Inkjet Canvas and Inkjet Fine Art Paper

What makes art sell? Why are some artists making millions of dollars while others struggling to afford paint brushes? While there are many factors involved in the prosperity of one artist to another, by far the most critical is the aesthetic appeal the artwork itself. Simply put, the more visually appealing a particular work of art is, the better it will sell. Whether art is being shown as originals or giclee prints, in a gallery or at an art show, the consumer is primarily influenced by the visual appeal of their prospective purchase and subsequently, its perceived value.

Publishers, printmakers, framers, gallery owners, and of course the artists themselves all (directly or indirectly) profit from art sales. Collectively they share a common goal of selling art; while individually they strive to create a rich environment for art sales to take place, at the greatest possible rate. The artist creates the most visually appealing rendition of their art possible so consumers will be drawn to it, the publisher prints the best possible catalogue to increase exposure and prestige; framer matches the art with a frame that becomes an visual extension of the painting, and the printmaker produces the most vibrant, accurate, and sellable print possible through equipment selection, experience, and talent. While each of these players is involved in the overall sell-ability of art, the purpose of this article is to focus on the printmaker and his/her influence on the visual appeal of a fine art reproduction.

IInkjet Canvas

As inkjet canvas continues to gain popularity in the fine art and photographic digital printing industry, the multitude of available brands and varieties will persist and eventually flood the market in an attempt to take advantage of this increasingly desirable consumable. Current market research shows that inkjet canvas is selling three times more than inkjet paper, which historically, has never been the case. This swing in market trends suggests that art consumers are impressed by the aesthetic appeal and novelty of digitally printed inkjet canvas as it is a relatively new, yet logical medium for fine art reproduction. As an entrepreneur running a printmaking business, selecting an compatible-with Epson canvas that will be the foundation for your reputation and long-term success amid the array of possibilities, can be a daunting if not impossible undertaking. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the printmaker to understand and testinkjet canvas to source the highest quality to ensure sustainable-revenue and the integrity for their business. Therefore the purpose of this article is to provide printmakers with the proper tools to evaluate inkjet canvas based upon empirical data and measurable attributes; in an attempt to produce higher-quality, more-archival, and ultimately more sellable fine art inkjet canvas prints.

In order to properly evaluate inkjet canvas for your printmaking business, several criteria must be evaluated and considered. This criterion can be broken down into four primary categories: aesthetic appeal, longevity, production/business practicality, and brand association. Testing multiple brands and types ofinkjet canvas is the best thing you can do for your business, your customers, and the fine art industry as a whole. That being said, the first thing you will need to do to get started is purchase sample material from several leadinginkjet canvas manufacturers. Let this article be the guide or checklist to walk you though the important evaluation process.

Click here to read a great article on how to choose an inkjet canvas for your business.

IInkjet Fine Art Paper

If you are selling fine art giclée prints your quality driven customers will demand using an acid-free pH-neutral archival inkjet fine art paper. Museums and fine artists with rigid standards will require this class of fine art paper. So if you are looking for a wide format media you can trust, Breathing Color fine art papers have become the most popular solution for fine art printmakers and publishers worldwide. For example, Breathing Color's Elegance Velvet Fine Art Paper, Elegance Textured Fine Art Paper, and Sterling 280g Smooth Fine Art Paper, are available in both sheets and rolls.

There are several good reasons to use the fine art papers available from Breathing Color. First and foremost, your business requires nothing less than the best quality paper available so that your customers are guaranteed to maximize potential color gamut and dmax. Second, by buying direct from a fine art paper manufacturer, you can eliminate middleman distributors and save money in the process.

On another note, inexpensive inkjet papers are also available, and are suitable for normal printing for pictures to share with friends and family, and also have their use for proofing pictures you intend to print for sale or display on more expensive materials.

