What is a Digital Fine Art Print?
What is a digital fine art print? This is our attempt to distinguish Digital Fine Art Prints from ordinary digital prints. Until now, it has been generally accepted that a digital fine art print is a print made on an inkjet printer using archival inks and paper. The quality of the printer model, ink and paper have been the sole determining factors. We argue that to make a “digital print” a “digital fine art print”, it must have more factors considered than just printer, paper and inks. Initial file quality and handling as well as the condition of the resulting physical print are just as important in making a true fine art print.
Our definition of a digital fine art print revolves around one general rule. This rule is that the print must not show any signs of the process. Your print must be free of digital image and print related flaws. These flaws include, but are not limited to: pixelization, soft focus, bad image editing, banding from a printer, ink on the border or back of prints, smudges, and dings or dents in the paper. There can’t even be a little cotton seed embedded in the paper or it is technically a flawed print. Even the best substrates include these aesthetic flaws, and once your prints are inspected they must be rejected if found.
We believe that a digital fine art print should also be archival. All of the paper, canvas and inks we use here at Old Town Editions are archival, rated to last 125+ years.
Stacks of final, inspected digital fine art prints. Artist: Caroline Esbenshade
You must have a properly created, handled, and processed digital file to create a clean, crisp print that qualifies as a digital fine art print. If you make a print and you see pixels, lack of clarity, over-sharpening or evidence of other file editing you will have only a run-of-the-mill digital print on your hands. Making true digital fine art prints crosses into the fine art realm when all factors are taken into consideration.
Whether you are reproducing your artwork, printing your photographs or printing digital art, you should strive to sell true digital fine art prints to set yourself apart from others. Our image captures, image edits and final prints must be perfect before we deliver to our clients. The utmost care is taken to keep the fine detail and match all colors, hues and subtle nuances of your originals. With outside source files, we thoroughly inspect digital files to assess what is needed before printing to make them qualify as a fine art print. We inspect all final prints and will reject and reprint all the prints that show flaws.
Multiple sizes of digital fine art prints of a photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
Fine art digital printmaking is a true craft. The work that goes into preparing the image for digital printing is just as labor intensive as the traditional methods. Many of proofs are pulled and skilled technicians are involved in the adjusting of color and tone. Old Town Editions works very closely with artist to make sure that every detail is perfect. The focus is not only on faithfully reproducing the artwork, but also on creating a print that will stand on its own as a quality piece of artistry.
At Old Town Editions we spare no effort in the pursuit of the perfect print, the fine art print! Don’t sell just prints, sell fine art prints created by Old Town Editions.
We are the masters of the fine art of digital printmaking.
Further reading selection: Are All Giclees Created Equal?