| Notes |
Details regarding many issues surrounding digital photos and printing
Giclee-- This is a French word. Someone was looking for a name that would distinguish high quality art prints from the
prints most anyone can make with any inkjet printer today. And Fine Art Prints are to ordinary inkjet printing as a Yugo
is to a Porsche. They both share basic technologies but the end result and the materials are quite a bit different.
Otherwise Giclee is basically a borrowed term. Given that we use the best materials and printing, we can say that we use
the Giclee-process. (Breathing Color tells me that the term "giclee" dates from the IRIS printer days that used a
spraying-like process.)
Archival-there is no authoritative body to specify what is Archival in the world of fine art printing. As a result most
anyone can use the word as they wish. Basic requirements should be that the print is on Canvas or 100% cotton rag paper
preferably with minimal optical brighteners. The ink used should be one with a predicted long life. Usually this means a
pigmented ink such as those used today by Epson and HP in their printers for photographic and graphic arts. These inks
are not available for ordinary inkjet printers. If not protected by glazing, the print should be varnished. Historically,
pigments have been durable in artist's paints but dyes have not. (Note: more and more photo printers available to the
consumer are using long-lived inks.)
Archival framing is museum quality and few framers are prepared to frame and mat this way. The British definition is
quite specific and would not allow some more recent advances in materials that are long-lived and that many in the US
would call "archival." Conservation framing can be done by many framers and is the level of quality we do. The mat
board and backer boards commonly used by frame shops are not conservation grade. Dry-mounting, wet mounting, and
lamination are generally not conservation grade since the art work cannot readily be separated from the backer without
remnants of adhesive remaining. Our prints are mounted on acid-free backer or mat board with mylar strips or the print
is hinged. The print itself has no glue or tape attached to it but floats on the backer held in place by the Mylar strips or
the hinge. We use conservation grade mat board.
Gallery Wrap-- When stretching a canvas, the stretchers can be somewhat smaller than the print so that the
print wraps around the stretcher. The result is a print that makes a right angle at the edge of the stretcher and
comes around to the back of the stretcher bar. In other words the print covers the stretcher bars.
The problem is that unless the print is square you will lose more off the long side of the print than the short side.
Gallery wrap in effect "crops" the picture one and half inches on each side for a total of 3 inches in each
dimension but in order to get 3" in shorter dimension you have take proportionally more from the longer
dimension. If key elements of the picture are on the edges, gallery wrap detracts from the picture. However,
there are two solutions to that problem: painting the edges of the prints that do not wrap well or printing a
reflection of the edges of the print to use as the wrap. For the most part we prefer painting the sides in such a
fashion that the picture blends into an abstraction. This takes a lot more work, but the effect is usually much
more pleasing.
Limited Editions-almost without exception, we only print editions limited to 30 or 40 total prints. Currently
we are supplying a certificate of authenticity that describes the print including the number in the edition and the
total number of the edition. Large pieces we may limit to 10. We are not nor do we want to be in the business of
commercial printing. We do reserve the right to print small quantities of posters derived from prints but that do
not by any means duplicate the print itself anymore than the traditional posters often printed by galleries for
shows and so forth duplicate the original work of art.
Our Equipment- Until recently we used exclusively Canon equipment. We have two Canon camera
bodies--1ds Mark III, and a 5D. We have lenses from 1000 mm (500mm with 2x extender) down to 24mm.
Recently we were able to acquire a medium format digital camera--Mamiya AFD with a Phase One P45+ back.
This will allow us to shoot larger panoramas without the need to stitch two rows. Most of our work is done with
fixed focal length lenses with the exception of events like roundups and some nature pictures. We do have
several zooms from a 24 to 70 mm up to a 100 to 400mm. Panoramas are generally done with shift-tilt lenses with
the exception of panoramas from a distance which we shoot with the appropriate telephoto ranging from 1000mm
to the 100-400mm zoom. We use approximately a dozen different lenses on a regular basis. Currently we have 5
lenses for the Mamiya in lengths from 28mm to 300mm.
