Tag: giclee papers

6 reasons why should you use a fine art printing company

As an artist or photographer, there is always the option of taking any printing requirements you have in house and completing this process yourself. This can be a daunting experience and often you’re left wondering, where to start? However, why not let that hassle be taken away? Of course, we believe you should use a fine art printer for your work whether you’re a photographer or an artist, but here are 6 reasons why we truly believe this is the best and most convenient way of producing your art.

1. Real, honest and bespoke advice

We see thousands of pieces of artwork and photography every single year, therefore we believe we are in the best place to give you honest and truthful advice when you need it. Experience and knowledge comes from our involvement over the years. We can assist in colour correction and advise on how it is best to print your artwork or photography.

2. Knowledge and understanding of colour and workflow processes

Printing is our day job! Why waste time having to solve the problems yourself? We’ve probably encountered the issue before so can generally have a quick fix with any technological problems. Spending time on understanding printers and colour calibration is not what you really want to be doing. Giving you more time to create your beautiful artwork. Also, we are the only print studio in the UK to be certified by the three biggest paper manufacturers; Hahnemühle FineArt, Canson Infinity and Epson Digigraphie consequently proving our expertise in the industry.

3. Options – and lots of them!

Why spend a fortune on purchasing different types of paper? You may want to use different papers for your different subjects; which can be an expensive overhead. We have an extensive variety in stock at all times so we guarantee you will be able to find the perfect paper for your print when ordering with us. Also, if you need advice or guidance on selecting the best substrate for your print, just ask! We will always be more than happy to help. We use the best quality materials and inks and the cost savings of this are passed on to you. Additionally, it’s unlikely for most people to invest in printers that can produce fine art prints much bigger than A3, therefore by using a fine art printing you are not limited in your print size. Our printers here at The Artist’s Print Room go up to 44″ wide!

4. Technical knowledge

Sometimes, printing isn’t a straight forward process. We’ve all had the dreaded paper jam! But imagine that with heavenly but expensive fine art paper – we take care of all those pesky handling issues that you could encounter when printing at home. In addition to this, we are meticulous about colour and calibration – ensuring that our systems are working accurately. This is a time consuming process which we take care of. Our business is print, therefore we aim to always stay ahead of trends and new technologies.

5. Care and understanding

Our passion is stunning art and photography, therefore, we understand how important it is to get the final print perfect every time. We care greatly that you will be more than satisfied with the finished product and endeavour to spend as much time as it takes to get each print right, every single time. You may be able to produce prints at home, but sometimes you can’t get them just quite right. Again, this is where we can assist in taking that pressure off you.

6. Ease and convenience

Probably one of the biggest benefits! When using a fine art printer, we can do everything for you. You can purchase a stunning mounted or framed print from us. This ensures your final piece is ready to hang as soon as it’s delivered to you. Our simple online ordering form allows you to work through all the printing options we have in an easy step-by-step process. Therefore, once your print has been ordered, you can sit back and relax until it arrives!

Overall, not only are you purchasing a final print from us,  you’re investing in many years of our expertise and experience. So overall, there are our top 6 reasons why we believe you should use a fine art printer for both your art reproductions and photography printing requirements. What other struggles do you see in printing your own work at home? Let us know and we would love to be able to show you how we can help!

Paper in focus – Gloss Fine Art Papers

So, here we will run through the gloss fine art papers we offer in addition to the textured and smooth fine art papers previously looked at.

Gloss Fine Art Papers

The most important thing to be aware of here when considering a gloss fine art paper is that when we talk about gloss, this tends to be more of a subtle lustre or satin finish. Not the high gloss on your standard photographic prints that you get produced. These finishes are much more subtle and arguably more exquisitely beautiful.

Canson® Infinity Platine Fibre Rag
Canson Platine Rag - The Artist's Print Room
©Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag

The Canson® Infinity Platine Fibre Rag is a combination of the combination of the premium 100% cotton Platinum paper that Canson has supplied for many years to the original Platinum and Platine photographic market, with the latest microporous coating. The paper contains no optical brighteners, thus not affecting the longevity of the print. An excellent choice of paper for both black and white or colour images. A 310gsm which overall provides a stunning satin finish to your image.

 

Hahnemühle PhotoRag Satin
Photo Rag Satin - The Artist's Print Room
©Hahnemühle Photo Rag Satin

As above, this paper from but from Hahnemühle is a 310gsm,  and has a satin finish. A smooth surface and 100% cotton rag, the paper has a lovely natural white tone. A unique paper in that when you image is printed on this paper, the unprinted areas remain matt, however, the printed areas have a slight sheen. Your image almost shimmers in the light.

Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl
FineArt Pearl - The Artist's Print Room
©Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl

The Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl is a 285gsm paper and provides your prints with a sensational pearl finish. This paper isn’t cotton rag like others previously mentioned, it’s a 100% a-cellulose paper (which is wood pulp) and has a bright white tone. Due to this bright white, prints will have impressive colour contrasts and the black in your images will have an incredible depth.

Hahnemühle PhotoRag Baryta
Photo Rag Baryta - The Artist's Print Room
©Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta

Photo Rag Baryta is a 315gsm, 100% cotton paper and the ‘glossiest’ paper we offer. Using barium sulphate in the inkjet coating, ensuring the typical gloss that makes this paper a genuine replacement for traditional Baryta papers from analogue labs. The coating on this paper provides a water resistance and the tone of the base paper lends well to black and white prints.

 

 

 

Remember, if you would like any 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. The offer of tea or coffee is still there too!

 

 

 

Paper in focus – Smooth Fine Art Papers

So previously we looked at textured fine art papers, but how about smooth fine art papers? All the papers listed below have a matte finish, we will look at the satin/gloss papers in a future post.

Smooth Fine Art Papers

When paper is produced in the paper mill, smooth fine art papers are created with a much more smooth felt in comparison to the textured papers, this then produces the surface on the finished product. A smooth fine art paper can often be a good go to when just starting out or often used with portrait photography. It’s important to remember that when a paper is described as smooth it is not completely devoid of texture though!

Hahnemühle Bamboo
Hahnemühle Bamboo - The Artist's Print Room
©Hahnemühle Bamboo

This Bamboo paper is made from 90% bamboo fibres and the additional 10% is made from cotton. More environmentally friendly than the cotton papers due to the fast growing bamboo, this paper has a lovely warm white colour to it. Due to it’s tone, it is ideal for warm coloured prints and monochrome images.

Canson® Infinity Rag Photographique 310gsm
anson® Infinity Rag Photographique 310gsm - The Artist's Print Room
©Canson Infinity Rag Photographique

This paper from Canson is 100% cotton and has an exceptional smooth white tone. During the manufacturing process, natural minerals are added and therefore give this tone to the paper. A very unique, smooth surface, however, there is still a tactile element to the paper which you can see in the close up image. This paper provides one of the highest achievable Dmax on the market, therefore making it a perfect solution for both fine art photography prints and art reproductions.

Hahnemühle Photo Rag Bright White
hahnemuehle photorag bright white - The Artist's Print Room
©Hahnemühle Photo Rag Bright White

Hahnemühle’s most famous paper is probably their Photo Rag and this paper is a brighter version of their Photo Rag 308gsm. As above, a 100% cotton paper but with a bright white tone. A smooth surface, this paper can really make your colours ‘pop’ and really add definition to black and white imagery.

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget, 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!