“Fine Art” vs. Any Other Print

If you are new to art collecting you should review this page before you do anything else. Why? Because there are some basic concepts that you need to get your head around before you start spending serious money on “Fine Art” photography or collectable reproductions of paintings. This is not a comprehensive guide, but it will help you to make informed decisions about what you are buying. Let’s get started.

Definitions

Let’s start with some basic definitions of terms that are frequently used when looking at fine art prints.

Giclée (gi·clée) – A process by which high-quality prints are produced using an ink-jet printer.

Fine Art Paper – High quality acid free archival paper used for art reproductions. It is often cotton based and thicker than standard papers.

Gelatin Silver Print – A photographic process used in black-and-white film and paper using a coating of silver salts and gelatin to create a light sensitive material that creates an image when exposed to light and then put through a chemical process. Also known as “Silver-Halide.”

GSM – “Grams per Square Meter” is how print buyers and suppliers know the quality of the paper they are using. GSM refers to the weight of the paper which translates to thickness. The higher the number the thicker the paper. Most fine art papers range from 260-380 GSM.

Cellulose – Natural fibers from plants or trees used in the making of paper. Cotton is the most pure form of cellulose and is widely used in the production of fine art papers. 

Putting it Together

There are many ways to apply an image to paper or canvas. You can use the traditional four color press, lithography, silver gelatin, laser jet, inkjet, dye-sub, paint, pen, and pencil. All of these methods are good for various applications, but when looking at collectable art that has been reproduced from an original painting or photograph you need to be discerning.

The two things that matter the most are the quality/accuracy of the reproduction and the longevity of the materials. Lithographs can be amazing and are often considered original works of art in themselves. Silver gelatin prints can be old or new, are often seen in works by well known historically relevant photographers, and is considered by some to be the premier way to reproduce black-and-white photographs. Using inkjet printers to reproduce art has been around since the late 1980’s, but the term Giclée was coined by printmaker Jack Duganne in 1991. Let’s take a look at the criteria for a Giclée fine art print.