For years I have been asked by friends, collectors and others about the availability of reproductions of my paintings. It can be quite expensive to have a painting reproduced using the photo-lithographic process. Not only is the expense a consideration, the process leaves a lot to be desired in most instances. Ideally the artist should be present during the proofing phase and can make suggestions for color corrections on the spot with the printer face to face.
My wife Wanda has Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. I am her primary care-giver and traveling to a distant location to work with a printer is not a possibility. It would present too great a hardship for both Wanda and myself given our circumstances. Also, to do a reproduction justice, it would probably require several days of work with a quality printer.
Giclée
The term giclée originated in 1991 with Jack Duganne who coined the term to refer to fine art prints created with digital output. It was intended to be a word which would be added to the lexicon of printmaking terms in the vocabulary of fine art printmaking. It's derivation comes from the word "gicleur," the french word for "nozzle." Gicler is the french verb "to spray" (as from a nozzle) and thus the direct object of the "spraying nozzle" would be giclée as most digital printers today use nozzles to direct ink onto a substrate. The main intention of the word giclée was to distinguish "fine art prints" from those created for non-art or commercial purposes.
To date, most giclées have been made with Iris inkjet technology. However, recently introduced alternative inkjet technologies are also producing beautiful results. The term Giclée has evolved into a broader term describing a high quality digital print produced from a wide variety of printer manufacturers. ( from the International Association of Fine Art Digital Printers - link no longer available)
The Printer
I had long dreamed of the possibility of technology someday providing me with the means of doing my own reproductions here at Sleepy Hollow Studio. That day finally arrived in the summer of 2000. Epson introduced their Epson Stylus 2000P printer which for the first time made it economically possible for an artist to consider doing reproductions in the studio. The 2000P is a 6 color, variable droplet, 1440 x 720 dpi, 7 picoliter inkjet printer that is capable of printing up to Super A3 size (13" x 19" and 13" x 44" in panoramic mode). The most important features of this printer are its use of Epson's new pigmented inksets (having claimed longevity of up to 100 years when properly stored and presented) and its ability to handle ICC/ICM profiles.
This printer is not designed to take the place of a general use inkjet printer! It is designed to do archival photographs and fine art reproductions - not word processing. Also, the ink cartridges and media are not inexpensive. Therefore one should not expect it to be one's only printer.
Scanning
Finding this printer was only part of the process. My next hurdle was to find out how to digitize my paintings in order to print them in the first place. Through several email listserves I was able to contact individuals who were scanning watercolors using traditional flatbed scanners. After many emails I was finally able to master the process, using Adobe Photoshop, of stitching several individual scanned images into one single image without the evidence of unsightly seams. Let me say here that this is a time consuming and tedious process which can try your patience. Watercolors are easily handled on a small flatbed scanner but paintings in other media will probably necessitate contacting a professional photographer or a publisher with a large format scanner. The thing I find appealing about scanning the paintings myself is the fact that I have total control over the entire process. I have the originals on hand for comparison and can assure myself that the resulting scans are done correctly. The paintings are scanned at 360 dpi and the resulting files are edited in Photoshop and archived on CDs.
System Calibration
Another important part of the process is system color calibration. I have a friend who is a professional color landscape and nature photographer. He introduced me to a profiling software program by Monaco Systems called Monaco EZcolor. This software allows you to create custom profiles for all of the devices in your system in order to have them work in concert together to provide accurate color. Each device, monitor, scanner and printer can have a custom profile created for use with Photoshop in order to make reproductions that in many cases are difficult to distinguish from the original paintings.
There are several different profiling packages on the market. I use Monaco's based on my friend's recommendation and it has performed flawlessly for me. This is not rocket science but it does involve a good deal of time and effort and the instructions must be followed closely no matter what software you are using. I have no financial connection to Monaco Systems, Epson or Adobe - I am simply a satisfied customer.
