Photographic Printing
Posted by paul
Considerations for the Collector
One of the most important considerations the collector has when purchasing a Fine Art Print is the method used for printing. In today’s printing environment, the purchaser has several options to consider, from off-set press, lithography, to inkjet.
Today’s modern inkjet technology is capable of producing museum grade, archival, giclee prints. I have chosen to use the archival inkjet process for all of my printing and the explanations of these techniques are as follows:
- Museum grade implies you have to be able to produce a print that is acid free and light fast for at least 100 years. To achieve this, the artist will print on either canvas or paper with ink sets that have been certified archival. Not every inkjet process on the market provides this. The printers/papers/inks that I use in my work all have been certified as archival by the manufacturer.
- Giclee is a French term that translates as “sprayed ink.”
Insert 1: A picture showing my 9880 and a large canvas print
Types of Prints that I Offer
For your Fine Art Print, I offer three different mediums. RC, Matte/Fiber and Canvas. All involve a giclee ink pigment on paper process.
- RC (resin coated) paper which gives the same look and feel of traditional photographic prints. I offer my RC prints in two finishes. Gloss and Semi-gloss.
- Matte/Fiber paper which will give the print a softer look more like traditional watercolor paper. I offer my matte prints in both a Matte and Semi-gloss finish.
- Canvas. This is canvas that is prepared for inkjet printing processes and provides for an amazing look for the finished print. I use a uniquely prepared glossy canvas.
Sizes of Paper Prints that I offer
The collector can choose from the following standard sizes for paper and canvas; however I will always entertain a custom size i.e. a square print or a panorama style print. My only limitation is that my largest printer is 44″ in total width. Thus my widest paper print can be 44″ and my widest canvas print can be 39″ (this is to allow for stretching and wrapping the canvas—see notes on the finishing of prints for more information)
An image of a non-framed print, matted.
An image of a framed print.
| Pricing for Paper Prints | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio* | Print Size | Price for Print | Price for Print Mounted with a Double Mat* |
Framed |
| 4:3 | 8″ x 10″ | $25.00 | Mat Outer Size 11″ x14″ $45.00 | Frame Outer Size “11 x 14″ $65.00 |
| 2:3 | 8″ x 12″ | $30.00 | Mat Outer Size 14″ x 18″ $50.00 |
Frame Outer Size 14″ x 18″ $90.00 |
| 4:3 | 11″ x 14″ | $45.00 | Mat Outer Size 16″ x 20″ $65.00 |
Frame Outer Size 16″ x 20″ $135.00 |
| 2:3 | 12.5″x18″ | $55.00 | Mat Outer Size 18″ x 24″ $90.00 |
Frame Outer Size 18″ x 24″ $180.00 |
| 4:3 | 16″ x 20″ | $75.00 | Mat Outer Size 22″ x 26″ $105.00 |
Frame Outer Size 22″ x 26″ $205.00 |
| 2:3 | 16 x 24″ | $120.00 | Mat Outer Size 22″ x 30″ $180.00 |
Frame Outer Size 22″ x 30″ $260.00 |
| 4:3 | 20″ x 30″ | $150.00 | Mat Outer Size 26″ x 36″ $220.00 |
Frame Outer Size 20″ x 30″ $325.00 |
| 2:3 | 23″ x 33″ | $190.00 | Mat Outer Size 30″ x 40″ $275.00 |
Frame Outer Size 30″ x 40″ $360.00 |
| 4:3 | 30″ x 40″ | $275.00 | Contact me | |
| 2:3 | 30″ x 45″ | $300.00 | Contact me | |
| 4:3 | 38″ x 48″ | $450.00 | Contact me | |
| 4:3 | 40″ x 60″ | $600.00 | Contact me | |
I will use an off white combination as the standard choice for matting. I can offer any combination of colors. I also offer black core mats. When cut they will have a black instead of standard white core. This can offer a striking combination depending on the print.
* A 2:3 ratio corresponds to a 35mm format, while a 4:3 ratio reflects a print size corresponding to a Medium format.
Sizes of Canvas Prints that I offer
The dimensions shown below (example 24″ x 36″) are the size of the printed image on the canvas. All of these prints will be formatted so that the purchaser will have an extra 3 inches of canvas to allow for a Gallery wrap during stretching. The first 2 inches will have image material to cover the sides of the stretcher bar; the last 1 inch is plain canvas. All of my Canvas prints are coated for long term UV (ultra violet) protection.
