Fine Art Photography
Fine Art photographic paper isn't just paper, and its colour, weight and texture aren't its only important characteristics. For example, for maximum longevity a fine-art printing paper should be acid free and not contain any lignin, chlorine or whiteners. It should also be made from 100% cotton rag and be pH buffered. Now, when combined with a pigment based inkset, such as Epson's Ultrachrome, you have a combination that offers the greatest anti-fading, anti-oxidization and anti-yellowing characteristics that current technology can provide. (By the way, these are exactly the same concerns that painters have had for centuries with regard to their paints and papers.
Our choice in Fine Art prints went to "Giclées" due to their qualities :Giclée (pronounced “zhee-clay”) is a French word meaning “a spraying of ink.” With the advent of giclée, the art of reproducing fine art has become even more precise. Giclées have the highest apparent resolution available today — as high as 2,880×1,440 dots per inch. In addition, since no screens are used, the prints have a higher apparent resolution than lithographs and a color range that exceeds that of serigraphy. Displaying a full color spectrum, giclée prints capture every nuance of an original and have gained wide acceptance from artists and galleries throughout the world.
The patented printing technology utilizes microscopically fine droplets of ink to form the image. A print can consist of nearly 20 billion ink droplets. The microscopic droplets of ink vary in sizes (approximately the size of a red blood cell) and density. This unique patented feature produces a near continuous tone image, smoother gradation between tones, and a more finely differentiated color palette.
Displaying the full color spectrum, giclRead more about "Giclée" prints specifications in Wikipedia
Fine Art photographic papers specifications
We use only Fine Art Strathmore® papers, 100% cotton, acid free, superior quality.
100% archival cotton canvas / Textured watercolor 400 gsm / Smooth watercolor 230 gsm
UV enhanced pigmented inks
Permanent quality guaranteed : long-term Resistance in the change of colors is over 100 years.
The images have a remarkable contrast, and the saturation of colors is exceptional. The images are much more beautiful than what it is possible to see on a computer screen. The couple paper / ink offers the guarantee of an extraordinary stability in the time much superior to the argentic editions.
We don't use solvent inks for they emit harmful VOC (volatile organic compounds) into the air that may be harmful to your health.
Dye inks can, in theory, produce more colors than pigment inks. The drawback is stability. Within a few months, dye images start to degrade. If a dye image is displayed in a sunny room, changes can be visible in only 2 or 3 months. Dye prints may fade irreparably in just one year. In the past, many companies expected their dye inks to last 25 years. Experience proved them all wrong. Pigments by nature are far more resistant to degradation. Pigments have been used in paintings since mankind’s earliest cave art 40,000 years ago; they are the reason we can still see and enjoy them today!
Canvas coating
We offer only one coating surface which is somewhere between gloss and semi-gloss. In our opinion it is the surface that offers the best saturation and contrast but without the drawbacks of high gloss. It is enhanced UV, water and abrasion resistant. We use a machine to coat the canvas. Spray and rollers do not do a really good job, and you can not coat a few hundred giclées in one day using these methods.
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