The Object: Framing, Paper & Glass | Ralph Vitolo
Materials / Presentation

THE OBJECT.

Every print leaves the studio finished, not just printed. Museum grade framing, archival paper, and UV rated glazing, the standard a gallery would insist on, applied to every edition.

Browse The Collection
01. Custom Framing

Museum grade,
made to measure.

A ready made frame is a compromise: a standard size forcing a non standard piece. Every frame here is built to the millimetre for its print, using the same conservation methods a museum would specify for a permanent collection. A frame is not packaging. It is the last decision an artist makes before the work leaves the studio, and it is treated with the same discipline as the photograph itself.

Off the shelf framing ages badly: acidic board yellows the mount, cheap glazing fades the print, and a loose fit lets the work shift and crease inside the frame. None of that happens here.

Conservation, acid free mounting

Museum board that will not discolour or damage the print over decades.

Made to the millimetre

Every frame is cut and joined for its specific print, never a standard size.

Hand fitted in the studio

No automated production line. Every piece is checked before it ships.

Arrives ready to hang

A fitted hanging system, sized to the frame, straight out of the box.

Grand Canal, Venice, framed in Collector Dark moulding Collector Dark · Grand Canal, Venice
Choose Your Moulding

Our most requested,
in museum grade wood.

A sample for you of the finishes our clients ask for most, every one museum grade wood, ready to be matched to your print.

02. Paper & Print Quality

Printed to last.
Not just printed.

Framed archival pigment print, before and after finishing Finished & Framed

Every image begins on a Fujifilm GFX medium format sensor, 43.8 × 32.9mm, roughly 1.7 times the surface area of a standard full frame camera, with the system capable of resolving up to 102 megapixels at 16 bit colour depth. The larger sensor area means larger individual photosites, gathering more light with less noise and holding onto tonal gradation a smaller format compresses away. It shows most in a sky, a shadow, or the transition between the two. What the sensor captures, minimal post production preserves: no manufactured detail standing in for what the light actually did.

From there, every edition goes through the same two decisions, in detail, below.

Macro close-up of the cotton rag paper fibre and texture Fibre & texture, macro detail
The Paper

Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 308gsm

This is the paper museums and galleries default to when a print has to survive being called an archive. 100% cotton rag, acid free, and built to hold its whiteness and its structure for generations rather than years. Nothing about it is generic photo stock, and it shows the moment you hold a piece in your hands.

  • 100% cotton rag base, meaning no wood pulp, no lignin, so it will not turn brittle or yellow with age.
  • Acid free and buffered with calcium carbonate, keeping the sheet chemically stable for decades, not months.
  • 308gsm weight with genuine tooth and rigidity, so the print holds its own even before it reaches a frame.
  • 99% opacity so nothing from the reverse side ever shadows through the image.
  • Natural cotton whiteness, not optical brighteners that fade and yellow with UV exposure over time.
Composition
100% Cotton Rag
Weight
308gsm
Opacity
99%
Whiteness
92.5%, Low OBA
The Print

Archival Pigment, Not Dye

Every print is an archival pigment giclée, fine droplets of lightfast pigment laid onto the paper with a precision no dye based printer can match. Pigment resists UV fading in a way dye simply cannot: it sits on the surface as stable, insoluble particles rather than soaking in as a soluble dye that light breaks down far faster.

Independent longevity testing from bodies such as Wilhelm Imaging Research rates comparable pigment on cotton rag systems, correctly framed under glass, at upwards of 100 years of display life before any noticeable fading. Monochrome work is often rated well beyond that. Every edition here is made to that standard, not a lesser one: the same process a museum print room would use for a permanent collection.

Process
Archival Pigment
Ink Type
Lightfast, UV Stable
Colour Depth
16 Bit
Rated Life
100+ Years, Framed
03. Glazing

Protecting the print.

Every edition is glazed in Clarity+ acrylic as standard, chosen first for how it looks, not just what it protects.

It disappears entirely in front of the print. Its true, water clear finish means colour, contrast and fine detail read exactly as they left the studio, with none of the greenish cast, reflection or surface glare that ordinary glass adds. It also filters 99% of UV light, and is shatterproof and roughly half the weight of glass, which matters the moment a framed piece has to travel. The comparison below is the same one we use internally when specifying materials.

