TYPES OF PRINTS:

There are four types of prints made from my original paintings:  giclee, lithographic, laser prints and inkjet fine art paper.  The highest quality of these three is the giclee print.

GICLEE: ( jhee-clay) Derived from the French word gicler meaning to squirt.  In giclee printing, no screen or other mechanical devices are used and therefore there is no visible dot screen pattern.  The image has all the tonalities and hues of the original painting.  Images are digital scans at high resolution and printed with archival quality pigmented inks (100 plus years) onto various acid free substrates.  The artist may choose to reproduce the original artwork upon the same form of media it was painted upon, giving the reproduction an elevated level of accuracy to the original.  Another tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that artwork can be reproduced in almost any size and quantity, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client’s space requirements, and order quantities as needed.  The digital archiving of each piece of artwork is overseen by the artist to ensure their approval of the final print.  In short, the giclee process provides better color accuracy, and longevity than any other means of reproduction.

LITHOGRAPHS:  Lithographs are produced on a printing press using plates.  A fine dot pattern in the four colors: black, yellow, blue and red are used to reproduce the original tonalities of the painting.  The running of the press necessitates runs of 200+ at a time to be economical.  The artist usually attends the press run to approve the color as it comes off the press.  The first prints off the press during this stage are called “Artist Proofs,” and are put aside to be signed with “AP” next to the edition number.  The inks on lithographic prints can fade over the years, thus it is advisable to frame with museum glass which filters out UV rays.

LASER PRINTS:  Laser prints are created on high quality color copiers on to cover weight acid free paper.  They are an economical way to produce prints.  However these prints are limited in the size which can be produced, 11" x 17" the largest and there are limitations in color matching.  The original painting must also fit into the 11" x 17" scanning area.  The inks do seem to be very lightfast, tests are still being conducted.

INKJET FINE ART PAPER PRINTS:  These prints are produced on a high quality Epson photo printer/scanner.  The paper used is a Canson digital art, inkjet fine art paper, with a watercolor paper texture.  I produce these at home myself, and the high quality paper makes a beautiful print.  I am, however, limited to producing prints no larger than the 8 1/2" x 11" paper size.

LIMITED EDITIONS:  Limited Edition means the artist has decided on a maximum number of prints of an image to be reproduced.  Limiting the number of prints produced increases the value of each print.  The artist signs the print and puts two numbers on it.  The first number is the prints position in the sequence of production.  The second number is the amount in that edition.  One painting may have a few editions in differing sizes.  When an artist decides not to put a limit on production, the edition is then referred to as “open,” but may be signed by the artist.

IN CONCLUSION:  An original painting is the best investment for the art collector.  An original painting’s value is actually increased if it is in print, and in high demand.  The most valued prints are limited edition giclee prints.  Artist proofs and the lower numbered editions are also of more value.

Printing technology has come a long way and allows fine art to reach the masses.