Return of the Limited Edition (Was it ever gone?)

One of the things I have observed lately is the trend back to producing limited edition reproductions. This is a trend that fell way out of favour in the 90s due to the unethical production by some publishers of outrageous numbers of offset prints marketed to the uneducated public as having investment value.
However the LE has never really gone away. Artists and small publishers of quality art prints have long realized the value of a signed and numbered exclusive edition of reproductions. There is only ever one original. It is highly unlikely that an artist - no matter how skilled - would be able (or want to) exactly duplicate a painting. Therefore, if it is a popular image - a small edition of reproductions allows more people to purchase a copy of that image while not taking away from the value and uniqueness of the original.
The rise of the giclee market offers outstanding opportunities for artists to do that in small quantities and keeping investment to a minimum.
I see this trend continuing and unfortunately probably will see the same cycle of exploitation in the marketplace at some point as well. However, quality and integrity will always be in style!

REPRODUCTION GLUT AND ON-DEMAND

With today’s technology there is no longer a need for “reproduction glut”. I believe that one of the things that will set apart the western world’s art market will be our use of technology to reduce the glut of paper and terrible use of resources that has been the norm in this market.

More is no longer better. The resources are out there for fine artists who wish to reproduce their work to do so in a controlled and quality manner using top quality, archival materials and sustainable processes. These processes are also available to publishers and distributors. The key now is education for both the artist and publisher and the art buyer.

Will prices go up? Probably! However the value in prices increasing is that it will reduce the amount of work on the market that is not up to standard and not work that is in demand. Yet it will still allow for niche markets and specialty reproductions.

To speak practically – if you are an artist with a following for your work and cannot produce originals fast enough or your prices have put you out of reach of many of your buyers – then reproductions of your work may be a natural outgrowth of that circumstance. You may decide on a run of giclee prints or some note cards. In either case, the past temptation has been to find a printer and get the “best price”. Traditionally this has meant that the “more you print – the lower the price”. This is strictly due to the cost of preparation for printing using many of the traditional print methods such as offset.

There is still a cost of preparation for any reproduction and that needs to be considered. However the barrier to entry in this field is now much more accessible due to the new printing methods available from digital and on-demand print houses.

An artist could conceivably have 5 prints made that are top quality and can sell at market rates with good profit to the artist on those first 5 prints – and not break the bank getting them done.

There is lots of info available on this subject on line and you can find some of it right here at MatShop.

Image courtesy of Mark Hobson and Island Art Publishers - All Rights Reserved

Giclee's on Paper

I would like to encourage artists who are deciding to print giclee's of their work to do some serious research in regard to the paper they choose.

One false economy that I see constantly is the desire to use an inexpensive paper in the hope that it will save money - after all something priced at $2.50 per square foot will cost a lot less for a print than something at $9.00 per square foot.

However, the differences are often much more than price. Each paper used in the giclee print process is coated to maximize image transfer and reproduction. Lower end papers were primarily made to print signs and banners and although on the surface they may produce a pleasant print - you will certainly see the difference when printing on a true fine art sheet.

Additionally there is the longevity and of the sheet to consider along with simply matching the paper to your work. For example, watercolour paintings reproduce best on a paper that simulates watercolour paper that you paint on - including the colour of the paper. If the paper you print on has a similar background colour to the colour of your painting sheet, you will suffer through less colour corrections and problems in printing.

There is so much information about papers, giclee printing and colour that this is not a good place to provide all of it - so here are only a few links to further information.

What is a giclee?

What paper to use?

Search the web and you will find a myriad of companies who will offer good information on what they use to print with and why. You will find some common brands coming forward over and over such as Hahnemhule, Epson, Strathmore, Arches, Intellicoat and more. This is not a recommendation of one brand over another - but good papers get used more often because they are reliable.

Here is a link to a printer in Florida with good Giclee information.

Papers for Giclee

Also check out the articles on the V-Groove website.

Giclee Defined

The art business is full of buzzwords that are used by clever marketers to provide comfort to the public that the piece of reproduction art they are acquiring has the value to justify the price. One of those words today is "Giclee". Just the sound of this french term has many a customer reaching for his checkbook. I wonder if people would play as much if they simply referred to the piece as an "ink-jet" print?

While marketing is important in selling anything - including art, one of the things that frustrates me the most is not only the attempt to oversell something but the expectations that this places on everyone involved from the artist, printer, publisher and buyer.

What really is a "Giclee". I decided to re-print a definition that I have used to explain this print form below:

GICLEE PRINTS - GICLEE PRINTING

The Definition : Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French word "giclée" is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt".

The Term : The term "giclée print" connotates an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are high resolution digital scans printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclée printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction. As for quality, the giclée print now rivals many traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries. Numerous examples of giclée prints can be found in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and other public galleries. In addition, many artists today are using this technique to allow them to produce reproductions in small quantities.

The Advantages : Giclée prints (sometimes mistakenly referred to as an Iris print which is a 4-Color ink-jet printer line pioneered in the late 1970s by Iris Graphics) are advantageous to artists who do not find it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce their art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost - the prohibitive up-front cost of mass production for an edition is eliminated. Another tremendous advantage of giclée printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client. These digital images will not deteriorate in quality such as negatives and film because the information is archived digitally.

The Process : Giclée prints are created typically using high-end 8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Among the manufacturers of these printers are vanguards such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, & Hewlett-Packard. These modern technology printers are capable of producing incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets.

In the end - a print is still a print! However, a good reproduction made with quality in mind will showcase the artist's talent and provide a great copy of a great original. As for pricing - Giclee's may cost more to make per print but the cost is still well within reach for most people while many artist's originals are not.

What Happened to Art Reproductions?

As I travel and visit stores, galleries and frame shops, I am wondering - what happened to quality art reproductions. The world was crazy about great posters, Limited Edition prints, and small reproductions of all kinds.

Now "decorator" prints are found in Walmart and Home Depot, galleries and frame shops struggle to sell reproductions of fine art and ebay is crammed with people trying to sell work that no longer seems to have value.

Giclee prints - just another form of reproduction, albeit of great quality and often very faithful to the original, greeting cards and gift items form the bulk of reproductions available almost everywhere.

On one hand the world has returned to buying good quality original work - even from relatively unknown artists through the power of the internet and that is a Great Thing! But it does ask the question about where reproductions are headed. I would love to hear what both artists and collectors think the future holds.

I for one think that there will always be some market, but it certainly is changing and quality, the artist's reputation and style of work will bear a major part. More thoughts to come, I am sure........