As promised, here is the next step to making your very own custom family tree chart for framing.  My last post went into detail about the type of paper you should choose.  It’s absolutely crucial that you get the paper right!  If you haven’t read that post, do it now.  You have to be able speak “shop” to your printer or the art supplier to make sure you get the right paper that will last for decades.  Today, this post will outline the important components of the right ink and protectant.

Getting back to my analogy of building a house.  Now that you’ve got a good foundation by choosing the best paper for the job, you need to start building the part of the house that defines the space and protects the contents.  The walls.  The walls of your house protect you just like the ink for your family tree protects your research and family history from fading.  And just like the walls of your house, you need the ink to stand up to the elements. The ink is the part of your family tree that people will be looking at all the time.  You don’t want the ink to run or fade.    Pick the right ink and your family tree will last for generations.

Make Sure You Choose UV Resistant Ink

Ink is an often overlooked but important component of any quality art piece.  In researching this post, I discovered that the technicalities of UV resistant ink and UV resistant laminates can be quite a detailed subject.  So I’m not going to go into a long discussion explaining how ink is made and what materials are used to make a UV resistant laminate.  The most important issue that you need to concern yourself with is that the ink is UV resistant.

A great printed family tree is an art piece that should be enjoyed for many years to come.  To protect your investment, it’s absolutely imperative that you advise your printing service that the image must be printed with a UV resistant ink.  As the name implies, UV resistant ink is designed to combat the UV elements that so often break down inferior printed items.

Reduce Fading with UV Resistant Ink

Now some of you might be thinking that you could save a little money on the cost of UV resistant ink and just hang your family tree in a room with no windows.  But that is not going to save your ink from fading.  Without UV protection, any light will destroy the ink, making it fade and over time, unreadable.  Lightbulbs, sunlight and any other source of light in the room will cause the ink to fade.  It is truly essential to choose UV resistant ink.

UV Protectant Sealant

To further protect your investment, it would be a great idea to have your printing service apply a matt UV protectant sealant to your family tree piece.  This protectant will act as a further defence against the sun’s harmful rays, and other sources of light.  Most printing services will have a choice of UV sealants and they will be available in various finishes such as semi-matt, matt and so on.  My suggestion would be to go with a matt finish because it will make the ink easier to read and will cut down on glare.  You want your family tree to look good and to invite people to read it, so a matt finish will ensure that it will be protected and easy to read.

Coming up soon, A Surefire Way to Choose the Right Matting