Learn about Museum Quality Printing / fine art printing (sometimes called giclée) and why it’s a great choice for your artistic endeavours.
Photographs, drawings, designs, collages, and any other sort of graphic representation may all benefit from the higher picture resolution possible through the fine art printing method, also known as giclée printing.
The inkjet printer is used to print on cotton or natural fibre paper (such rice paper or bamboo) using specialised inks to create the high-quality prints known as giclée or fine art prints. Fine art or giclée printers employ a wider gamut of colours than your standard offset press, including shades of orange and green in addition to the more popular cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). The precise proportions vary across various printer models.
Similar to inkjet printing, this method puts droplets of pigment into the paper, but the resulting lines and curves are more sharper and more precise. The end result is a digital printing of the highest quality that appears to have been made by hand.
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The development of museum quality printing
Jack Duganne of Nash Editions in the early 1990s pioneered the use of giclée printing in the United States; Graham Nash had produced the forerunners of these prints a few years earlier in the same studio. He employed eight individual inks on cotton aquarelle paper (typically designated for engraving) using a device known as an Iris printer (used for prepress proofing on a large scale, as in packaging and publishing projects).
Why use a giclée or museum quality print?
The original intention of giclée prints was to provide the highest quality prints possible. That is true even in modern times. This style of print is preferred by photographers, illustrators, and gallery owners because of the superior colour accuracy it provides.
Prints made using giclée can persist for 150 years or more with proper care. This is because cotton paper is commonly used as the medium for the print.
Professional images printed on museum-grade paper are sometimes referred to as “fine art printing.” Many photographers and printers look for this certification, which is not a label, since it satisfies specific quality standards, particularly with respect to the paper.
Museum quality printing paper attracts a specialised audience
Fine art paper is made up of different materials than regular picture paper. True, quality art paper must incorporate natural fibres (often cotton or alpha cellulose) into its construction. This is because the paper is not intentionally bleached with chlorine, ensuring that the photographs will last for generations. Useful in the field of fine art photography.
Fine art paper will guarantee that photographs are shown off in their best light and gives good performance when showing prints, but regular photo paper will fulfil the demands of certain users when printing photos to be seen on an infrequent basis.
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Museum quality printing paper guarantees long-lasting reproductions
Fine art paper’s quality must be well suited to accepting inks and pigments because it’s used for printing high-quality images. The paper’s surface layer should have a neutral pH and be made of a material that allows ink to adhere properly over time.
Finally, using a fine art paper can help you highlight the image’s composition while also offering a sturdy base for vibrant hues, striking blacks, and subtle greys.