Certified Studio Archives - The Artists Print Room (Giclée Printing)

How to select a fine art printing service…

When taking that first leap into the world of producing your work as either artwork reproduction prints or fine art photography prints, it can be daunting. It’s also difficult to decide on who to trust with this specialist work. Here are our top tips in selecting a fine art printing service and some of the important factors you should consider.

Experience

Possibly the most important factor when selecting a fine art printing service. Ensure you are selecting a business with a good number of years behind them. This vast amount of experience speaks volumes in itself. A fine art printing company that has been around for several years, is more than likely to know their stuff, this includes overcoming hurdles such as technical issues. They are also more likely to understand your requirements and be able to advise honestly and truthfully when you need some assistance. If in doubt, it is always worth asking to see some examples of work they have previously printed for other artists and photographers.

Accreditations

There are many accreditations within the industry, in particular ones from paper manufacturers themselves. These large, global firms are not going to recommend fine art printing services of sub-quality. Therefore, shop around, ask the fine art printing companies which accreditations they have. These accreditations proves that they are up to standard and have close working relationships with some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry. Did you know that we are the only UK based fine art printer to be certified by Epson Digigraphie, Canson Infinity, Hahnemühle FineArt and ILFORD Imaging? We are also members of the Fine Art Trade Guild. Having these certifications really allows us to keep up with trends and news from these companies. Additionally, it also proves that we have been rigorously tested and checked in our print standards.

Options

It’s good to use a fine art printing service which provides you with different options. Although, not too many options! You want to use a business that can give you a range of different fine art papers so you have a few choices for which works best for your artwork reproductions or photography. A select number of industry leading papers should be offered alongside a few alternatives; giving you the artist, some variation. Having a select range of substrates ensures the printer knows how to handle each of the papers and understands the colour workflow processes to ensure you have the most perfect print. However, some fine art printing services decide to offer all the fine art papers known to man! This can be troublesome in that it can be confusing with so many options available. Furthermore, it could be likely that some of these lesser used or liked fine art papers could be sitting on a shelf exposed to the elements for a long time which is not ideal!

Convenience

An easy to use and simplistic ordering process is always a good start for time pressed artists and photographers. Being able to upload your images and know they are being cared for can create a great peace of mind for you. As an artist or photographer is important to free up your time so you can focus on creating your artwork. Therefore, always find a fine art printing service that you trust to take this hassle away from you. Also, it’s worth considering if your fine art printing service are easy to get hold of? If you have a pressing question, will they come back to you in a reasonable time period with answers, advice and suggestions? The art and photography industry can be incredibly subjective so it’s always great to have someone to validate your processes and work with. An excellent fine art printing service will do this for you and assist every step of the way.

It’s also worth remembering, cheap is not always best. You are looking for a fine art printing service rather than a photocopy shop! With a slightly higher price, you’re much more likely to receive a more personal service with great communication and advice in addition to the best fine art printing materials available.

Please feel free to contact us for a quick introductory chat, we would love to find out more about you and how we can help you as an artist or photographer. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service so you can also contact us on 07809 381 978 either over the phone or by WhatsApp. You can also get in touch through Facebook Messenger at anytime.

Did you know that we are the only fine art printing company in the UK which has been accredited by Canson Infinity, Hahnemühle Fine Art, Epson Digigraphie, ILFORD and a member of the Fine Art Trade Guild? Also, why not sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with news, products and future competitions at The Artist’s Print Room – just complete the form below.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram too!

Hahnemühle Natural Line

Just last week we received a very exciting parcel from the Hahnemühle mill in Germany. This small hemp bag, with an agave ribbon contained a bamboo USB stick. This wonderful gift tied in with their new Digital FineArt paper range; Natural Line, which is officially being launched on the 31st October.

The Natural Line has a special place in the Hahnemühle Digital FineArt Collection. It focuses on FineArt inkjet papers made from unique raw materials. These plants that provide the cellulose for the paper manufacturing, require minimal maintenance, grow quickly and don’t use any pesticides. Their rapid growth means that more cellulose can be produced in the same area than that with other raw materials. Further to this they also require much less water, helping to save valuable resources and protect the environment.

As a Hahnemühle Certified Studio we have the privilege of a sneak peak at this new range. The Natural Line contains three papers, one of which was their pre-existing Bamboo giclée paper. The three papers which include two new products are;

Natural Line – Agave

Made from 70% agave fibres and 30% cotton rag.

