Fine Art Prints - what's it all about?

I recently decided I wanted to make prints of my original art available to a worldwide audience. This was for a couple of reasons. First I like prints and I enjoy the process of creating them. Second, due to various factors including postage costs, I have to this point only sold my original art and fine art prints within the UK. To overcome the postage concerns I felt that prints created in different world locations would provide a method whereby everyone who was interested could access my work. That is where my print shop journey started.

Why is it that no matter what I consider doing as an artist there are numerous opinions on the ‘right’ way to do it. If you read all the supposed pitfalls and conflicting opinions on practically every aspect of art from the, often self proclaimed, experts and gatekeepers you would never do anything at all.

For a recovering perfectionist like myself, who wants to do it right and do it well, it is exhausting.

One thing I have come to realise is that there is no right or wrong way and there is no one way. There is just each individuals way, hopefully chosen after a reasonable amount of research and the desire to deliver a high quality, affordable product to the buyer.

There were two issues I wanted to address:-

1) How do I ensure a good quality print that will last a long time?

2) What are my options for creating a print shop on my website that once set up takes a minimal amount of my time and will produce a good product for the buyer?

1 – Getting a quality print.

The first thing to understand is that there are two types of ink - dye and pigment. From what I have read it appears that pigment inks are better from an archival point of view as prints created from them can last up to 200 years in darkened conditions and 80 years in daylight. Dye based inks are not seen as archival as they will begin to fade in less than the magic 100 year cut off point they need to surpass to qualify for the “archival” label. However dye based inks have improved substantially in recent years and the Epson claria inks used in my own home printer are said to create prints that can last up to 200 years without fading if stored in an album, and 98 years left on display. Dye based inks are said to give brighter colours and are favoured by photographers.

The second thing to understand is that the paper is as important as the ink. A pigment ink on a poor quality paper displayed in sunlight will fade while a high quality dye ink on acid free archival paper kept out of direct sunlight would last longer.

If you are an artist who wants to produce archival prints of your original art then you will be drawn to the industry standard – the Giclée print. Opting for Giclée allows you to print on a wider range of papers whether you are looking for a smooth, textured or heavyweight finish, in cool or warm tones, each option gives a different feel to your image.

On their website Redcliffe Imaging write:- The term "Giclée" is derived from the French for "spray" and was first coined by Jack Duganne, a printmaker, to represent an inkjet-based digital print used as fine art. To qualify for the title of a "fine art giclée print" it should be made on archival quality coated paper, and printed with pigment based archival inks, which are UV stable.’

Conversely there is a very interesting article on the Marrutt website which provides some facts around the dye versus pigment inks debate. It states that not all Giclée prints are produced with pigment inks as many of the fine art reproduction houses print with Iris inkjet printers which use dye based inks. Therefore dye inks can be high quality and archival.

So from all of this information I have concluded that both inks will give long lasting high quality prints. The pigment inks can be described as archival and will last longer. The use of archival papers and not displaying prints in direct sunlight are important factors in ensuring any type of print achieves longevity.

2) What are my options for creating a print shop on my website that once set up takes a minimal amount of my time and will produce a good product for the buyer?

I will keep this part short and sweet. I wanted a system where I could integrate the shop into my own website to provide a straightforward, streamlined user experience.

The answer seemed to be a print provider, who would print the customers order and deliver it directly to them. I have discovered there are a multitude of these companies the majority of whom focus on products such as mugs and t shirts with wall art as an option. To ascertain the quality of the prints I watched numerous videos and read lots of articles before narrowing my choice to a few options. I then ordered samples from five companies. These were:-

1) Gelato which is a regular print on demand company who get excellent reviews about the quality of all their products including wall art.

2) Fine Art America (also have a linked company pixels.com) they are a large company who were set up with a focus on art prints but who also give the option to print on products. So their focus seemed more suited to what I wanted.

3) D.S.Colour Labs - quality printers in the UK who offer drop shipping ie they will deliver the print direct to the buyer.

4) Prodigi – a global print company who ship worldwide and get excellent reviews on the quality of their prints.

5) The Print Space – the UK’s leading Fine Art and photographic printers who offer a variety of printing services and global shipping from their facilities in the UK, Germany and USA. Their focus is entirely on high quality prints. They get excellent reviews.

Findings

Gelato prints were fine and their system would integrate to my website.

D.S.Colour Labs prints were excellent but they do not integrate with my website and the process would take a lot more work from myself to manage orders.

Fine Art America prints were excellent and they provide the integration I wanted. They also manage all the payments and address any customer enquiries or issues with delivery. This meant I had limited control over what was being offered to buyers which was not ideal.

Prodigi prints were very good quality and were definitely an option I considered as my print providers.

The Print Space prints were excellent and provided me with everything I require to supply a quality product to my customers. In addition they are also 100% end to end carbon neutral. They are my choice as my print partners.

On the issue of print quality as discussed at the beginning of this post.

The prints I am now offering through my store are Fine Art Giclée prints on archival Hahnemühle Photorag paper. The paper has a matt finish with minimal texture and a smooth cotton feel. It has a delicate surface and should be handled with care. These are high quality prints, which you can enjoy for decades with no fading.