| Notes |
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. The print itself has no glue or tape attached to it but floats on
the backer held in place by the Mylar strips. 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.
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 three Canon
camera bodies--1d Mark II, 1ds Mark II, 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.
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.
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. The print itself has no glue or tape attached to it but floats on
the backer held in place by the Mylar strips. 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.
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 three Canon
camera bodies--1d Mark II, 1ds Mark II, 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.
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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