We use an Epson 4800 to print smaller pieces and an HP Z3100 44" printer for larger pieces. Both employ
pigmented inks that are quite durable.
Any framing or matting that you find on the original print is ours. At the moment we do everything
ourselves-taking pictures, photo processing, printing, stretching if on canvas, matting and framing, and any
coating. It is our desire to have control over the entire process from the taking of the picture to the print as it
goes to an individual.
Materials-we use conservation grade materials or better in the process of framing and matting. For all
of our larger pieces, we use museum grade acrylic for glazing which is UV blocking. With some
exceptions all photographic paper is 100% cotton rag. Currently, canvas and Varnish come from
Breathing Color who manufacture all of their own products and sell directly to printers. In other words,
none of their products are rebranded.
As of July 1, 2008, we have been adding an additional protective coat to canvas pieces--Polymer varnish
With UVLS from Golden, a leading producer of acrylic paints and coatings www.goldenpaints.com.
In any case, we are currently supplying a certificate of authenticity with each piece that describes the materials
used in that piece.
Nothing will last forever; however, we are currently using high-quality, durable printing materials that should last
a long-time if given reasonable care. Manufacturers are extremely aware of the problems associated with
traditional color photography. To our knowledge, there are no photographic papers for color that have
stood up to the accelerated aging tests applied to current "giclee" printing. Current estimates from
accelerated aging tests are 100 to 200 years before noticeable deterioration in color for prints on paper, properly
glazed. Properly varnished canvas should have a similar life-span. Current printing processes certainly should be
much more durable than any photographic color printing of the past. Aging tests should be considered as relative
indicators of longevity not guarantees. See the following two paragraphs.
Pigmented inks have a history of durability. These are the types of inks that have been used in traditional
fine-art printing. Dye-based inks can be durable when combined with the proper papers. Until HP came out with
their own pigmented inks they argued that their dye-based inks combined with their papers were equal to any
other process. However, when HP introduced their new line of printers, they also introduced new pigmented inks.
Of some interest is that in accelerated-aging tests, these inks were the most durable.
As some idea of the relative durability of inks, WIR testing has reported accelerated aging tests for a number of
4x6 printers aimed at consumers. Accelerated aging estimates ranged from 200 plus years for HP Vivera inks to 4
months with a cartridge refilled with Office Depot inks. See this reference
White things and Clear things can Yellow. Manufacturers of papers and coatings are acutely aware of this issue.
Only time will tell who has been honest and who hasn't. Breathing Color is a small company that specializes in
inkjet media. The durability of this company entirely depends upon the quality of their products. We use their
varnish which is the Varnish used by the high-quality fine art printer Bair.
Sizes-we can print about any size you would like to have on Canvas. Traditional paper prints are
limited by the size of matt board--40 x 60 inches. (Expert framers can mat larger pieces than we
can.) 40 x 60 matt board can enclose approximately a 35 x 55 print (two and a half inches of
matt on each side of the print.)
On Canvas the largest practical small dimension is 40" using 44" canvas. We can get stretcher
bars of about any length, but 120" is a practical limitation. New Mexico's primary source of art
materials carries regular heavy-duty stretcher bars up to 84", but they can be had up to 120" by
special order.
Is that what it really looks (looked) like?? No, Cameras and the human eye don't see the same way. No
Photograph has ever been what the eye sees. Up until about WWII, all photography was grey scale of some kind
that is black and white (with some exceptions, see, for example see Wikipedia). Some people still consider real
photography to be a process that is black and white. People see in color. Still photography freezes the subject in
time. Vision is a continuous process much more akin to video than to photography. If you examine any picture of
any event, it will not be what you can or could have seen. The camera catches the event that you cannot
ordinarily see so that you can see it. Look at any still photograph of part of a sporting event. You cannot see
what the camera caught.
