THE FINE ART PRINT
New 'state-of-the-art' printing technology enables us to produce prints to standards previously only available by fine art print shops. The array of inks and papers available to us today allows us to create prints of unprecedented longevity - much greater than traditional photographic print techniques.
GICLÉE PRINTING
You'll hear the term Giclée printing used interchangeably with ink-jet printing. Its a term coined by someone, possibly French, to describe the method of laying down ink on paper to create a photograph. I believe the literal translation is 'to spurt', which of course is what ink-jet printers to - spurt, or squirt out ink. Whatever you call it, the quality that's available now if far superior to anything we've been able to produce in the past.
THE INK
At the core of this new technology is the ink set used in large format professional printers. They include inks that are made with pigments rather than dyes. The advantage of pigment ink is that it's very stable and less prone to fading than the typical dye-based inks found in consumer quality ink-jet printers. A whole new technology of printer equipment needed to develop to take advantage of these inks. Not only are the colours richer and brighter than ever before, but the new set includes varying shades of black to create incredibly rich detail in Black & White photography.
THE MEDIA
Ink is no good without some sort of medium to print on. Paper has been around for thousands of years, but the selection available for Fine Art Printing, especially of photography, has never been better. Here at Mike Guilbault Photography we offer three different qualities of media. Consider them our Good, Better and Best.
Our Signature Paper
The standard paper that most people are familiar with when producing photographs usually has a glossy or semi-gloss finish. We prefer a paper that's described as "Lustre". The reason we call this our Signature brand is that the quality is outstanding, resulting in a print that we still consider 'Signature Worthy' and will outlast a traditional photograph many times over.
Our Fine Art Heirloom Paper
Our finest heirloom paper is Hahnemühle Fine Art Photo Rag Matte paper. It’s a 100% cotton, 308 GSM paper with a smooth surface texture and guarantees archival standards. Photo Rag meets the highest industry standards regarding density, colour gamut, colour radiation and image sharpness while preserving the special touch and feel of genuine art paper.
The Master's Gallery Canvas
Our canvas of choice was selected for it’s ability to maintain the depth of colours and tonal quality associated with our Fine Art Heirloom papers. The canvas is stretched over a hardwood frame to improve stability over various environments.
A NOTE ABOUT CANVAS
Photographic canvas is a natural fibre material, typically cotton based, and therefore is subject to environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. You may fined that the canvas will expand a little in the hot and humid summer months, but will typically contract over the winter months. This is normal and should not affect the image or wooden stretcher.