I have a epson style photo R1800. the ink is say to last 150 years but it not waterproof. I have spayed them with a spaycan you can buy in the store for photos. But I looking for something I can put in a spay cup gun and spay a lot of photos at one time. 
Do anyone know of a product like this?

oh I use matt and high gloss paper. I just have touble with the high gloss that smers when something wet hit them.

paint would come in a quart or gallon paint can and put in a spay cup gun

perhaps just store them in archival sheets

I read if you bring them in as a portfolo you need them out of the plastic sheets. I had some in those archival sheets and they got stuck and halve the photo was on the plastic and halve was not. looked bad then I read about portfolos and I understand what I did wroung there. Keep them out so they would not get stuck.  I did impress them but I missed out for my presention of the photos been stuck to the plastic. I
I now do not like them at all. So I looking for a cheap way to spay them . Spaycans you buy in the store cost money so I thought maybe there is something out there that I can put in a cup gun and spay them.

What type of papers are you using ?

Use a nanoporous paper rather than resin coated for increased water resistance.

Acrylic sealing sprays tend to be expensive and only suitable for exhibition prints.

Yes it can be expensive to do.. You may want to look at Printers that use a dye sublimation method. (wax based) these are water and finger resistant, but are as far as I know only up to A4 size there are a number of cheap postcard size ones.. But the quality is very good..

When storing in archival covers you need to let the inks dry for a few days.. before placing them in the covers.. Or speed up the process by drying  them..

when I print on matt paper it is ok . Just when I print on Gloss and high gloss paper. Never tried the cotton paper. Cost too much like about $10 a sheet. 
Do most people for  exhibition  prints use matt or high gloss? I am putting a lot of photos and Bryce images into a show this july. I useing mostly Kodak Ultra Premium photo paper[high gloss 11x17] and Epson suber B 13x19 matt paper, 
Have anyone used the cotton paper before?? If so how did it come out?

I was not suggesting you don't have gloss prints anymore, or that you spend a lot of money on expensive paper.  

Paper can be made in different ways: The resin/polymer coated type reacts differently with the ink to other types of paper. For the sake of simplicity lets say that with resin coated the ink sits on the top of the paper forming a layer. With nanoporous paper the ink is aborbed into the top layer of the paper.  As you have discovered the ink is not waterproof !

The resin coated papers are the ones which will tell you the print will last 100's of years, the nanoporous papers are the ones that say the ink dries instantly. (Treat both statements with caution)  Sometimes it can be very difficult to get the information as brand names who do not actually make paper can be very cagey about specifications thinking if you knew what it was then you would go and buy the  paper direct and they would lose out. eg Epson do not make paper and trying to get information out of them is difficult.

This is very hard to explain because I just do not know what is available there.  I'll see what I can find out for you later when I have some more time and post something here.

I have a dye sub printer, yes the prints are small but the quality is much better than any inkjet and they are waterproof.

Again some very good points raised here by Richard... I have tried to cut costs with non branded inks for example while these can appear to provide similar quality they often do not dry properly on some ofthe high gloss papers, and I think it is also wise to use paper recommended by the makers of the printer..  As stated previously the way the ink is applied to the paper, and the size of the nozzle are all factors that go into the final print... I have for exhibitions handed over the responsibilty to a professional who given the number of prints and the cost of large printing costs doing it by myself I found it worthwhile for the extra expense... Having sold some work it turned out to have been worthwhile..

The cotton and canvas style papers are an excellent way to make prints look very good... And do seem to be less prone to handling problems however not waterproof, can look quite good behind glass frames if the light in the Gallery is not going to reflect all over the images.. 

It would be worthwhile to visit a Professional printer and view the quality he can produce,  discuss the costs, my Pro did a great deal for me, and has gained future business as a result..

I have looked up a US supplier of a make of paper I use. It is a Swiss paper and I am sure there must be US manufacturers making a similar product but I just don't know who they are. 

Here is a link to a sampler pack if you want to give it a go and see if meets your needs.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/334963-REG/Ilford_1129939_Galerie_Smooth_Inkjet_Paper.html

The papers in this pack will offer some water resistance using the type of printer you have.  It is important to use papers beginning with 'smooth' from this maker as those are the nanoporous ones. 

