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Archive 2015 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?

  
 
thebeginning
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


So I'm looking to start printing some of my landscape and fine art photos, for myself and family and friends, and possibly to sell in the future.

I want something that's going to look incredible and last for ages, and also something noticeably more 'fine' than the basic prints from mpix pro / whcc / etc. Somewhat like switching from thin RC paper to thick Oriental Fibre for the first time (for you film geeks).


Any suggestions on paper type, printer type, specific labs, etc?





Apr 22, 2015 at 12:36 AM
plateaulight
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


Nevada Art Printers.
Laumont
West Coast Imaging
I am obviously biased though.

It's much more than the papers though. Think of it as the whole collective process.



Apr 22, 2015 at 12:49 AM
thebeginning
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


plateaulight wrote:
Nevada Art Printers.
Laumont
West Coast Imaging
I am obviously biased though.

It's much more than the papers though. Think of it as the whole collective process.



What steps specifically do you mean? Like sizing/sampling, sharpening for print, adjusting tones for print, etc? Then type of printer and ink as well? I'm definitely a newb at this - all I've done in the past is edit it until I thought it looked good on raw, sharpened as a jpg and did detailed retouching as necessary, then just sent it off to a Millers or WHCC for a normal print. How should I begin approaching this?


I want to make really nice quality prints - but I'm sure there are people that get far more hardcore about it than I need to. I know the PPA / WPPI / etc print competitions get pretty insane.



Apr 22, 2015 at 01:29 AM
kdphotography
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


As you are alluding to in a roundabout way, fine art printing is not a simple "push-the-button" proposition. There are many good printing resources that you can draw from, but nothing beats actual experience and immersing yourself into the process---if you wish to print on your own.

Fine art printing can be very personally subjective particularly when considering the type of fine art media that you wish to use. I am a fine art printer and have chosen to use only higher quality fine art papers, with the goal of producing prints/artwork that are not as easily accessible through typical pro-labs. For example, I do offer Canson Rag Photographique, which is exceptional and not widely available primarily because its expense cuts into the bottom line. I like the tactile feel of nice papers, and I find that is a part of what defines a fine art print.

I'd start by narrowing your choices down to the types of prints you want to offer. For example, if you would like to use a nice matte fine art cotton paper, that will help to narrow your choices. You can see some of the fine art papers that I offer for clients at www.carmelfineartprinting.com

Other printing options such as K7 B&W Piezography may also make your prints "more fine" than basic prints. Yup---I do that too.

www.carmelfineartprinting.com


Edited on May 11, 2015 at 08:30 AM · View previous versions



Apr 22, 2015 at 08:40 AM
Bernie
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


You might want to look for an updated version of "Mastering Digital Printing" by Harald Johnson ( ~400 pages). Mine is from 2005; some things have changed since then.

Rather than the recipe approach, one needs some background as to what consititues fine art printing as opposed to the rest since it can be very subjective as kdphotography mentioned.

Visit museums and fine art galleries to see what appeals to you. Find a lab that caters to your tastes or get a printer capable of museum quality prints. Finding the right lab can be tough.

An excellent lab also isn't going to be cheap. If you want them to do final PP, it's going to be even more expensive. Eventually I wanted the control and immediate feedback needed for multiple proofs and got my own printer.

Whichever route you take, you will find that fine art printing is an art...

Edited on Apr 22, 2015 at 12:07 PM · View previous versions



Apr 22, 2015 at 09:11 AM
Neddie Seagoon
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


Best. Now there's a subjective term if ever there was.

I can only relate my experiance with essentially the same question. What I did was to find a fine print lab here in town. I happen to live in a place that has quite a few very high quality print labs, but there must be at least one near you. Go there and ask your questions. Show them what you want to print, look at their sample prints and papers then dive in. I found the guys I went to extremely helpful and ended up buying 6 prints on 6 different papers. I found the different papers complimented the different subjects and tones. It wasn't cheap, but I learned so much and got some really nice prints that it was well worth it.



Apr 22, 2015 at 11:06 AM
Jman13
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


I'm assuming you want to start printing on your own (which is what it sounds like to me, but if I'm wrong, then sorry).

I started getting into printing for myself about 6 months ago, and it's been awesome. However, I will echo the above: it's extremely personal. Monitor calibration and proper printer/paper profiles are essential, but most important is finding what looks right for each print, for you.

What I'd recommend is find a printer that fits your print size needs, of course, and go from there. The biggest thing, in my opinion (again, only 6 months of real printing experience, but I've made over 100 prints in that timeframe), is finding papers that fit your personal taste and what you have in mind for the image. There are huge varieties of papers, with unique characters and different feel, dmax, color vibrance, whiteness, surface texture and gloss, etc. I got a bunch of sample packs from major paper makers and just tried them out. Those I didn't like were very apparent to me. It took some trial and error on my part, and even a new way of thinking, as I generally dislike most matte papers, so it took some time to find a few that I liked (and now, I absolutely LOVE a good print on Rag Photographique).

I print the majority of my work on 3 papers now: Canson Rag Photographique, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl and Canson Platine Fibre Rag. I print a bit on Red River San Gabriel Baryta as well. However, those may be nothing like what you're looking for, as every photographer likes different stuff. Some of the most popular papers are pretty 'meh' to me, but some that I like are poor to others. Finding which prints work well on which paper can take some trial and error as well, but printing is so personal that you really just need to dive in and figure it out as you go.

Good luck!



Apr 22, 2015 at 11:51 AM
thebeginning
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


Thanks so much for the info everyone! That's super helpful.

I was originally going to use a lab, but I may move into printing myself if I can afford it.

What should I expect/look for in high-quality printer? How much should I be willing to spend if I want to print, say, 24x36" prints (I may want to go even larger)?



May 08, 2015 at 06:06 PM
John Caldwell
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


Large format printing is no less an art than recording your images is an art. Based on what you've said, I lean towards your paying a master printer to print for you rather than your printing yourself. Even engaging another experienced printing consultant will likely take a fair amount of investment of your money and your time, to refine the methods that produce what you're looking for.

Your becoming an informed large format printer will take substantial time and money - and by money I don't mean purchasing the printer. The cost of a new printer, while non-neglible in most books, is not where the money goes.

I do not wish to discourage your learning to print properly. It's a great area. But there is a long learning curve, and lots of money is needed at the ready to waste paper, ink, and most of all, to "waste" time.

Drop in on the Luminous Landscape printing forum, and you'll get a feel for the number of Gatcha's that even very experienced people deal with. You'll probably find someone there who might be interested to print for you as well.

Best of luck with this.

John Caldwell




May 08, 2015 at 06:29 PM
Shutterbug2006
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


I started seriously printing my own stuff in 2007 when I picked up a new z3100 44" photo printer for half price. The learning curve is huge, but immensely satisfying in the end.

If you don't plan on printing regularly, you'd be better off getting it done commercially.




May 11, 2015 at 12:29 AM
msoomro
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


tag


May 14, 2015 at 10:21 PM
Mr Joe
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · BEST Quality Prints for Fine Art Work?


Uwe Steinmuller's book on fine art printing is worth reading: http://www.amazon.com/Fine-Art-Printing-Photographers-Exhibition/dp/1937538249/ref=dp_ob_title_bk


May 15, 2015 at 07:26 AM





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