|
|
|
|
|
These
days many people have printers at home that can create colour
prints, and the majority of people will think that they do
an excellent job. However, when compared to professional prints
the results can be startling. The differences between home
and professional prints can be even more noticeable a few
years later after the print has been exposed to light and
other harmful conditions.
The information
on this page is quite complicated, so please do not hesitate
to contact us if you have any questions, or you need anything
explaining in more detail.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our prints
are described as Giclée prints, so we will start by explaining
the term. A “Giclée” print is essentially a piece
of printed artwork or photograph produced by using a high quality
digital inkjet printer. The inks used are specially formulated
and compatible with the extreme fineness of the printer head that
spurts jets of ink in minute droplets at high resolutions. These
prints are produced on high quality art papers which have been
specially coated to accept this type of printing.
|
|
 |
|
The principal
difference between home and professional printers are the
inks that they use. Conventional home inkjet printers often
use dye-based inks, which usually have a high water content
and can fade very quickly. Giclée printers use pigment-based
inks, which are far more concentrated and are far more resistant
to fading. We use Epson Ultrachrome inks, which are award
winning and industry leading inks. Our printers use eight
different ink cartridges to give the best possible colour
reproduction. Our main printer has three different black cartridges
which produces exceptional black and white prints, which can
rival traditional silver-halide prints.
|
|
|
|
|
Pigment inks
create prints which are more resistant to harmful conditions. When
combined with professional papers the prints have a high resistance
to light damage, moisture, humidity and ozone. A print should always
be displayed sensibly behind glass, and avoiding excessive direct
sunlight and moisture. Independent testing by Wilhelm Imaging Research
(www.wilhelm-research.com)
shows that our prints should be light-fast for over 75 years, and
have a high resistance to humidity and ozone. When
printed on good quality heavyweight art paper it is possible to
produce long-lasting prints that are more stable than the original
artwork.
We always use
genuine Ultrachrome inks, and never use cheap alternatives. Another
test by Wilhelm Imaging Research on Epson Durabrite inks proved
the false economy of cheap inks. The genuine Epson ink gave light-fast
values of 105 years, but when printed on the same printer with cheap
ink and paper the print was only light-fast for 0.2 years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Another
very important factor to consider is the paper used. There are
many different types of inkjet paper on the market, and it can
get very confusing. We use genuine Epson papers which have been
specifically designed for use with Epson printers. The prints
in our shop are printed using Archival Matte paper. Although
glossy paper is traditionally used for photographs we have found
that the the Archival Matte paper reduces reflection and gives
a better end result. Print permanence tests have also shown
that matte prints can last over twenty years longer than glossy
prints. As we strive to produce the best product that we can
we tend to prefer Archival Matte paper, but we also like to
offer choice so we can use glossy paper if it is what you prefer. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The prints
in our online shop are printed at set sizes across the range.
If you want a different size please contact us.
The two
sizes of landscape prints are given as 'A4' and 'A3' but this
is an approximation to help people visualise the print size
based on the paper size. The 'A4' image is actually 270 mm
x 180 mm and the 'A3' image is printed as 400 mm x 270 mm.
This is the size that the image is printed at.
Panoramic
prints are 450 mm x 130 mm, but can be printed much larger
on request.
|
|