Click here to read great articles on Inkjet Fine Art Paper General Information , 100% Cotton Rag Fine Art Papers versus Non-Rag Fine Art Papers , and How to Select Fine Art Paper for Fine Art Printing

Choosing a Surface of a Fine Art Inkjet Paper

You may not like the particular inkjet fine art paper surfaces that you have tried thus far, which could have been the papers you received with your Epson printer. Although the range provided by, for example Epson, is large enough to be confusing, the fine art papers included in it actually only cover a fairly small range of what is available. Using fine art papers from a "third party manufacturer" gives you a much wider choice, including many different smooth and textured inkjet papers and shinier gloss finishes as well as some unusual materials including some non-paper surfaces including fabric such as an inkjet printable silk as well as signage and inkjet banner products such as adhesive vinyl. All of these fine art inkjet papers are available at much more competitive prices and are, in many cases, superior in performance.

Choosing a Weight of a Fine Art Inkjet Paper

The traditional measurement of fine art paper thickness is given in grams per square meter (gsm). Normal typing paper is around 80 gsm, and typical inkjet fine art papers may range from 120-310 gsm. More expensive fine-art papers are usually on or over 300gsm, while the lesser expensive ones are on or below 210gsm. Heavier fine art papers can cause problems with the paper feed in some printers. Small-format models that have a significantly curved path for the paper through the machine are particularly unlikely to be able to use such heavyweight papers. However, despite what the printer manual says, usually double the maximum weight specified with some printers will print fine art without problems.

Watercolor Paper

Once your search for photographic printing inks and papers goes beyond the shelves of your local Staples store, you'll find some amazing products. There's no rule that a photographic has to be on smooth glossy paper. In fact, textured surfaces can dramatically enhance some images. Enter the fabulous world of Watercolor Papers.

Digital images can be printed on a wide variety of materials ranging from metal to paper. Because of the wide range of possible materials, the generic term "substrate" is used for the media on which we print. The term "substrate" literally means, "the surface on which an organism lives." In the case of paper, a substrate begins as a base product produced by a paper mill. This raw product is then coated with different water and solvent based solutions to give it characteristics that allow it to accept an inkjet fine art print.

As photographers become more concerned with the longevity of their digital prints, fine art papers are becoming more popular. These papers, already widely used in the arts world for prints and paintings, last hundreds of years. When you use these papers for digital photographs the issue is the ink stability, not the stability of the paper. Paper makers are working on papers that will interact most effectively with the water-soluble inks used for digital printmaking.

There is a distinct difference between conventional photo grade paper and fine art paper. Watercolor Paper is not only more substantial and richly textured, it's long-lasting. Watercolor Paper is typically made from 100% cotton (except canvas which is usually 50% cotton & 50% polyester). It’s also acid-free and buffered against atmospheric acids. (Buffering neutralizes acids in the paper or environment using an alkaline substance such as usually calcium carbonate.) The media will last for centuries while providing a rich and elegant look. Virtually all Watercolor Paper are made by the same traditional methods that have been in use for hundreds of years. The materials used in these unique crafting methodologies are simple and pure and the process is environmentally friendly.

Why use Watercolor Paper? The weight or thickness of Watercolor Paper is one key consideration. If you close you eyes and feel most typical inkjet media, you will realize that the differences between them are negligible. When you close you eyes and feel Watercolor Paper, the textures and the thickness in the stock are immediately apparent. The difference is like comparing a blade of grass to a rose petal. These unique substantive properties make Watercolor Paper the best choice for framing and display work.

Who is using Watercolor Paper? Most users of desktop Watercolor Paper are professional photographers, graphics artists, and fine artists. However, more and more amateur photographers and desktop publishers are using Watercolor Paper to make their work unique and highly distinguishable from the work of their friends or competitors. Photographers and artists can publish promotional and presentation pieces or self-publish their work with desktop systems and Watercolor Paper. Several photographic and artists studios are also beginning to use an array of desktop printers in creating archival prints. They are finding that in some cases, the results can be equivalent to giclee prints produced with more expensive methodologies.