In addition, photography is two dimensional. We see the real world in three dimensions. What is interesting is
that the brain can process a two dimensional photograph such that it seems to represent three dimensions.
So what do we see? What does the camera see? Camera use can be constricted to a representational space
that is as close to what a person might see as possible for objects that don't move or change much in time.
Buildings, statues, and objects for sale are examples of things that a photograph might capture in a rather narrow
representational space. But most things are constantly changing. The camera captures a moment that we cannot
see as a rule and represents it in such a way that we can see it.
The actual "thing" represented to the eye for the brain to process and represent in its own way (which is to some
extent unique to the individual or we would all wear identical clothes, live in identical houses, walk on identical
carpeting, etc.) has its own reality separate from other realities. So we don't actually "see" anything; what we
see is a highly processed representation of a "thing" based upon the reflection and absorption of a very narrow
band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
In the end a photograph is something you may or may not want to see, may or may like, may or may not
"understand" and so forth. In the realm of "fine art", photography can be as variable in what it presents to the
eye as any art form. For the viewer or the owner, the issue becomes one of personal "taste." And that sounds
like a cop-out. But the bottom line is whether you like it or not. And you may like it for any reason , for any
dimension of the human emotional or intellectual experience. Like music. And how different can be one's like of
music. Once upon a time, I set up the background music for a waiting room. I chose 25 classical CD's from the
17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Music that I found very pleasing, nothing "modern" or atonal. The two ladies who
worked for me, almost immediately asked me to please turn off that "awful"music. For them classical music was
almost unbearably awful. It was a real "ahah" experience for me. I could understand that they might not like it,
but that they found it unbearably awful rather stunned me.
The only thing reprehensible in the deal is the tendency of some people to hold firmly that how they see things is
the way everyone else "should" see things.
Giclee-- This is a French word. Someone was looking for a name that would distinguish high quality art prints from the
prints most anyone can make with any inkjet printer today. And Fine Art Prints are to ordinary inkjet printing as a Yugo
is to a Porsche. They both share basic technologies but the end result and the materials are quite a bit different.
Otherwise Giclee is basically a borrowed term. Given that we use the best materials and printing, we can say that we use
the Giclee-process. (Breathing Color tells me that the term "giclee" dates from the IRIS printer days that used a
spraying-like process.)
Archival-there is no authoritative body to specify what is Archival in the world of fine art printing. As a result most
anyone can use the word as they wish. Basic requirements should be that the print is on Canvas or 100% cotton rag paper
preferably with minimal optical brighteners. The ink used should be one with a predicted long life. Usually this means a
pigmented ink such as those used today by Epson and HP in their printers for photographic and graphic arts. These inks
are not available for ordinary inkjet printers. If not protected by glazing, the print should be varnished. Historically,
pigments have been durable in artist's paints but dyes have not. (Note: more and more photo printers available to the
consumer are using long-lived inks.)
Archival framing is museum quality and few framers are prepared to frame and mat this way. The British definition is
quite specific and would not allow some more recent advances in materials that are long-lived and that many in the US
would call "archival." Conservation framing can be done by many framers and is the level of quality we do. The mat
board and backer boards commonly used by frame shops are not conservation grade. Dry-mounting, wet mounting, and
lamination are generally not conservation grade since the art work cannot readily be separated from the backer without
remnants of adhesive remaining. Our prints are mounted on acid-free backer or mat board with mylar strips or the print
is hinged. The print itself has no glue or tape attached to it but floats on the backer held in place by the Mylar strips or
the hinge. We use conservation grade mat board.
Gallery Wrap-- When stretching a canvas, the stretchers can be somewhat smaller than the print so that the
print wraps around the stretcher. The result is a print that makes a right angle at the edge of the stretcher and
comes around to the back of the stretcher bar. In other words the print covers the stretcher bars.
The problem is that unless the print is square you will lose more off the long side of the print than the short side.