An example of Canvas Print showing gallery wrap and finished image.
| Pricing for Canvas Prints | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio | Print Size | Price for Print | Price for Finished Canvas Print
Gallery Wrapped on Stretcher Bar |
| 4:3 | 20″ x 30″ | $250.00 | $315.00 |
| 2:3 | 24″ x 36″ | $325.00 | $350.00 |
| 4:3 | 30″ x 40″ | $375.00 | $425.00 |
| 2:3 | 30″ x 45″ | $405.00 | $450.00 |
| 4:3 | 39″ x 48″ | $650.00 | $850.00 |
| 2:3 | 39″ x 80″ | $800.00 | $1,100.00 |
Options for Finishing Your Photographic Print
Before your print can be displayed on the wall, you need to consider the finishing touches, mounting and matting for paper prints and stretching for canvas. I have over 20 years of experience with framing prints.
For a Paper Photographic Print Consider The Following
- Mounting, dry or hinge mounts. If the purchaser lives in an area of high humidity, with RC and paper prints, I would recommend dry mounting. This gives the print a 100% contact with the mounting surface so that over time you will not see “bubbling or waviness”. This is especially true with larger paper prints since all prints over 17″ wide will be printed from roll paper. If the purchaser lives in a drier climate, then consider a hinge mount. Only the top portion of the print is attached to the mounting surface.
- Matting. Matting is the first step that will finish out your Photographic Paper Print. I would recommend the purchaser stay with a “medium to high end” mat. Most mats sold now are acid free; however look for a medium to high rag content. The other thing to consider is the color of the core. When you cut the mat, the core is exposed and will either be white or black. If a “low end” white core mat is used, over a period of 2 years, the core will yellow and detract from the image. With a “medium to high end” mat, the core will stay a brilliant white for the life of the mounting. Black core mats have become popular recently as when cut they show a pure black core. Depending on the print, the purchaser might want to consider a black core mat. I have years of experience with mat selection and cutting and would love to assist you with any questions.
- Glass. Glass is the second step to consider on finishing out your Photographic Paper Print. With glass you have several options. Note, if the purchaser is looking at framing a print/mat solution larger than 30 x 40 inches, I would recommend using acrylic instead of glass due to the weight of such a large sheet of glass. I only use “True Vue” brand glass in my work. I feel that this brand offers the best overall solution with Paper Photographic Prints. “True Vue” has several grades of glass. I offer their Conservation Clear and Conservation Clear Reflection control varieties.
- Conservation Clear offers a coating which will help to protect your print from UV damage to help prevent fading. This glass has very few impurities and allows the true colors of the print to stand out.
- Conservation Clear Refection Control offers the same UV coating as standard Conservation Clear but also has a Non Glare surface. If the purchaser is going to mount the print where much outside light will hit the print or when standard office style fluorescent lighting exists, then non glare is a glass finish to consider. If the purchaser uses standard glass reflections of the interior windows or lighting fixtures will be reflected when the print is viewed.
- Framing. The frame that is chosen is much more of an individual selection process. I offer several stock frames in both metal and wood that the purchaser may want to consider, please feel free to contact me for more information. The main thing to consider with a frame is that it needs to be able to support the weight of the print/glass. Make sure that if metal is used, the frame has an internal channel construction to keep it from bending.
Considerations for a Canvas Photographic Print
- Coating. Inkjet printing on canvas or glicee creates an oil/acrylic look for the finished work. However the actual coating of the ink on the canvas is much thinner than a traditional hand painted work. Also inkjet prints on canvas can suffer from UV light degradation just as much as a paper print. Because of this all of my canvas prints are coated after printing. This same coating will help protect the canvas from small scratches and fingerprints.
- Stretching.
- This is the single most important consideration to finishing out a canvas print. I offer a “gallery wrap” finish to all my canvas prints. This allows a portion of the image to wrap around the sides of the stretcher bar, becoming a frame. This gives a very unique look to a canvas print almost a 3D effect on the sides of the canvas.
- If you are planning to put the canvas in a frame, then the canvas still needs to be stretched but the finishing on the sides is not as important since the frame will cover this.
- By wrapping the last two inches of the print around the sides of the stretcher bar, you get a beautiful framed print ready to hang. I have developed a technique so that the last two inches of the print on all 4 sides are mirrored. This keeps the purchaser from cutting down the final size of the print. For example, on a 24 x 36 inch print. The final output would be 28 x 40, to allow for the 2 inch wrap on each side.
A picture of a mounted print on foam core.
A picture of a matted and mounted print.
A photo of finished, gallery-wrapped print.
I hope that this has been helpful and please feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions.
