How do you create or laminate a regular size photo that will last on a headstone?

Question

I placed a photo on my friends grave but not long after it faded. I would like to make another one but I'm not sure if there is a specific way to laminate the photo or gloss it so that it will not fade away as fast?

Answer 1

the same thing hap-pend to the photo i had of my late husband and even when i laminated it, it faded in time. what i finally had to do was have it made in porcelain and had it mounted on his grave. you can find out on-line who can have a porcelain copy of your friend's photo and have a frame made that can be mounted on the grave. it will cost more than a laminated copy but when you love someone, it is worth the sacrifice to pay for a lasting memorial to them.

Answer 2

If you don't want to (or are unable to) have the photo transferred to porcelain, just resign yourself to replacing the photo periodically. I mean, sunlight is the enemy as far as preserving image quality, and the headstone is outside, so you are fighting a losing battle with any kind of photographic print.

Print a dozen or so and let them air dry for at least 24 hours before laminiating them. Laminate with a shete on the front AND rear of the photo. Cut the photo out with at least ¼" border of laminate remaining all the way around the photo. This is the best you can do. We found that they last a couple of months in the sunshine this way, but no more.

Answer 3

There is a process called "Archival Photography" that if not all but most of us photography students that are calling back in college. It's a battle indeed. Moments before the birth of the pixelized digital photo world that now we live in. The Photographic Archival method and as we see the peolpe involved with it finally faded out into the cold dark room forever...
Oh excuse me, did you say you wanted to have a photo that will last forever? The archival method if theres anyone still doing it will probably solved your problem. I can't tell you how the photo is declared archival. But the process does mainly is to produce the image in real photo silver halide pigmented on real bromide paper. The synthehis are then halted then fixed by sodium chloride and then wash the paper out in constant running water for hours then they involve a bleaching process, then washing, then toning, then more washing. Until the traces of chemicals are minus -0%. After the photo is dried. The fun starts to begin. Once they declared the photo is indeed archival. It means this photo cannot be mixed with the others. Even the exposure of it to oxygen means contamination. Now if this photo will be laminated as you said it will. Then the answer is yes it might work. I just hope still does it. Good Luck

Answer 4

I'm not directly familiar with the process, but I know that there's a way to transfer a photo image onto glass. There's an overlay technique, then there's a way to imbed the dyes into 2 layers of glass in order to make an image retain its attributes. I would speak to someone invovled with stained glass in order to find out how to do the process, and who specialises in it.