Gallery wrap in effect "crops" the picture one and half inches on each side for a total of 3 inches in each
dimension but in order to get 3" in shorter dimension you have take proportionally more from the longer
dimension. If key elements of the picture are on the edges, gallery wrap detracts from the picture. However,
there are two solutions to that problem: painting the edges of the prints that do not wrap well or printing a
reflection of the edges of the print to use as the wrap. For the most part we prefer painting the sides in such a
fashion that the picture blends into an abstraction. This takes a lot more work, but the effect is usually much
more pleasing.
Limited Editions-almost without exception, we only print editions limited to 30 or 40 total prints. Currently
we are supplying a certificate of authenticity that describes the print including the number in the edition and the
total number of the edition. Large pieces we may limit to 10. We are not nor do we want to be in the business of
commercial printing. We do reserve the right to print small quantities of posters derived from prints but that do
not by any means duplicate the print itself anymore than the traditional posters often printed by galleries for
shows and so forth duplicate the original work of art.
Our Equipment- Until recently we used exclusively Canon equipment. We have two Canon camera
bodies--1ds Mark III, and a 5D. We have lenses from 1000 mm (500mm with 2x extender) down to 24mm.
Recently we were able to acquire a medium format digital camera--Mamiya AFD with a Phase One P45+ back.
This will allow us to shoot larger panoramas without the need to stitch two rows. Most of our work is done with
fixed focal length lenses with the exception of events like roundups and some nature pictures. We do have
several zooms from a 24 to 70 mm up to a 100 to 400mm. Panoramas are generally done with shift-tilt lenses with
the exception of panoramas from a distance which we shoot with the appropriate telephoto ranging from 1000mm
to the 100-400mm zoom. We use approximately a dozen different lenses on a regular basis. Currently we have 5
lenses for the Mamiya in lengths from 28mm to 300mm.
We use an Epson 4800 to print smaller pieces and an HP Z3100 44" printer for larger pieces. Both employ
pigmented inks that are quite durable.
Any framing or matting that you find on the original print is ours. At the moment we do everything
ourselves-taking pictures, photo processing, printing, stretching if on canvas, matting and framing, and any
coating. It is our desire to have control over the entire process from the taking of the picture to the print as it
goes to an individual.
Materials-we use conservation grade materials or better in the process of framing and matting. For all
of our larger pieces, we use museum grade acrylic for glazing which is UV blocking. With some
exceptions all photographic paper is 100% cotton rag. Currently, canvas and Varnish come from
Breathing Color who manufacture all of their own products and sell directly to printers. In other words,
none of their products are rebranded.
As of July 1, 2008, we have been adding an additional protective coat to canvas pieces--Polymer varnish
With UVLS from Golden, a leading producer of acrylic paints and coatings www.goldenpaints.com.
In any case, we are currently supplying a certificate of authenticity with each piece that describes the materials
used in that piece.
Nothing will last forever; however, we are currently using high-quality, durable printing materials that should last
a long-time if given reasonable care. Manufacturers are extremely aware of the problems associated with
traditional color photography. To our knowledge, there are no photographic papers for color that have
stood up to the accelerated aging tests applied to current "giclee" printing. Current estimates from
accelerated aging tests are 100 to 200 years before noticeable deterioration in color for prints on paper, properly
glazed. Properly varnished canvas should have a similar life-span. Current printing processes certainly should be
much more durable than any photographic color printing of the past. Aging tests should be considered as relative
indicators of longevity not guarantees. See the following two paragraphs.
Pigmented inks have a history of durability. These are the types of inks that have been used in traditional
fine-art printing. Dye-based inks can be durable when combined with the proper papers. Until HP came out with
their own pigmented inks they argued that their dye-based inks combined with their papers were equal to any
other process. However, when HP introduced their new line of printers, they also introduced new pigmented inks.
Of some interest is that in accelerated-aging tests, these inks were the most durable.
