1. Let’s talk about fine art printing inks
In our studio, we use only genuine Canon archival Aqueous ink. Whilst your home inkjet may use anywhere from three to six different colours and generate some respectable results, it can’t cover the large range of shades that are required to create the museum-grade works of a specialty machine.
Our systems use twelve different colour inks, which is just one part of the process for producing the amazing pieces we provide you with. The rest is all in the software.
2. Giclée colour profiling and accuracy
This is a huge obsession of ours. Reproducing shades and hues as accurately as possible is a skill that we have honed across all the mediums that we offer (currently thirteen).
In order to do this, we must create what’s called a custom ICC profile.
Each machine has its own “personality,” meaning works will vary from machine to machine. Some prints are warmer than others, some colours may be a little more saturated and so on. This doesn’t produce accurate colour replication, and won’t allow us to print the same image time and time again.
If you’re selling your artwork, you want to know that each piece will be the same as the last. ICC profiles are made to measure the printer’s colour reproduction on each different media. They are adjusted for each media so that colours can be replicated uniformly across our range of materials. Using Spectrometers and specialist software, this is how our ICC profiles are custom made.
We also go one step further and make these profiles available for you to download and include with your workflow. If you’re using software such as Lightroom or Photoshop, you can soft-proof using the correct profile for the surface you wish to use. This will minimise any surprises in relation to colour replication before you put an order through. Integrate our profiles into your workflow now and see an to accurate match on your screen when you first set eyes on your order.
3. Choose from our quality fine art printing stock
We are committed to quality and customer satisfaction. We only use premium quality products which result in the best reproductions possible.
We love the Canson Infinity range and we stock most of their products. These papers are acid free and museum-grade, which are free of Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs). This means that the images can be kept for generations without alternation.
OBAs are generally used in cheaper options to help the artwork look great at a glance. The chemicals used absorb the UV light and reflect it back, making the image look more vibrant through a process called Fluorescence.
These OBAs are what help the image look great initially, but they become their own worst enemy. As the chemicals become unstable and start to break down, the image begins to yellow and fade.
Another fun fact about OBAs is with the modernisation of homes and the use of LED lights, this has removed UV light from interiors. This means that artwork produced on paper with OBAs may not look the same under artificial light as when near a window (usually it appears flat and lifeless).
To avoid all the heartache this causes, we choose to not use this paper where possible. There are only two styles of stock in our range that have this quality, one being a specialty medium.
This is one reason why astute art buyers will not purchase images that are not produced on cotton rag.
We can also realise your project on sizes much larger than a home printer. Our workspace width is:
- 60 inches on the short edge (60 inches wide)
- Up to 30m on the long edge (as long as our roll), depending on the stock
From art reproductions to canvas photo prints, your project is brought to life with the most meticulous care once it’s in our hands.
We seek to achieve the best possible result and will always guide you towards the right direction for your desired intention – be it for gallery framing or a personal endeavour. Get in touch with our experts today and prepare your piece for success.
Canvas Prints
Our Canvas prints are printed on high quality museum grade, archival canvas. We use the Canson canvas predominantly, the matte is 100% cotton and the lustre is a poly cotton blend with no OBAs in any of our canvas stock!
Turnaround Time
We can turnaround your Fine Art Prints within 24 hours if the media and size you’re after is in stock.
Preparing and sending your files
Please note that we prefer your image in a non-compressed format for best quality printing if available.
If using photoshop or lightroom., please save the file in a TIFF (or similar uncompressed) format at 300 PPI (Pixels per inch).
This would give us the best quality for printing
Sending your files to print
You can upload your files for printing by visiting nwfineartprinting.wetransfer.com
It’s that simple! We will be in contact shortly after.
Monitor Calibration
This is a very important step for anyone wanting to match colours accurately. We use hardware calibrated monitors and regular re-calibrate to ensure that the colours we see are what we expect to print (as closely as possible!)
If you are not calibrating your monitor, then the result of the photo you are looking at, and the print you receive will be vastly different.
Monitors are capable of showing colours that printers cant print (called out of Gamut). Printers can also produce colours that are out of gamut for some monitors (like some Cyans). Soft proofing using our ICC created profile will help you see what your image will look like when it gets printed through the printer profile.
If you’re using Lightroom or Photoshop and unsure how to soft proof your work, we will have courses and events that will help you understand this workflow. Subscribe or keep an eye on our event page so you don’t miss out!