Having your artwork turned into print is a process most artists dabble with at some point in their career, or at least think about. The process can be a daunting one for beginners as there are so many points to consider, do I go limited edition, open edition .If limited, how many do I limit it to, then there are the various processes lithography, giclee, serigraph. There are as always many different schools of thought on the subject, and picking your way through the mine fields of advice can be the biggest challenge of all.

My own experience is with giclee printing , a process I feel is probably the best all-round solution for most people as it covers most peoples requirements.

Firstly lets dispel some myths about the giclee process, Giclee is a process not a product ,and the decisions made during that process are what produce for final image. Not all giclee prints are the same, some may be printed with 4-6colours , others with 8 - 12 generally  speaking the more colours the better the colour range and often better tonal graduation and detail. Inks play an  important role too the inks used in the giclee process fall into two categories dye based and pigment based

Dye based inks often have a wider colour range (gamut) than pigment inks , but are not as stable and do not have the lightfastness of pigments

pigment inks are much more resistant to humidity and uv so have much better lightfastness than dyes , but generally have a smaller colour range ( gamut)

these two points being said developments in both types of inks by various manufacturers are shortening the gaps between the two

another point to consider is resolution , not all printers are capable of the same resolution older models may be 1440dpi where as newer more sophisticated models may be as high as 2880 dpi, But for most artwork a higher resolution doesn't  always produce a better print , unless it is highly detailed or contain a lot of subtle shadow detail. The higher resolutions are much more useful for high end photography where the amount of detail and shadow detail can be significantly higher than a painting

Next we have paper types, here there hundreds of choices, firstly lets brake it down into categories.

coated and uncoated , some people believe a true archival quality print should be made with pigment inks on an uncoated surface , as coated surfaces can  become scuffed or damaged ,where as a fine heavyweight art paper has no coating to scuff or damage and the pigment particles are embedded in the surface of the paper not the coating. The reasons for coatings can be to enhance a papers colour rang (gamut), increase reproduction of detail improve the density of blacks giving better contrast, and also to brighten the paper using optical brighteners

next we have various weights of paper from 160gsm to 310 gsm and above, cotton papers are generally 10 times stronger than cellulous based papers and are also lignin and acid free so make an excellent base for mid to high end papers where archivability is paramount. Texture can also have a big part to play in the final image , you can go from smooth  to medium to rough textured, even some familiar types you may have painted on like arches , bockingford, or somerset. Also whiteness is quite a big factor in choosing a suitable paper , as printers will not produce white, the white in the paper needs to as bright as the whitest parts of the original , and this is a reason where coatings really come into their own especially where a lot of process white or titanium white is used in a painting as its often much brighter than the paper or board its painted on

So as you can see the term Giclee print can mean a lot of things and is based around many different choices made during the process. All these decisions will have a bearing on the quality of reproduction, archivability general feel and cost of the final print, and are often different for different  pieces of artwork

SIMPLIFYING THE PROCESS...

To begin with I believe you can split the printing process into three parts ,  a tripod if you will. the decisions you make at each of the  three key points will affect the other two and ultimately the final print

(1) What market are you aiming at, if your aiming at the high end collectible market in artwork your prints need to measure up to what will be expected from them. Quality and archivability here are important so cotton based heavyweight papers should be looked at from reputable sources, High end 8 - 12 colour high resolution printing with pigment inks from the likes of colourspan, Epson,  Hewlett Packard Roland  will be expected . also uv coatings are often found in the higher end market which can have beneficial effects on lightfastness and durability. At this level a certificate of authenticity is a good idea , detailing the process used to produce the print so people know what they are buying .

conversely if your aim is the low end decor print with no significant value attached to it then obviously those choices would be much different but no less important as with a little bit of care you can produce a print with very good qualities but still reach a lower price point. So as you can see knowing what market your aiming at is critical in deciding what level of printing you should be looking at, this is the first step.

(2) The next step is to decide on the elements that best represent the original artwork, example if the work is very colourful and vibrant you need a ink and paper combination that will provide a wide enough colour range to express this, but keeping in mind what you have decided in part 1. Do you want a textured paper or smooth, what was the original artwork painted should hopefully give a clue to this, a simple watercolour always looks good on watercolour type paper but a heavily work pastel often doesn't as the impasto effect of the pastel covers the original texture of the paper on the original , but a print will reverse this effect , so often smooth paper works best.

whiteness of the paper should be considered  depending on the original work  , example a nice bright snow scene with lots of titanium white highlights printed on a soft white paper will look rather flat as the whites cannot be reproduced , so perhaps a whiter paper maybe with brighteners would produce a more pleasing result , but again bear in mind step 1 , if this is a high end print this may not be deemed acceptable to use a coated paper with optical brighteners , so a compromise may have to be made.

(3) Finally independent tests show that there is a definite relationship between ink and paper as far as lightfastness goes,  so an ink on one paper may last say 70 years but on another paper only 50 . Because there are so many different printers using so many different inks , add to that the hundreds of different papers, the process of testing all these variables is a slow one , so not all combinations have test result for them so buyer beware. One of the most respected test institute is the Wilhelm institute where you can find test results for many ink and paper combinations, giving you accelerated aging and lightfastness results , again refer to part 1 as compromises in materials may need to be made to reach a price , but you can still find a stable compromise even at the lowest end  if you make careful choices

Hopefully after this process you should arrive at a conclusion which will meet all your requirements and produce a print which you will be happy with. I realise this may all seem a bit daunting but this is where a good printer will help you, making these choices is something they will be experienced in and together you should be able to reach a compromise on all the points above, as a print is always a compromise its just how far you compromise that's important

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

If you are local to the south Devon area, we offer a giclee printing service for other artists wishing to get their work into print, offering a range of papers and options ( To see more click here )  printing guide and prices