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Title: The Benefits of Archival Printing: Why You Should Choose Archival Quality Prints for Your Artwork

In the world of art and photography, preserving the beauty and quality of your artwork is of utmost importance. That’s why choosing the right printing method is crucial. One of the best ways to ensure your prints last for years to come is through archival printing. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the benefits of archival printing and why you should choose archival quality prints for your artwork.

What is Archival Printing? Archival printing, also known as giclee printing, is a process that uses high-quality inkjet printers and archival quality paper to produce prints that are fade-resistant and long-lasting. This printing method uses pigment-based inks that are fade-resistant and produce rich, vibrant colors that are true to the original artwork.

Benefits of Archival Printing:

1. Longevity - Archival quality prints are designed to last for up to 100 years or more without fading or deteriorating. This means that your artwork will maintain its vibrant colors and quality for generations to come.

2. Durability - Archival quality prints are printed on high-quality paper that is acid-free, lignin-free, and pH neutral. This means that the paper will not yellow, fade, or deteriorate over time, ensuring that your prints remain in pristine condition.

3. True-to-life colors - The pigment-based inks used in archival printing produce rich, vibrant colors that are true to the original artwork. This means that your prints will accurately reflect the colors and nuances of the original artwork.

4. High resolution - Archival printing produces prints with a high resolution, which means that even the smallest details in your artwork will be captured in the print.

5. Versatility - Archival quality prints can be produced in a wide range of sizes and on a variety of paper types, allowing you to choose the perfect print for your needs.

Why Choose Archival Quality Prints? Choosing archival quality prints ensures that your artwork is of the highest quality and will last for years to come. Whether you’re a professional artist or photographer, or simply looking to preserve your family photos, archival printing is the best way to ensure that your prints will stand the test of time.

In addition to the benefits listed above, archival quality prints also have a high level of value and prestige in the art world. Many galleries and museums require artwork to be printed on archival quality paper, so investing in archival printing is a wise choice for any artist looking to showcase their work.

Conclusion: Archival printing is a valuable investment for anyone looking to preserve the beauty and quality of their artwork. With its longevity, durability, true-to-life colors, high resolution, and versatility, archival quality prints are the best choice for any artist or photographer. So why settle for less when you can have prints that will last for generations to come? Choose archival quality prints for your artwork and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your prints are of the highest quality.

The most common question I get from customers is what really makes a good canvas wrap. The answer might seem simple but there is actually a lot that goes into a professional gallery wrapped canvas. And no a professional canvas wrap is not a folded cardboard backing with the canvas glues to it and a black backing to hold it all together. If your anything like me you put a lot of effort into your artwork to make it look just right and to then have it reproduced as cheap as possible is not how you want to go about this. Customers do notice cheap vs high quality when deciding if they will buy your work. Taking pride in your work will pay off in more sales and better collectors. OK lets get down to it, what makes a good gallery wrapped canvas?

#1 Canvas Material

There are a few options for canvas materials that can be used. One is cotton canvas, this looks like your traditional canvas used by artists and painters. Great product but is not always the best for printing. The canvas can have many flaws in it and can give inconsistent results. It can also hold a more textured surface like an art canvas. Second is a cotton and polyester blend canvas. The polyester in the canvas can help with a more uniform surface and also a smoother canvas to help show detail better on the final print. The polyester in the canvas can also help with stretching and holding the stretch. This is the canvas we prefer to use on our wraps. This does not make it cheaper just a better final product which is archival and last a 150 years or more. Third is polyester canvas. This canvas has a perfect simulated canvases texture with out the small imperfections of canvas. This is a common canvas for cheaper prints as the cost is 2/3 the cost of the other canvases. We have used some of this canvas in testing and just did not like the look of it especially on bright walls with a lot of light. The pattern also seemed to produce glare and made the image hard to see at certain angles. The light also travels thru this canvas as it does not have the opacity of the other canvases.

#2 Coatings

This is a very important step in my view. Adding a UV coating to the canvas greatly extends the lifespan of the canvas and also helps with protection from dust, scratches, and fading. The coating also helps add depth to the inks especially the Canon Lucia ink we use as they have high dynamic range. Creates very deep blacks and higher contrast. Sprayed on coatings will give you a great looking and even finish on your canvas. Trust me make sure your canvas is coated!

#3 Stretcher Bars / Internal Framing

This one is straight forward, solid wood with raised corner edges of traditional stretcher bars. NO FOLDED CARDBOARD OR COMPRESSED PARTICLE BOARD.

#4 Print Quality & Inks

For print quality you want a sharp print that matches the original. Of course if the file or photograph is not sharp then the print will not be sharp. Ink should never look like it was shoot on with a straw and speckled. Clean even ink with solid saturated color. We take pride in the the sharpness and deep colors our canon printers produce and make sure prints are always sharp even on the canvas surface. We are also a firm believer in the Canon printers as it is a 12color printer. I have had 8color printers in the past and they just never seemed to stand up. The 12 color also helps to make perfect black and white prints. Allows for more shades of black and a better range. We get a lot of customers that come in and say they have never had a company print their black and white images right. They seem to always be off until we give it a go with the canon printer! I figure its my blog I have to boast a little bit ( or a lot ) right?!!!

#5 Color Accuracy

Have you ever got a print back and the blacks are grey, the reds are orange, or the blues are purple? We have all been there. With that said it actually is an easy fix, calibration of your monitors. This is one of the only ways to get the prints close to what you see on the screen. No you can not skip this or do the calibration built into your computer. You must use a device like the Color Munki or another brands on screen device. We use the Color Munki on our screens and so should you if you really want colors to match!

#6 Love (Yep Love)

 

Yeah I said "Love" and I am pretty sure you know what I mean!

 

Overwhelmed yet.... don't worry we are done for now? OK lets make this process easy just order from Paint Addict Studios and you never have to worry again!

 

Cheers!

Justin Strom

 

 

 

 

 

This new website has been a long time coming! We are happy it is up but still have alot of work to do to fine tune it and work out the kinks. Please let us know if you notice an issue or glitch. We are hoping this new site will give a much clearer and user friendly process to ordering your prints and seeing the products we offer. At first the main products will be listed and slowly keep adding some of the new products to the site. As well as now offering licensing to artist and helping them sell their art with little to no work! We do the selling you do the creative part and make the art! Always feel free to let us know what you would like to see in the way of products we offer or ways we can serve you better. Thank you again and enjoy the new site! <table style="width: 86px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><a href="http://www.houzz.com/pro/paintaddict/paint-addict-studios"><img src="http://st.houzz.com/static/badge86_25.png" alt="Remodeling and Home Design" width="86" height="25" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table>