As some idea of the relative durability of inks, WIR testing has reported accelerated aging tests for a number of
4x6 printers aimed at consumers. Accelerated aging estimates ranged from 200 plus years for HP Vivera inks to 4
months with a cartridge refilled with Office Depot inks. See this reference
White things and Clear things can Yellow. Manufacturers of papers and coatings are acutely aware of this issue.
Only time will tell who has been honest and who hasn't. Breathing Color is a small company that specializes in
inkjet media. The durability of this company entirely depends upon the quality of their products. We use their
varnish which is the Varnish used by the high-quality fine art printer Bair.
Sizes-we can print about any size you would like to have on Canvas. Traditional paper prints are
limited by the size of matt board--40 x 60 inches. (Expert framers can mat larger pieces than we
can.) 40 x 60 matt board can enclose approximately a 35 x 55 print (two and a half inches of
matt on each side of the print.)
On Canvas the largest practical small dimension is 40" using 44" canvas. We can get stretcher
bars of about any length, but 120" is a practical limitation. New Mexico's primary source of art
materials carries regular heavy-duty stretcher bars up to 84", but they can be had up to 120" by
special order.
Is that what it really looks (looked) like?? No, Cameras and the human eye don't see the same way. No
Photograph has ever been what the eye sees. Up until about WWII, all photography was grey scale of some kind
that is black and white (with some exceptions, see, for example see Wikipedia). Some people still consider real
photography to be a process that is black and white. People see in color. Still photography freezes the subject in
time. Vision is a continuous process much more akin to video than to photography. If you examine any picture of
any event, it will not be what you can or could have seen. The camera catches the event that you cannot
ordinarily see so that you can see it. Look at any still photograph of part of a sporting event. You cannot see
what the camera caught.
In addition, photography is two dimensional. We see the real world in three dimensions. What is interesting is
that the brain can process a two dimensional photograph such that it seems to represent three dimensions.
So what do we see? What does the camera see? Camera use can be constricted to a representational space
that is as close to what a person might see as possible for objects that don't move or change much in time.
Buildings, statues, and objects for sale are examples of things that a photograph might capture in a rather narrow
representational space. But most things are constantly changing. The camera captures a moment that we cannot
see as a rule and represents it in such a way that we can see it.
The actual "thing" represented to the eye for the brain to process and represent in its own way (which is to some
extent unique to the individual or we would all wear identical clothes, live in identical houses, walk on identical
carpeting, etc.) has its own reality separate from other realities. So we don't actually "see" anything; what we
see is a highly processed representation of a "thing" based upon the reflection and absorption of a very narrow
band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
In the end a photograph is something you may or may not want to see, may or may like, may or may not
"understand" and so forth. In the realm of "fine art", photography can be as variable in what it presents to the
eye as any art form. For the viewer or the owner, the issue becomes one of personal "taste." And that sounds
like a cop-out. But the bottom line is whether you like it or not. And you may like it for any reason , for any
dimension of the human emotional or intellectual experience. Like music. And how different can be one's like of
music. Once upon a time, I set up the background music for a waiting room. I chose 25 classical CD's from the
17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Music that I found very pleasing, nothing "modern" or atonal. The two ladies who
worked for me, almost immediately asked me to please turn off that "awful"music. For them classical music was
almost unbearably awful. It was a real "ahah" experience for me. I could understand that they might not like it,
but that they found it unbearably awful rather stunned me.
The only thing reprehensible in the deal is the tendency of some people to hold firmly that how they see things is
the way everyone else "should" see things.
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Summary:
1. The print must be on either a properly prepared canvas usually poly/cotton or on 100% cotton rag paper.
2. The printer should be a professional photographic printer using pigmented ink. Today that will usually
be an HP printer or an Epson printer.
3. If matted, the mat should be conservation grade or better. In general the print should not be glued to
the backer, but should be hinged or floated.