Agave is a plant which is also known for making tequila! This plant is native hot countries including Mexico. The base material (sisal fibres) stand out with a bright white natural tone and this fine art paper does not contain optical brighteners. The rough, yet delicately defined surface texture gives the subject a captivating sense of depth and impresses with a pleasant, soft feel.

Natural Line – Bamboo

90% bamboo fibres and 10% cotton rag.

This Bamboo fine art paper was the first in the world to be made from 90% bamboo fibres. The unique combination of sustainable bamboo fibres, soft surface texture and impressive print quality gives the artwork outstanding expression and soul.

Natual Line – Hemp

60% hemp fibres and 40% cotton rag.

Hemp is one of the world’s oldest and most versatile natural fibre. This paper’s base has a bright white natural tone, and thanks to the bright white colour of the hemp fibres, no optical brighteners are required. The lightly textured surface gives the paper a pleasant, silky feel.

We can’t wait to get our first order in for the Hahnemühle Natural Line and give the fine art papers a trial run through the printer! We will keep you updated as to when they are available through our online ordering system.

Did you know that we are the only fine art printing company in the UK which has been accredited by Canson Infinity, Hahnemühle Fine Art, Epson Digigraphie, ILFORD and the Fine Art Trade Guild? Also, why not sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with news, products and future competitions at The Artist’s Print Room – just complete the form below.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram too!

Bespoke Greetings Cards

Did you know that you don’t just have to have your work reproduced as standard prints? You can also create bespoke, stunning greetings cards from your art or photography. By having your image printed on a card, you’re really giving loved ones something bespoke, personal and special. You could take your favourite holiday image, whether this be either a photograph or a painting of the scenery and turn it into greetings cards that your recipient can keep and frame.

Our greetings cards are digitally printed using pigment inks and FSC approved acid free 300gsm card. This allows you to order quantities as low as six-cards per design, provided they are on the same substrate (we also provide discounts for larger quantities). We offer various sizes including; 6×4″, 7×5″ or 8×5.6″ all available as either portrait or landscape (folded along the long side or short side). Additionally, we can produce square cards for something a little different which are 145x145mm. Each greetings card can be printed either with or without a border and we also include a small thumbnail on the back of each card of your work and also the image title, your name and website address.

But, the best bit! You don’t need to worry about downloading a template and having to layout the design yourself! We are happy to take that pressure away from you. Once you upload your image through our online ordering system we will design and proof your greetings cards (free of charge!) Of course, we will send you a proof for approval before going to print ensuring you’re happy with your personalised product. Our minimum order is just six greetings cards per design and all are provided with corresponding envelopes and are sent to you flat packed and pre-creased so your cards are ready for their handwritten note and then the postbox!

Turnaround time for greetings cards printing is between three and seven days, however, this can be slightly longer at peak times so please check with us if you’re working to a tight deadline.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram too!

Hahnemühle Mill Visit

We are off on a trip! After meeting with Hahnemühle back in March at The Photography Show, we have been invited to visit the paper mill over in Dassel, Germany. We will be meeting with Henrik Bernander the Global Sales Director of Hahnemühle.

We are looking forward to our trip which is coming up in July and we are currently putting a list of questions together to ask about the paper production process and the variety of fine art papers that Hahnemühle offer. However, we would like to open this up to you too…..

Do you have any questions you would like answers to? Please send us any burning questions you may have for Hahnemühle and we will be more than happy to ask them on your behalf! Just submit your questions below.

Submit your questions for Henrik Bernander, the Vice President of Hahnemuhle
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As a Hahnemühle Certified Studio we are particularly excited about seeing the paper manufacturers headquarters.

Why not sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with news, products and future competitions at The Artist’s Print Room – just complete the form below.

ILFORD Certified Print Partner

Last week, we received the brilliant news that we had been awarded the ILFORD Certified Print Partner status making us one of only two in the UK! This means we have met their high requirements in colour management, processing, quality control and customer service!

We are proud of our latest achievement and this ILFORD Certified Print Partner status compliments our other industry accreditations including; Hahnemühle Certified Studio, Canson Certified Print Laboratory and Epson Digigraphie Certified Laboratory.

ILFORD

ILFORD was founded in 1879 and since then has been a name people associate with photography. The company has evolved over the years, however, their drive and passion to provide customers with world class products is still as strong as it was over 140 years ago.

ILFORD Certified Print Partner

ILFORD is renowned for its premium quality and its inkjet photo products are selected by professional photographers wanting to achieve the look and feel of professional quality prints. The programme was introduced for photographers that do not have the time to print their own work but are looking for professional prints, produced to the highest quality. The programme includes print partners across Europe that all share the same values of quality that are synonymous with the ILFORD brand and their selection of products. Each of the accredited ILFORD Certified Print Partners have been through a stringent and complex evaluation process to ensure we all meet the required standards set by the ILFORD Technical Team.

