November Issue 2001
Buying Reproductions?
Consider This
by Marcia L. Fitts
If you are considering purchasing an original painting with each stroke done by a talented artist, or a reproduction, original art is the preferred option. But if the price tag stops you in your tracks, a better quality reproduction is the way to have beautiful art in your home without the high cost.
There are several ways paintings are reproduced, and understanding the differences gives you a better idea of what characteristics to look for before you spend your money. The following information about the pluses and minuses of reproductions, starting with the least expensive low quality and moving to the higher end printing methods, will give you some insight into quality versus price. Always buy the best you can at the time, and you won't be disappointed.
With new advances in xerography and laser technology, color copiers are being used to copy smaller sized pieces up to 11 x 17 inches. This process can be done on smooth 20 lb. paper or card stock. With close inspection you can see a linear pattern (horizontal or vertical) resulting from each laser scan or pass. These copies may look bright, but study them closely, next to a quality reproduction, and you will discover that they are only copies, and exhibit variations from one to another depending on the conditions of the copier at the time they were made. These copies do not merit the time and cost of framing and the only legitimate use for them is note cards or advertising sheets. Be on the lookout for these labeled as prints at art and craft shows, they are not a wise investment.
The second type of printing available is lithographic. This four color process uses plates with a tiny dot pattern to place pigmented inks of the four primary printing colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and sometimes special colors or spot colors on the paper. Lithographs can be recognized by the rosette pattern these dots make. The smaller these rosettes are, the more details and subtleties that can be reproduced with this process. These reproductions are printed in a continuous run or edition, with the first ones being called artists proofs. In most cases these artist's proofs have been checked by the artist for color and clarity prior to continuing the run. An edition is labeled by a fraction penciled in or near the bottom of the reproduction, 10/100 would be number ten in a run of a thousand prints. The quality of lithographic reproductions can run the gamut from poor prints on poor paper with inks that may fade, to beautiful rich looking reproductions on embossed acid free paper. When shopping for a lithograph, look for sharpness of detail, quality of color, and if the original is available, compare it to the reproduction. How well did the printmaker captured the beauty of the image? If you cannot compare it to an original, then study the overall picture, does it give you a true sense of the original art? Or is it flat and lifeless?
The third type of reproduction method, digital prints, can also range from poor to spectacular. This is the newest method of reproduction available, and has advantages for both the artist/publisher and the final customer. The choice of substrates range from fine watercolor papers like Arches, to canvases and glossy papers. The printers used, produce reproductions with great fidelity and faithfulness to the originals, whether they are oils, pastels, watercolors, or acrylics. When a limited edition is planned, the prints are made one at a time as needed. So the artist/publisher doesn't have a large sum of money tied up in unsold prints. This allows for a greater variety of talented artist to become self published, giving the customer more to choose from. These reproductions have a feel that closely simulates the original, and are produced by highly trained specialists on complex equipment. I have met several artists' spouses that have considered printing paintings with digital equipment. For the most part they discover that it is time consuming and requires more expertise than they have. Just having expensive equipment does not guarantee beautiful results. The digital or "giclée" prints that are made by professional printmakers on professional grade equipment will cost more than lithographic prints, but the beauty and presence of these reproductions justifies the expense.
In more detail, these reproductions are made with a digital printer using a computer file to determine what color each pixel or (picture unit), or very small part of the image, will be. These pixels vary in size from 300 to an inch to 2000 or more to an inch, (the more the better). This number varies from printer to printer depending on its capabilities. Digital color printers also use the four primary printing colors, and can use liquid or dry inks, some even use six colors to offset the color limitations of the inks. A few laser printers and desktop inkjet printers produced digital prints. A true giclée or fine art reproduction comes from specialized large format inkjet printers designed to reproduce colors and subtle continuous tone changes accurately. The term Giclée (zhee-clay) is a French term that means to spray or spritz, and that is just what these inkjet printers do in very fine and subtle ways. Each of these large format printers have benefits and drawbacks over others in their class, and dependent on the type of art, one over another might be a better choice. Fine Art printers on the market that produce large format giclée prints are Roland, Epson, Hewlett Packard, IRIS® and Ixia. The first three models use pigmented inks and an ink delivery system that sometimes has a more prominent telltale sign that it is a digital reproduction. This digital "signature" should be watched for in light areas as small dots. The less visible these dots are, the better quality reproduction you have. These pigmented inks have more longevity than the dye type inks do, but because of their drop size or resolution, may, or may not have the smooth transitions in tonal gradations that you see with an IRIS® reproduction.
The IRIS® printer is the first printer to print fine art prints commercially. It gives sharp details and very little digital signature. Reproductions from this printer can accurately be called IRIS® Giclée prints. The inks used by the IRIS® have a translucent quality that mimic watercolor paints, they mix well to give beautiful depth to subtle changes in shades. The water soluble inks needed for the IRIS' delicate print head are a dye based ink, and have beautiful color ranges. The longevity of these inks is dependent on the combination of ink and substrate or paper, and the display conditions. It can range from as low as 16 years to as high as 180 years (quad black inks) without noticeable fading in gallery lighting conditions.
The Ixia printer is much like the IRIS®. It was developed by a company specializing in rebuilding older IRIS printers. The Ixia prints like an IRIS, but all the engineering draw backs of the IRIS have been redesigned and incorporated along with the newest technology.
Each type of printer is capable of producing beautiful prints, where one may excel in one area, others shine in a variety of other areas. Although most giclée reproductions are printed as the marketing demands, one at a time, the edition can still be signed and limited. So look for that signature and number.
With all these facts, let your eyes do the comparisons. There are many more digital prints on the market today than just a few years ago. Shop around, talk to galleries, artists, and printmakers. Professional digital printmakers will provide, with each reproduction, information on how that reproduction was made, including paper type also called substrate, ink type, coatings used, and possibly type of printer. The artist may include information to verify that you have a signed and numbered limited edition print, and when that edition is completed no other reproductions of that image and size will be made. This information should stay with the art, and can be stored in a special pocket created on the back of the framed piece by your framer. Educate yourself not only to what is available, but to what you really love, because art in the home or office setting should be something that enlivens you and speaks to your spirit, as well as a beautiful investment.
Marcia Fitts is co-owner of Gi-Whiz Digital Services for artists, specializing in IRIS® Giclée digital reproductions in Hendersonville, NC. For further info call 828/693-9041.
Editor's Note: This article is offered as general information about reproduction prints. It is not an endorsement of one process over another. When it comes to discussions of art - what's good, what's not - we use the basic philosophy of - different strokes for different folks and knowledge is power. It is in your best interest, as an artist and as an art consumer, to educate yourself on processes, materials and techniques involved in the creation of art - both originals and reproductions.
Since the development and use of digital equipment used in the reproduction process and creation of original digital art, we have offered advertising by people offering digital services, on a variety of equipment. Which process is best, which materials are superior, and which equipment offers the best reproductions - we leave that up to the artist and consumer. As the writer of this article suggest - ask around, check it out, make an informed decision. Our job is to offer you information, not make recommendations.
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