Description
Adirondack Monarch Meadow 2 Giclee
is a high quality Art reproduction produced to exacting printing standards.
About the original – Nature prints are hand pressed Botanical Prints, most usually featuring insects in their composition. They would most likely be considered Monoprints, as not only is each print an original individual image, it cannot be editioned like an etching or lithograph. The paper used is typically heavyweight Etching paper, “antiqued” by staining with coffee, with various botanicals inked and hand printed onto the paper. The insect wings are then also inked and hand pressed to create a print of their delicate pattern, the insect body is added, and the botanical(s) are hand tinted with colored washes, as is the background of the piece. Because Nature Prints are closely related to the concept of direct printed Gyotaku, the artist signs these with the Kanji for his Japanese artist name, Mutsugoroh, and then adds his “Red Seal” or chop.
What is a Giclee’ reproduction ? – Derived from the French, the word giclee’ is generally perceived to mean “sprayed ink”. In 1985, a large format color inkjet printer was introduced by Iris Graphics, used for pre-press proofing and for final output digital printing for the fine art reproduction market. The mechanics of this system, using continuous flow ink systems and micro ink head jets to spray the ink produced a continuous tone, dot free output. This represented a departure from the previous standard high quality four color photolithograph reproductions that resulted in microscopically definable rosette dot patterns in the finished piece. This was a visually amazing advance that brought reproductions to a much closer point of representation of the original artwork.
Eventually, Iris printers were superseded by Epson and other large format printers who addressed concerns about handling heavy paper stock and ink longevity. The word “Giclee” was coined to replace earlier references to Iris prints.
True Giclee’ reproductions hold to higher standards possible today, including use of a higher range of ink color divisions, high resolution digital source files and output printing resolution, heavyweight archival quality paper substrate, and use of pigmented inks with improved longevity properties.
The Reproduction – Your Giclee reproduction print was made with some of the best quality materials and techniques available to insure long lived enjoyment of your image. Stormtree Studio’s Giclee’ reproductions are printed on Epson brand Ultrasmooth Fine Art Paper, 325 g/m3 in weight. The paper is not only acid, lignin, and chlorine-free, it is also pH-buffered with calcium carbonate for long-term archival stability. The inks used on your reproduction are Epson brand Ultrachrome K3 inks, with expected color longevity in excess of 50 years. The primary digital scans of the original art work were made at 1200 PPI or higher. The reproductions are created at a DPI output of 600 or better, to ensure good continuous tone results in the final Giclee’.
Care for your reproduction – although the materials used in creating the print are archival in nature, it is best not to hang the print in direct sunlight to prevent fading. Avoid hanging your artwork above heat sources like fireplaces and wood stoves. Avoid touching the front of the print. Handle the print by the edges, as with a photograph. Use only archival framing materials, either acid free or pH buffered matte boards and backing boards. Frame with at least one Matte board in front of the image, and do not allow the print to contact the glazing of the frame
