Handling and Care
This section provides instructions on how to properly handle, maintain and light prints purchased from bobcphotography.com.
Handling Acrylic Prints
Though acrylic is quite durable and long-lasting, great care should be taken when handling any acrylic print. We recommend utilizing qualified, experienced professionals such as art handlers or fine art technicians to unpack, install or move prints purchased from bobcphotography.com.
Here are our recommendations for proper handling of acrylic prints:
Always wear lint-free gloves when handling an acrylic print to ensure that skin oils don’t smudge or transfer to the print
Utilize at least two people to handle large or heavy prints
Handle prints only by the edges
Keep prints in their shipping packaging until ready for hanging or display
Store finished prints upright, on their longest edge
Avoid touching acrylic surfaces without protective gloves
Do not allow objects or substances to come in contact with the acrylic surface
Never stack other prints or other objects on top of a print
Clean fingerprints and palm prints on acrylic surfaces immediately (see cleaning recommendations below)
Environmental Considerations
Care should be taken to display or store acrylic prints in a safe and clean environment where exposure to UV light and excessive temperature and humidity swings can be avoided. Acrylic prints can be displayed or stored indoors or outdoors, but we recommend that any acrylic print be displayed or stored in an environment where the following parameters are controlled:
Humidity (recommended range: 40-60% relative humidity)
Temperature (recommended range: 60-80° F)
Exposure to UV light (recommendation: no regular exposure to direct sunlight)
Exposure to airborne dust or contaminants (recommendation: keep acrylic prints out of dusty or contaminated environments)
Care should be taken to ensure that acrylic prints are not regularly exposed to direct sunlight or UV light. Prints that are displayed outdoors should always be kept in a shaded area. Prints displayed indoors should also be kept out of direct sunlight from windows, doors or skylights.
Cleaning Acrylic Prints
Care should be taken when cleaning acrylic prints. Here are our recommended cleaning procedures:
Spot cleaning (dry):
Use a clean and dry micro-fiber cloth.
Clean the surface by wiping with the dry microfiber cloth in a soft, circular or straight motion.
Cleaning:
Use a mild soap (e.g. dish soap) and filtered or distilled water solution.
Apply the cleaning solution to a clean and dry microfiber cloth, not the acrylic surface.
Wipe the acrylic surface with the dampened cloth. Use light pressure.
Rinse the surface with another clean microfiber cloth, dampened with filtered or distilled water.
Dry the surface with another clean microfiber cloth.
More cleaning recommendations:
Clean acrylic surfaces regularly, but not too often. Don’t allow large amounts of dust and other airborne particles to accumulate on acrylic surfaces.
Always use clean, microfiber cloths to clean acrylic print viewing surfaces. Do not use paper towels or other paper-based materials, e.g. napkins.
Never spray a cleaning liquid (including water) directly on the surface of the acrylic. Spray the cleaning liquid onto a clean microfiber cloth; then use the cloth to gently clean the surface.
Use a mild soap-and-water solution with filtered or distilled water and tiny amounts of mild soap, like dish soap as a cleaning solution. You can also use filtered or distilled water without any added soap.
With a clean, dampened microfiber cloth, wipe the acrylic surface gently, without applying too much pressure.
Remove fingerprints and palm prints from acrylic surfaces as soon as possible. Skin oils can bond to surfaces if left on too long.
Cleaning agents and materials to avoid:
Acrylic cleaners
Polishing agents
Cleaners that contain ammonia, alcohol or acetone
Household glass cleaners
Abrasive cleaning powders like Comet or Barkeepers Friend
Paper towels and other paper products
Normal cloth or clothing materials (use microfiber cloth only)
Lighting Recommendations
We believe that it’s important to light high-quality photography prints intentionally and properly. We recommend creating a specific lighting installation for prints that you purchase from us. Given the wide aspect ratio of so many of our images we recommend some form of track lighting if your room can accommodate it.
Traditionally halogen lighting has been the gold standard for museum and professional gallery environments because of its faithful reproduction of the visible light spectrum. Popular halogen bulbs such as MR16 bulbs are often used in gallery environments. Unfortunately halogen lighting consumes a lot of power and generates a significant amount of heat.
The upstart alternative to halogen lighting is LED lighting, which consumes much less power and generates much less heat than halogen. Originally LED lighting suffered from “spiky” coverage of the visible light spectrum - even though some of the “spiky” LED bulbs had seemingly high CRI (color rendering index) ratings. A high CRI index is important for LED lights but it isn’t the only consideration.
More recent versions of LED lighting are seemingly doing a much better job of recreating the full spectrum; this article at Waveform Lighting does a great job of illustrating how their LED bulbs cover the spectrum vs. other sources. At this point we almost universally recommend LED lighting over halogen, whether the environment is a home, a business or a gallery.
A common question regarding gallery lighting is about color temperature, i.e. how orange, white or blue a light source is. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K). Lights that are yellow or golden have lower Kelvin numbers. Daylight is typically at 5000 Kelvin (5000K); light sources at 6500 K have a bluish tone. Most home table lamps simulate the color of tungsten light bulbs at 2700K. Most museums and art galleries light their works at 3,000K; some experts suggest 3700K or 4000K and still others suggest that 5000K (daylight-balanced) is optimal. We prefer 3000K lighting, which reflects our bias toward warm indoor lighting.
There are a number of excellent online articles about how to create great lighting for displaying art and photography. Here are links to several:
Art Lighting: Seeing Your Art in the Best Light (Alcon Lighting)
How to Light Different Types of Artwork - Murals & Large Pieces (Lutron)
Resources
There are several good resources for information on how to handle and care for artwork properly. Here are several that we recommend:
Updated June 11, 2026