I also understand Kodak do a hybrid paper under the name 'Ultima' I have not tried this so can't say what the reaction to water is likely to be. 

Papers that say they are Resin/polymer coated will all suffer the same fate if exposed to moisture using your type of printer . It is because the paper is relying on moisture in the ink expanding the coating so the ink can be aborbed, the coating then closes the pores as it dries, sealing the surface.  Unfortunately any moisture can reopen the pores. 

hth

Has anyone tried a laminator? They've come down in price to almost the same as a cheap printer!

thanks I going to have to get the paper off the net I see. This town do not have a lot to choose from. i always use epson inks in the printer and epson say the ink is good for 150 to 200 years. I know epson puts out a waterproof paper [star5] but I can not find it here. Hard to find 13x19  paper here. of any type.
I did have a pro printer prints some large 18x24 images which is very good and came out very good too. but at $18 a pop lol. That why I bought the epson r1800  so I can print a lot of my own. I never sold anything. I been showing  in gallerys and all but no sells yet. 
I know I waste some ink and paper too for the prints do not come out like i see on the screen at times. Not all of my images just some. 
I do have the montor set on the right colors.  I had it caliber 
Guess i like to be in control from start to finish. I just do not have the known how or the money. I Do know a place that I can get the image on a canvas. I just do not like the guy and he do not like me for some reason. I feel like this the first time we meet. 
Now the people that printed the big 18x24 we ok and two thumbs up there. 

Now for the laminator The gallerys I set my art up in like the images in a fram and matted and have glass in them. all the frams  I order off the net have that plaste in them so I have to go and buy glass lol another $10 plus the plastic is all scratch up anyway. All I can do is use them in my UV Lighting studio.  it still cheaper to do it this way. 

**Onslow do the paper you buy will it say ** nanoporous  on the package?

**Onslow do the paper you buy will it say ** nanoporous  on the package? 

No Jocko it won't have that on the packet. 

It is a green packet called Smooth Gloss Paper.

thanks I keep that in mind as i buy paper and thanks to every one

Hello Jocko...

I agree with Richard tho... But...

Here is something i know and i will share...

If you go to a normal store, pharmacy etc... and get your self the hair spray cans that allow you to hold hair! I don't know if i said it right tho, the spray and not moose :)) We call it hair luck, if you know what i am talking about...

Any brand will work... This method is the cheaper and will last for long... from about 50cm spray your photo(s) left to right and the other way, make sure to cover all the pic(s) tho...

Let it dry for 1 min, and you are done!

This method works on any photo paper, either matt or glossy only!! Not a normal paper..

Also if you spray your car license plates! The radar cannot get you ;)

Try on one photo as an example and see how it works

Regards,

JOE

@ Prixat and the laminators...

The reason they became so cheap is simple.. They developed a laminating technology without heat! As the normal laminators.. Now i know that you can use your hand by swirling a wheel buit in a laminator that doesn't need any power/batteries!

Just check this LINK these are real cheap and it can't live for long!

And that is why they are cheap tho! But even if you will go for the professional/commercial on this LINK  .. When you laminate a photo, it might live a bit longer, but not more then 12 month at max.. Air will find its way to get in tho!

Laminating your photos is not a good idea, cause i tried it my self :D and failed..

Thank you and regards,

JOE

NATTARIOUS thanks for the hair spay trick. I know if you did chark pastals you know the old type that will smear all over the place and get on you if you touch it. I did some and was taught if you spay it with hair spay you fix it.[that is what they called it and was cheaper than the pastal spay called "fix it"]  It will not smear or get on you. The chark will stay where it at. 
Now if you have a heath touble You will need to wear a spay mask. Some people will have a reaction to the hair spay or at lest the type that was used 30 years ago. You bought up some old memories

LOL!! I just wanted to share to those didn't know Jocko! :)) :P

Regards,

JOE

did not know it work on photos too. Thought there may be a reaction to the inks and hairspay.
guess not