Glazing TypeVisual ClarityColour TintDurability & HandlingBest Suited To
Clarity+ AcrylicOUR STANDARDExceptional water clear finish, virtually invisible at normal viewing distance.None. True, accurate colour.Shatterproof and roughly half the weight of glass. The safest way to frame and ship a print without any risk of breakage.Every edition we sell. Gallery level clarity with the durability to actually reach a wall intact.
Museum GlassThe ultimate clarity available, at around 99% light transmission. Looks all but invisible over the print.None. A refined anti glare coating keeps colour completely true.A hard, precise surface with a delicate optical coating that calls for careful handling.Collectors who want the single highest clarity finish available and are framing for a permanent, controlled setting.
Anti Reflective (AR) GlassSuperior clarity at around 99% transmission, coated to cancel reflections almost entirely.None. Colour reads exactly as printed.A hard surface with a delicate optical coating, best suited to walls rather than transit.Bright, light filled rooms where eliminating glare matters more than anything else.
Water White (Low Iron) GlassHigh clarity with a standard level of reflection.None. Iron is removed for accurate colour.Glass, so scratch resistant but still fragile in transit.A static, permanently sited display where shipping isn’t a factor.
Standard Float GlassGood clarity, with noticeable reflection.A slight green cast from natural iron content.Glass, scratch resistant but brittle.Budget framing where cost matters more than colour accuracy.
Non Reflective (Etched) GlassReduced. A matte finish softens fine detail.A slight green cast.Glass, scratch resistant.Bright rooms prioritising glare reduction over image sharpness.
Styrene GlazingBasic. Can look hazy or foggy.Often a mild colour cast.A very soft plastic that marks easily and can warp over time.Temporary or entry level framing only. Not used on our editions.
Bespoke Upgrade

Museum Glass and Anti Reflective glass are available for collectors who want the absolute highest optical clarity for a permanent, non transit installation. Because these are specified per piece, we handle them as a personal enquiry rather than a standard checkout option.

Enquire Now

This is why Clarity+ acrylic is the standard on every piece we sell: it gives a print gallery level presentation and the resilience to survive being framed, shipped and hung, so it arrives looking exactly as it left the studio.

04. Limited Editions & Authenticity

Every edition,
accounted for.

A limited edition means exactly what it says: a fixed number of prints, never reissued once the edition is closed. That claim only matters if it can be verified, so every limited edition print leaving this studio carries the same layers of proof a gallery, appraiser or insurer would expect to see.

On the Print
Signature & Edition No.
Certificate
Full Provenance Record
Security
Blind Stamp & Hologram
Registry
Blockchain Option
Certificate of Authenticity issued with every limited edition print

Certificate of Authenticity, Issued With Every Edition

Every print is hand signed in pencil directly on the sheet, alongside its edition fraction, for example 7/25, so its position within a closed edition of 25 is never in doubt. It is the same convention used across the print market, and the first thing an appraiser or gallery will look for.

Alongside the print, every edition ships with a printed Certificate of Authenticity: name and signature, title, creation and print dates, edition number and total edition size, medium, paper type, dimensions, and a unique serial number cross referenced to the print itself. Without this, appraisers and insurers routinely discount a print’s resale value, edition or not.

For an additional layer of physical security, certificates can be paired with a serialised, tamper evident hologram, one seal on the certificate, a matching seal on the reverse of the print, plus an embossed blind stamp pressed directly into the paper, invisible until tilted to the light.

On request, any edition can also be registered on a blockchain backed ledger such as Verisart, creating a permanent, publicly verifiable record of the certificate that exists independently of the paper it is printed on, useful for resale, insurance or simply peace of mind decades from now.

Open Editions

Open edition prints, work with no fixed print run, are not numbered, since there is no edition size to number against. Each open edition print is still hand signed and accompanied by a simplified Certificate of Authenticity confirming title, creation and print date, medium, paper and dimensions. It carries the same guarantee of genuine authorship and print quality, without a claim of scarcity that would not be true.

Presentation, Included

Every piece, finished to museum standard.

Custom framing, archival printing and UV rated glazing come as standard on every edition, not an upsell, not an add on. Talk to the studio about sizing, moulding, and placement.

Enquire About Framing