Therefore, with this great news, comes further great news! We will soon be be expanding our paper options by offering some of the wonderful ILFORD fine art papers for your prints. We will keep you updated with further information in due course.

Why not sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with news, products and future competitions at The Artist’s Print Room – just complete the form below.

Giclée Printing Services

Here at The Artist’s Print Room giclée printing is our speciality. We offer giclée printing services for all artist and photographer requirements. Additionally, we are the only UK based fine art print studio to be certified by the three most prominent paper manufacturers in the industry; Hahnemühle, Canson Infinity and Epson Digigraphie. These three accreditations prove our outstanding quality and enables us to stay at the forefront of new printing technologies and bring you the newest and highest-quality papers.

“Giclée is a digital printing process in which an inkjet printer is used to produce a high-quality art print”

We are a ‘true artist’s giclée printer’, therefore we truly appreciate and understand that your prints must be accurate in reproducing the fine hues and subtle details of your original work. We specialise in high quality substrates and exceptional giclée printing services, regardless of your order quantity, everything is produced to an exceptional standard.

Our Fine Art Printing Process

Artwork Photography: When it comes to art reproductions, the perfect giclée print; starts with perfect capture, get this wrong and your giclée prints will never be right. Our unique style of capture produces exceptionally detailed giclée prints that you can be proud of.

Editing: Colour editing is critical, everyone sees colour differently, apart from you the artist. It’s your work, so why let someone else colour correct this for you. View live soft proofing and print proofs. With us, you are always in charge.

Giclée Printing: Perfect capture and perfect editing, along with perfect ICC colour management means perfect giclée prints time and time again. Printed onto genuine fine art papers or canvases.

Direct Shipping: We can ship direct to almost anywhere in the world, either flat-packed or in postal tubes. All carefully packaged in archival wrapping and sealed ensuring that your prints arrive in perfect condition each and every time.

The Giclée Printing Process

The giclée print process requires four important aspects which are; resolution, inks, archival quality paper/canvas and the printer.

Resolution

Images you see on computer screens are usually at 72ppi (pixels per inch), however, for a Giclée quality print, an image must be at a minimum of 300ppi when an image is being viewed at 60cm or less distance. With a minimum of 300ppi, you are guaranteed the best quality print and ensuring your final image doesn’t appear to be ‘pixelated’.

Ink

Here at The Artist’s Print Room, we only use genuine Epson UltraChrome HDX pigment inks. These particular inks have high density levels of pigment giving you the most accurate of colour reproductions. In addition to this, the genuine Epson inks guarantee longevity when combined with the other aspects involved in the Giclée printing process.

Paper and Canvas

A vital part of the process which can also seem very daunting! With so many options to select from, the most important factor here is the archival qualities of the substrate. A fine art quality paper or canvas needs to be acid free and certified to last for at least 75-100 years. We stock the widest range of Hahnemühle Fine Art papers in the UK and you can find out more about our papers and canvases here.

Printer

A Giclée printer is very different when compared to a standard desktop inkjet printer. Typically to produce a Giclée print the printer requires at least eight different inks. Our Epson SC-P9000 printer provides the most superior quality images and can produce prints up to 44″ wide!

To find out more about our printing services please visit our Giclée Printing page.

Why not sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with news and products at The Artist’s Print Room – just complete the form below.

Paper in focus – Textured Fine Art Papers

With so many paper options to choose from, it can always be a difficult decision of which to go for. Here we are going to look at and give you a run down of the textured fine art papers we offer.

Textured Fine Art Papers

When paper is produced in the paper mill, textured fine art papers are created with a much more coarse felt, this then produces the texture on the finished product. The surface of these papers can then highlight any texture within your image, whether that be photography or an art reproduction. These papers tend to more closely represent traditional watercolour papers with a pleasant feel adding more tactile qualities to your work.

Hahnemühle Museum Etching

Museum Etching - The Artist's Print Room — ©Hahnemühle Museum Etching

This paper is mould-made and 100% cotton with a natural white colour. The etching paper features a distinct textured surface which gives a special touch, feeling like a genuine artists paper. A heavy 350gsm fine art paper which meets the highest industry standards and producing excellent colour sharpness. Due to it’s very beautiful texture, it is similar to traditional etching papers and is a great option when reproducing these prints.

