Clearshield works just fine on microporous papers. It can be a problem on some swellable papers, since it is water based and can cause some swellable papers to "run" when it is brushed on. In those cases, a thin coat of a solvent based (very smelly) spray coating can protect the photo while the Clearshield dries. This is discussed as a minor point in (http://www.nifty-stuff.com/docs/inkjet-fading.php).
Thanks. Im wondering what effect it has on the print quality, is it very noticable, easy to apply, could you use a roller ect? Also Ive seen others on the market like frog juice and glamour ll liquid veneer any opinions on these, anyone done any tests?
Clearshield will slightly "soften" the appearance of print, but unless you are printing sharp edged graphics most people won't notice it. The whites won't be quite as "white", but most people won't notice it. Our eyes are very good at compensating for the "white point".
I used a good paint brush, but I suppose that a paint roller would also work if you were coating large areas. Clearshield is much "thinner" than most standard paints, so you will have to experiment to get the correct laydown rate and flow-out.
The only other product that I tried was a solvent based spray. The smell was horrible, so don't even think about spraying it indoors. It also took days for the smell to reduce to a point where I could bring the prints indoors.
The Glamour II Liquid Veneer appears to be similar to Clearshield, but I didn't see any information on UV protection on their website. Frog Juice is solvent based, and I didn't see any claims about UV protection (other than listing a "Sunscreen Clear" product).