| Home | Fine Art and Crafts | Famous Sculpture |

Fine Art Prints

Affordable Art Collecting

How Fine Art Prints Are Made

Many of us are unable to afford original paintings, particularly those by famous artists.

Even works by lesser-known artists can command significant prices, which we may be hesitant to pay.

Singing Butler

Additionally, many original artworks are large and may be unwieldy in smaller homes and apartments. For these and many other reasons, fine art prints have become an extremely popular alternative.

If you are considering purchasing a print, you may wonder how that print was made and whether it will be durable enough to last for years to come.

Traditional Prints

In the days before the computer revolution, prints were made on traditional printing equipment. Many artists still prefer to create their prints in this way. Traditional techniques include lithography, etching and many other styles of printing.

The work is photographically transferred to a printing plate, which is then fed through a press to create the print. The finished work is highly similar to the original, although not identical.

Traditional printing is highly prized by many collectors, although it has a number of limitations.

The manual labor that must be invested in each print run is significant.

The printer must be highly skilled in replicating colors and patterns, particularly when using multiple-pass techniques such as lithography.

The accuracy of representation is almost solely dependent on the printer’s ability to perform detailed matching (although the artist, if still living, must approve a proof sheet before printing commences).

Modern Techniques

Point East

Today, many artists prefer to use computer technology to create fine art prints.

In Giclee printing, the original artwork is scanned into a computer.

If the piece is too big or too delicate to be safely scanned, a transparency can be taken of the piece and then scanned.

The artwork can then be replicated on demand onto a virtually limitless array of substrates from photo paper to canvas.

Archival-quality inks are used, which are guaranteed for at least 25 years when kept away from direct sunlight. Special printers are available for this purpose, which are similar to inkjets but much larger, and are designed to handle the archival-quality inks.

Many artists enjoy the flexibility of Giclee printing. The digital archival process protects the quality of the image, ensuring that it will be available for reproduction for years to come.

There is no need to finance a sizeable print run in advance, since prints can be quickly made at any time.

Prints can also be customized for individual demand, offering customers the choice of size and substrate.

Sacred Pool II

Many customers also prefer Giclee prints. The process tends to create highly accurate prints of the work.

Customers also enjoy the flexibility of ordering prints on their own schedule, rather than worrying about keeping up with print runs. They also like the freedom of choosing the size and substrate that best meet their needs.

Whichever type of fine art print you prefer, prices will vary widely.

Works by well-known artists tend to cost more than those by artists who are less familiar.

Limited edition print runs tend to draw higher fees.

Giclee prints tend to cost the artist more per print, and those costs may be passed on to the customer. However, the artist may feel comfortable marking up the price only slightly, as he or she does not have to cover the cost of a full print run.

Since art prices are subjective and tend to vary, it is important to discuss high-dollar purchases with an art expert.

He or she can help you judge the market and determine whether the asking price is fair and reasonable.

  | Top | Arts | Home |