4. If on Canvas, the canvas should be coated with a proper Veneer specifically for that purpose and not
something from the arts and crafts world such as Krylon. We use a Coating by Breathing Color specifically
designed for canvas, particularly their canvas.
5. As of July, 2008, we are also coating canvas prints with a proper Varnish that painters usually apply as
the final coat of a painting on Canvas. This seals the first coating and allows for conservation cleaning in
the future should that ever be necessary.
6. If the artist does not clearly specify the materials being used and to what standard they adhere, beware
of the quality of the printing process regardless of how wonderful the picture may look.
7. Also be aware that some artists appear to be printing on canvas and selling it uncoated and
unstretched.
8. We do not sell unstretched canvas. We do not trust unknown parties mounting our work since we have
no control over the quality of the work and cannot estimate the longevity of the piece. Every canvas piece
we sell you can hang as it is without any other work. So it is a final piece.
9. We print very small editions, one piece at a time. For the most part each print is unique in small ways
and could be considered one of one, particularly the prints that we tint with glazes.
10. We see a lot of work on thin stretcher bars. We use heavy-duty bars for the most part even on smaller
pieces although smaller pieces may be on medium-duty bars that are still quite a bit heavier than the thin
bars we often see.
11. Our pricing for finished pieces is often lower than prices for smaller unfinished pieces. For unfinished
pieces, additional costs may nearly equal the entire price of one of our items, aside from the fact that you
will have a very hard time finding someone to finish a piece the way we do. We usually paint the sides of
pieces so that the picture fades into an abstraction on the sides. This allows the piece to be hung without
a frame. AND our pieces are properly coated to protect the underlying print. We also back pieces we ship
with acid-free foam backing board. This reduces the flexing of the canvas and provides protection for the
back side of the piece. We are one of the few printers who do this (if anyone else in the digital photo
world does it).
1. The print must be on either a properly prepared canvas usually poly/cotton or on 100% cotton rag paper.
2. The printer should be a professional photographic printer using pigmented ink. Today that will usually
be an HP printer or an Epson printer.
3. If matted, the mat should be conservation grade or better. In general the print should not be glued to
the backer, but should be hinged or floated.
4. If on Canvas, the canvas should be coated with a proper Veneer specifically for that purpose and not
something from the arts and crafts world such as Krylon. We use a Coating by Breathing Color specifically
designed for canvas, particularly their canvas.
5. As of July, 2008, we are also coating canvas prints with a proper Varnish that painters usually apply as
the final coat of a painting on Canvas. This seals the first coating and allows for conservation cleaning in
the future should that ever be necessary.
6. If the artist does not clearly specify the materials being used and to what standard they adhere, beware
of the quality of the printing process regardless of how wonderful the picture may look.
7. Also be aware that some artists appear to be printing on canvas and selling it uncoated and
unstretched.
8. We do not sell unstretched canvas. We do not trust unknown parties mounting our work since we have
no control over the quality of the work and cannot estimate the longevity of the piece. Every canvas piece
we sell you can hang as it is without any other work. So it is a final piece.
9. We print very small editions, one piece at a time. For the most part each print is unique in small ways
and could be considered one of one, particularly the prints that we tint with glazes.
10. We see a lot of work on thin stretcher bars. We use heavy-duty bars for the most part even on smaller
pieces although smaller pieces may be on medium-duty bars that are still quite a bit heavier than the thin
bars we often see.
11. Our pricing for finished pieces is often lower than prices for smaller unfinished pieces. For unfinished
pieces, additional costs may nearly equal the entire price of one of our items, aside from the fact that you
will have a very hard time finding someone to finish a piece the way we do. We usually paint the sides of
pieces so that the picture fades into an abstraction on the sides. This allows the piece to be hung without
a frame. AND our pieces are properly coated to protect the underlying print. We also back pieces we ship
with acid-free foam backing board. This reduces the flexing of the canvas and provides protection for the
back side of the piece. We are one of the few printers who do this (if anyone else in the digital photo
world does it).