée prints? Inkjet?
Would be great to hear your thoughts
I think the big changes have been are that C-Prints are now better made and last even longer and as long as other digital inks. It’s also important that a photograph be printed on a light sensitive material to actually be called a photograph. Otherwise it’s a work on paper (for me). I miss the Giclee process as the inks were in the paper (not on the surface). The light reflected off of them was much different than todays Inkjet prints. They had more depth as the paper became part of the image. This made for really interesting prints if you were looking for the feel of a water color paper. This was the first process I started with and I still have some of these prints from the Nature Morte series.