Printing Techniques
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Factfiles Printing Techniques | ||
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If you've ever considered going into print, there's never been a better time. Recent statistics show the UK art market retail spending is on the upward march, with increasingly affluent and (hopefully) taste-conscious buyers looking to buy original and limited edition reproduction works. Until recently however, most "enthusiastic amateurs" will have been put off by the cost of printing. Why should you have to commit yourself to spending the wrong side of £1000 only to find out your masterpiece doesn't sell? Well, the answer is you don't anymore. The days of artists being beholden to printers are past, digital technology has seen the emphasis move from the machine room to the desktop. These days it's as important to be au fait with a PC and scanner as it is to know your Burnt Umber from Light Brown. | ||
| There are three "core" processes available to you to reproduce your work, these are: | ||
| Digital Offset ~ | Which uses the same process to put the ink on paper as "conventional" printing, but does away with film, plates and separate proofing systems. No minimum quantity, fast turnaround and great quality. | |
| Offset Litho ~ | The conventional route, which while producing a super result has lots of front-end set-up costs associated and usually involves minimum print runs in the hundreds. Turnaround times can be quite long and colour proofs of your work are often produced using a different process to the final printing, which can be confusing and inaccurate. | |
| With both the above processes you can also produce Postcards, Greetings Cards, Invites, Catalogues, Brochures, Portfolios and just about anything else you can imagine that involves putting ink on paper. | ||
| Giclée ~ | The third and most recent addition to the artist's reproduction armoury is Giclée. Pronounced Jee-Clay, it's apparently taken from the French "to Squirt", so while lacking any poetic value, it's been adopted by the art world as the Trade term for what is basically very high quality ink-jet printing. One of the most important things you can ever do is find a sympathetic printer who understands the demands of fine art reproduction and can supply you with samples that prove their competence. Very few printers will have all the above processes at their disposal - so do shop around. The Fine Art Trade Guild lists reputable companies who have had to submit their work for approval and quality testing, so it's worthwhile checking out their website www.fineart.co.uk for the low-down Do not just jump for the first option you're given! Ask questions and discuss your needs. | |
| Here then is a brief introduction to the three processes I mentioned. | ||
| 1) Digital Offset ~ | Opens up a host of opportunities for Artists. In the past, many would be artists have, I'm sure been put off publishing their work to a wider audience by the cost of printing. Most conventional print companies are simply not interested unless the quantities run into the thousands. That means more money for them and higher cost to you the Artist. But don't despair - there's a very inexpensive alternative... Using modern Digital Techniques (NOT colour copying - proper printing) its possible to have 10, 20, 100 or just ONE print reproduced from your original artwork - cost effectively too. Quality is indistinguishable from lithographic printing, as the actual printing part of the process is pretty conventional. The clever, time and cost-saving bit is getting the image to the press without messing about with film and plates. Another significant advantage for the quality conscious (and who isn't?) is that Digital Offset proofs are produced on the machine that prints the final product. So you get 100% accurate colour matching. | |
| 2) Offset Lithography ~ | What most people know as "conventional" printing. The ideal method if you know a print/card etc will sell well, as although you will need to order larger quantities, (usually an absolute minimum of 250) with 500-850 being the norm, this means the unit cost of your picture will be low. BUT you do have to sell them all to get the full benefit of that low cost. If you end up with 500 left under the bed it doesn't count as a good deal! Generally, colour proofs are produced using a different process to the actual printing, if you're a stickler for colour matching consider visiting the printer to pass on press. Always choose a printer that's used to working with artists and understands the importance of colour matching. Also check that lightfast/colourfast inks are used and Neutral Ph paper (also called Acid Free) both these precautions help stop fading. | |
| Colours seen on a computer screen are never a true reflection of what is printed, because the screen is lit from behind, refracting light, while you look at a print using reflected light. Be aware that printing presses are not surgical instruments - they are huge automated machines. That means you almost certainly won't get the exact quantity of prints you order. Standard variation is +/- 10%, so make sure you stipulate an absolute minimum number if it's a numbered limited edition you're after. | ||
| 3) Giclée ~ | Perfect for short-runs, larger formats, canvasses (really!).
Giclee prints are widely regarded as the highest quality reproduction currently available., There is no minimum quantity, proofing is done "on-press" so you get perfect colour matching - whatever the proof looks like - the prints will match spot-on.
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| Other Products... |
As well as reproducing your artwork as prints, perhaps to be signed and numbered as a limited edition, you could con also consider the following options:-
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| HOW TO SAVE MONEY... | ||
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| Scanning costs ~ |
Scanning costs are one-off charges, you will only have to pay them once, then the digital images are yours to reproduce from, to use on the Internet, send as e-mail etc.
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| So that's a brief overview on the options open to you. I've not mentioned screen-printing - because it's a more specialised and very expensive process not really suited to straight reproduction of existing painted or drawn images. (Oh. And for the original printmakers out there, I apologise for referring to Limited Edition Prints, when they should be rightly called Reproductions. A true print is, I know, something very different and original, but the term has fallen into general use to describe anything that involves putting ink onto paper. So while I don't really support it - people generally understand a short print run reproducing faithfully the original artwork by the term "Limited Edition Print"). |
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| Craig Whitney - Gemini Digital Colour I'm always happy to answer any questions on printing (if I can!) contact me on 01656 652 447, mobile 07831 230625, or e-mail with your queries. | ||