Hahnemühle William Turner

The William Turner paper from Hahnemühle is heavily textured albeit a much finer texture when compared to the Museum Etching paper. A 310gm mould-made paper, again similar to the Museum Etching as it is 100% cotton. The William Turner has a natural white colour and is ideal for reproductions of traditional artworks and expressive photography reproductions. The paper also offers a water resistant coating.

Canson Infinity Arches Aquarelle Rag

This 310gsm textured paper from Canson contains no optical brighteners. Again a mould-made paper which is 100% cotton and a natural white colour. A traditional watercolour paper with a unique surface texture and an inkjet coating. Canson Infinity Aquarelle Rag gives a unique and unrivalled character to the fine art reproduction of traditional artwork and photographs.

St Cuthberts Mill Somerset Velvet Enhanced White

somerset-velvet-surface - The Artist's Print Room — ©Somerset Velvet Enhanced

Once again, a 100% cotton paper, however, this time from the St Cuthberts paper mill. A 330gsm paper with a velvet, textured surface. The texture of this paper will lift images, giving them a beautifully elegant fine art feel and ideal for both artists and photographers alike.

If you would like further guidance on any of the papers we offer, you can book a free introductory meeting. We will be able to provide samples of each of our papers for you to take a closer look at. We will even supply the tea and coffee!

ArtSure from The Fine Art Trade Guild

A few weeks ago we shared with you the exciting news that we are now a Canson Infinity Certified Print Laboratory in addition to a Hahnemühle FineArt Certified Studio and an Epson Digigraphie Studio. However, in addition to these outstanding accreditations we are also a member of the Fine Art Trade Guild ArtSure scheme, but what does this mean?

ArtSure from Fine Art Trade Guild

Overall the ArtSure scheme differs from the print studio schemes mentioned above, however, it does work with great synergy alongside these.

The ArtSure scheme is designed to give you piece of mind even before the printing has even begun with quality papers and inks. Sadly, poor quality prints are easily produced, to the untrained eye these can be difficult to distinguish between when compared to genuine fine art prints. Therefore, the scheme approves papers and inks to add an additional level of assurance and to ensure only the highest quality products are producing the highest quality prints both for photography and art reproductions. Papers from different paper mills are tested externally for archivability. For example, pH levels of papers that are approved by the scheme are required to be between 7 and 9 for optimum longevity, additionally the paper has to be a minimum of 250gsm. For inks to be approved as part of the ArtSure scheme, they are required to score at least a six on the Blue Wool scale or an equivalent certification. Additionally, there is also a list of approved printers, of which The Artist’s Print Room Epson Sure Color SC-P9000 is listed. You can find a full list of ArtSure approved materials and equipment here. Only prints produced according to the standards set by ArtSure and The Fine Art Trade Guild can use the ArtSure logo, whether this be on the corresponding certificate of authenticity or within the border of the print itself.

The Artist’s Print Room can offer assurance, security and provenance during each and every stage. The Artist’s Print Room is the only studio in the UK to have all these outstanding achievements of both certified laboratories and ArtSure membership.

Canson Certified Print Laboratory

Here at The Artist’s Print Room, we don’t like to brag but…we have something to celebrate! We are the first and only print company within the UK to be certified by the three biggest manufactures in the industry; Hahnemühle, Epson and now Canson! This comes after our recent Canson Certified Print Laboratory status confirmed earlier this week! Now you’ve not only got our word for being good at what we do, but also three others! We are obviously super proud of this achievement and we are giving ourselves a big pat on the back!

Canson Certified Print Laboratory

Print Test Chart - The Artist's Print Room — Canson Certified Print Laboratory – Test Printing

We were certified earlier this week as the third Canson Certified Print Laboratory here in the United Kingdom. This international certification guarantees you the highest quality standards. Canson Infinity experts have visited us here at The Artist’s Print Room to ensure compliance to their high standards which are required for certification. We had to undertake rigorous testing to prove our exceptional print quality. With the Canson Certified Print Laboratory status, you know you are selecting one of the best service providers in the industry, you can be confident in the quality of the final print as well as during all stages of production.

Canson

Canson have been producing fine art papers for artists since 1557 – that’s a long time, so they clearly know what they are doing! Since 2008 they extended their range to include the Canson Infinity brand which is their fine art inkjet paper range. We have extended our paper and canvas range to include several Canson Infinity papers, giving you a greater choice in substrates. The following papers we have added to our range include;

• Canson Infinity Aquarelle Rag 310gsm

• Canson Infinity Rag Photographique 310gsm

• Canson Infinity Fibre Rag 310gsm

• Canson Infinity Museum ProCanvas Matte 385gsm

Find out more about these papers on our Giclée Printing Papers & Canvases page.