I recently decided I wanted to make prints of my original art available to a worldwide audience in a way that did not take up a lot of my time. This was for a couple of reasons. First I like prints, I enjoy the process of creating them and I wanted to have my work available for a wider audience to enjoy. Second I have a mailing list and the majority of people on it are not UK based. Up to this point I have only sold my original art and fine art prints locally or within the UK. I didn’t really want all the hassle of postage etc so I thought prints created in different world locations would provide a method whereby everyone on my mailing list could access my work.
And so it began …
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 will 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 "giclee" 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 discussion around the dye versus pigment inks debate. It states that not all Giclee 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 can 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. If the archival label and a wider choice of art papers are important to you go the pigment route. If you are happy with quality long lasting prints you can choose either method and open up the choice of the brighter colours dye based inks provide.
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 on demand 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 three 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.
Findings
Gelato prints were fine and their system would integrate to my website. I would have to set up a method of accepting payments and deal with any customer enquiries.
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 provided the integration I want. They also manage all the payments and address any customer enquiries or issues with delivery. This seems like an ideal match for me, so it is my choice for now.
On the issue of print quality as discussed at the beginning of this post. I found the following information from the Fine Art America website reassuring:-
‘Fine Art America is one of the largest, most-respected Giclée printing companies in the world with over 40 years of experience producing museum-quality prints. All of our art prints are produced on state-of-the-art, professional-grade Epson printers. We use acid-free papers and canvases with archival inks to guarantee that your art prints last a lifetime without fading or loss of colour’.
It made the decision to choose them as my print partner a simple one. So I am delighted to say my print shop is now live. I would love you to have a look and let me know what you think. Visit the shop by clicking the image below.
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