Giclee prints are a great way to collect fine art collections. If you like to have a lot of wall décor a framed fine art giclee print will be an affordable way to add to your collection. These types of prints can be floral paintings, wildlife, female fine art nude photography, landscape art or famous reproductions of famous oil paintings on canvas, watercolors. Giclee printing is a process of inkjet technology but has come to to imply any high quality art prints or posters. Most often these reproductions are done on high quality paper but will also be done on canvas or other materials.

If you are a fine art print collector you know that even these posters can become valuable over time. Even numbered art print reproductions tend to gain more value if from popular painters or artists. Many people when hearing the words art print tend to think they have a cheap or worthless poster and will tend to not want to buy such art prints. The irony is that many museums or popular artist may offer up such art prints or reproductions that are numbered so visitors or art collectors can buy them from their gallery framed and ready to hang.

Always consider framing your print behind glass as it adds a level of protection from contaminants and ultraviolet light that can often fade a print. Usually the lower number of limited prints there are the more collectible they may become these are often referred to as limited edition gilcee prints. Many artists often personally sign these prints. Most people wanting to decorate a room with framed giclee prints may not be too concerned with numbered prints or popular artists due to costs and prices and will just find a print to fit in with the their room décor.

Giclee prints are high enough quality to display in fine art collections. Do not overlook these reproductions from you favorite artists or photographers and try to include limited edition prints in you collection of fine art prints.

By: Pete Marks

Given the progress in inkjet and media technology, demand for printing photographs and art on canvas is growing exponentially. Whether you have a good inkjet printer or you prefer to have your work done by a professional outfit, it is worth to explore this option for any type of image. We constantly receive requests from wedding and portrait photographers who want to print large canvas for their clients.

Artists regularly order limited edition prints on canvas and watercolor papers to sell to collectors. These reproductions usually are signed and are accompanied by a COA (Certificate of authenticity). Buyers are very receptive to purchasing canvas prints they can hang up without a protective glass, without worrying about scratches and water damage.

The texture of a fine art canvas is unparalleled in beauty; a protective coating is applied on top to give the substrate a matte, lustre or glossy look. If you prefer to experiment with this material to see the results, canvas sheets are available at many stores that carry inkjet products.

The differences between a home desktop printer and a professional one are many but I will focus on the most important. First, commercial machines can be outfitted with pigmented inks; these inks differ from dye inks commonly found in the cheap home printers because they are archival and will not fade for decades. Dyes on the other hand will start losing brilliance in a matter of months. There are some home use printers now that offer a form of hybrid dye/pigment system. The second difference is the nozzle quality; pro level systems have extremely sophisticated nozzles that can render a very fine dot and exceptional tonal rendition.

The process of printing on fine art materials such as canvas and watercolor papers is referred to as “giclee”. Giclee is a french term that loosely translated means “sprayed on”. It refers to the nozzles which spray ink onto the paper. Giclee printing involves some of the characteristics described above and it is usually performed by professional shops.

You can read more about giclee and inkjet canvas printing on our website.

By: Fabio Braghi