Giclee Printing on Fine Art Papers

Fine Art Papers FAQs

• What is “Giclee Printing”?
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What is “Giclee Printing”?
A giclée print is a way to classify a professionally produced print using inkjet technology; primarily printed on canvas or fine art paper with archival-grade inks. While the process is only several decades old, it has quickly become the method of choice for both artists and photographers. Read more…
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• Will my print be ready to hang?
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Will my print be ready to hang?
The following items arrive ready to hang:
• framed prints
• stretched & mounted canvas
• wood prints
• acrylic prints
• metal prints (with the exception of some styles)
• wall art standouts
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• Will my print ever fade?
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Will my print ever fade?
Both Epson and Canon promote their inks as being resistant to fading over time. Over time we have used both wide-format printers from both companies. Our parent company FinerWorks has been producing canvas prints since around 2001. In that time, we have had no one contact us and indicate their print had faded.
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• Which paper is best for my artwork or photography?.
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Which paper is best for my artwork or photography?.
While our staff will be happy to offer suggestions sometimes the best choice won’t be obvious until you view the image printed on the paper. There are four characteristics that affect how an image will appear on any of our varied fine art papers: ink absorption, brightness, texture and gloss levels (if any).  A good start is test printing small prints on different papers. You can also order one of our starter kits to see and feel our different paper types.
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• How should I care for my fine art paper print?
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How should I care for my fine art paper print?
To extend the life-span, store you giclee fine art paper print out of direct sunlight and avoid extreme temperature changes or exposure to humidity. It is recommended that paper prints be framed behind glass or acrylic glazing when on display. If kept in a retail environment unframed, you should keep the prints sealed in clear, acid free bags. we offer these bags on our website.
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• Why do some prints want to curl and not remain flat initially?
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Why do some prints want to curl and not remain flat initially?
Some papers have more difficulty in flattening out than others. This is especially true during the cooler months but can happen during any time of the year. The papers the prints are produced on are originally in rolls and the prints are printed on these rolls. In most cases we will ship prints up to a certain size flat so that they have had time to lose their curl and flatten out however this is not a guarantee. Thicker or heavier weight papers may still need more time to flatten out. We have a blog posting on our site which discusses this in more detail as well as some solutions.
Fixing Prints Which Curl
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• Do you apply a laminate or spray coating to my fine art paper prints?
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Do you apply a laminate or spray coating to my fine art paper prints?
In most cases your prints will not be coated and definitely not laminated. In some instances we may need to coat prints which have large expanses of dark colors in them such as solid black backgrounds. This is to help alleviate potential scuff marks that are visible within the print if not looking at it behind glass or a clear plastic sleeve.
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• Can I get samples of your fine art papers?
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Can I get samples of your fine art papers?
Order samples of our giclee papers and canvas here.
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• Are these giclee prints?
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Are these giclee prints?
Yes. The fine art paper prints are printed with a method we refer to as giclee printing. This is a technology that has evolved since the late 20th century to use primarily aqueous wide format printers with archival inks on archival media.
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• How well do photos print on fine art papers?
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How well do photos print on fine art papers?
More and more fine art photographers are turning to giclée prints since in many cases, photos look better and have a wider color gamut than you might normally experience with traditional photo prints. This was not always the case but advancements in inkjet technology over the past 10 years have allowed the right image with the right paper to offer a superior color gamut and better contrast and depth.
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• Does FinerWorks have any fine art papers not listed?
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Does FinerWorks have any fine art papers not listed?
In addition to the standard canvas and art papers FinerWorks offers for online ordering, customers can also choose from a wide range of name brand media types when ordering larger quantities offline. View options here
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• Can I paint over my fine art paper prints?
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Can I paint over my fine art paper prints?
We do not recommend this. We cannot guarantee any paper print that has been embellished or has had paint applied to it. Unlike canvas, many of the papers will wilt and warp like most papers when saturated with any sort of liquid base. While some customers have reported success with both acrylic and oil paints when embellishing their fine art paper prints others have reported negative results. If you think you want to try doing this you should consider ordering smaller prints to test and practice the technique that works best for you before attempting with a larger print. Most artists that attempt this will pre-coat their print with either a spray fixative or spray lacquer based coating to seal the print first.
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• Does FinerWorks offer paper types other than those listed on the website?
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Does FinerWorks offer paper types other than those listed on the website?
Yes. We offer some special request media types for high volume offline orders. Check the options list and make sure you contact us for a quote when you have an opportunity to place a very large order with FinerWorks.
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• Can I order a print with just matting?
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Can I order a print with just matting?
Yes, you can. When creating your print, make sure you include a border on your print. Matting options will be found below sizing.
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