The fashionable word for fine art prints and photography is 'giclee' (zhee-clay) which is a rather fine word for ink-jet. This, in itself, is very misleading. Fine art prints were, until recently, produced lithographically but as much modern art and photography is now produced in its original form digitally there will be no 'original' from which to produce a print. Even now, a recognised work of art would be scanned digitally rather than printing plates be made.
Limited Edition prints of old would have had their plates destroyed after a given number of prints were taken and the printer would certifiy that this had been done. Pottery and other items of 'limited' edition would be similar in that the moulds would be destroyed.
A great deal of trust is therefore placed in the seller of modern limited edition prints by the purchaser. If the orginal is in digital form, which it invariablly now will be, then you must decide whether or not to trust the statement that only so many will, indeed, be printed. The purchase of modern fine art as limited editions should therefore be made with the prime objective of enjoying it for what it is. If the work of the artist or photographer becomes highly sought after and gains in value then this should be treated as a bonus. Many will but countless more will not.
All of my work is limited to no more than 50 prints of any image . The digital image, scanned from my original film stock, is not destroyed as a printing plate would be but I do certifiy the limited print of each image and personally sign each copy.
Of huge importance is the printing technology used. Yes, giclee is printed using ink-jet technology but not in the way most know it. Large format printers are used with special inks. The technology is too new for time to have been the ultimate test but laboratory testing has shown that the print will remain true and not fade under normal conditions (out of direct sunlight etc) for a minimum of 75 years.
Of equal importance is the paper stock used - this MUST be acid free and of fine art quality. We mainly use Hahnemuehle Fine Art paper which we find gives wonderful tones and colours and reproduces the images depth and range of colours most suited to our work. This paper is quite 'soft' and is perfectly suited for framing. Glossy prints, by their nature, are designed to take alot of handling by comparison.
Framing your purchase is something of great personal choice but there are some important points to bear in mind. The first and most important thing is that your framer uses acid free materials as acid, just as in the paper, is the destructive force that causes most damage of time. Your framer will know this but just mention it to him anyhow. If he looks at you with a puzzled expression then go find another!
Prints look wonderful 'double mounted', that is the card used to surround the image. A simple bevelled double layer in cream looks superb but if you really want to set your image off then pick out a colour from the print and have this incorporated in the mounts as a third layer and only showing as a very thin line between the two cream mounts - the difference it makes is huge.
We are able to print on canvas upon request (please phone or e-mail with any special requests - if it is possible we will do everything to accomodate you). We recommend that all other prints are framed behind non-reflective glass. As a very general guide, you can currently get a superb frame made with your image mounted as described above (triple mounted) for an A3 or A2 size image for between £60 and £120 ($100--$220) - you can pay more but this should be a general guidline for you (UK prices 2004). You can pay less but please do check out the above points with your framer and you will enjoy your purchases for many long years.
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