As for media, I use Epson's Archival Matte and Radiant White Watercolor papers with excellent results.
The 2000P is no speed demon. The process takes about 1/2 hour per reproduction. That doesn't present any problem for me as I am not printing in large quantities. The real beauty of this system is that it is a print-on-demand process. There is no need for an artist or photographer to do large numbers of prints in advance and then be faced with the problem of storage. I simply print a small inventory to work from and then when needed I have another printing session to resupply my inventory until I reach the limits of an edition.
The image quality is extraordinary as far as I'm concerned. Due to the variable droplet technology and 7 picoliter droplet size the individual dots are virtually indistinguishable even when using an 8x loupe. As for color, I couldn't ask for more. The blacks are as dark as Higgin's Ink and the colors are vivid and rich.
My Present System:
Apple Power Macintosh Quad G5
Mac OS 10.4.2 - Mac OS 9.2.2
2.5 GB RAM
Apple 23" Cinema Display
Epson Expression 1600 scanner
Adobe Photoshop CS
Monaco EZcolor v. 2.6.1
Certificate of Authenticity
A Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each reproduction which includes the following disclosure:
1. The name of the artist;
2. The year the plate, negative or digital file was created;
3. The year the reproduction was created;
4. The process used to create the master image;
5. The process used to create the reproduction;
6. Whether the reproduction is part of a limited edition;
7. If a limited edition then the maximum number of numbered or signed reproductions. or both, in the edition;
8. The authorized maximum number of unnumbered or unsigned reproductions, or both, in the edition;
9. Any authorized number of artist's, publisher's, printer's, or other proofs, exclusive of trial proofs, outside the regular edition;
10. The total number of prints, either numbered or unnumbered, in the edition;
11. Whether the plate, negative or digital file has been destroyed, effaced, altered, defaced, or cancelled after the current edition;
12. If there were any prior plates, negatives or digital files of the same master image, the total number of plates, negatives or digital files
and a designation of the plate, negative or digital file from which the reproduction was taken;
13. If there were any prior or later editions from the same plate, negative or digital file, the series number of the edition of which the
reproduction is a part, and the aggregate size of all other editions;
14. Whether the print was published as a book illustration or in a magazine article;
15. Whether the edition is a posthumous edition or a restrike, and, if it is, whether the plate, negative or digital file has been reworked;
16. The name of any workshop where the edition was printed and
17. Whether the print has been printed on acid-free paper.
A few words about Prints and Reproductions
I have tried to make every effort to distinguish my reproductions from what are called original prints. The reproductions I make are just that - reproductions of my original paintings done using the above-mentioned equipment to the best of my ability. I am very proud of my results and highly recommend them to anyone wishing to own a quality reproduction of my paintings. In no way do I wish to imply that these reproductions are original prints!
Their value is derived from the fact that they are high quality giclée images and are produced as limited editions. When the editions are complete there will be no additional same sized images produced. I do however reserve the right to create editions in the future, either limited or open, of the same images at larger or smaller physical sizes.
An original print can be defined by different people in many different ways. For me original prints are defined as etchings, stone lithographs, woodcuts, screen prints, etc.. They are original in the sense that the process used to create them in the first place is integral to their existence. In other words, without the printing process used to create them, they wouldn't exist. The book Printmaking Today by Jules Heller was my first text for a printmaking course at Appalachian State University. In the book Heller queries: "What is a fine print? It is a multiple-original work of art on paper which comes into direct contact with a stone, plate, wood block, or silk screen that was worked upon by the artist - and which was personally controlled, in many instances, throughout the entire printing of the edition."
Additionally I would have to place photographs and certain digital images in the original print category whether they are done using standard darkroom techniques or a digital process. The film or digital file act as the vehicle for the image much the same as a stone or metal plate in stone lithography and etching. With the recent advancements realized through various technological developments we must, out of necessity, plan to make room for other possible original print processes which will surely make their appearance in the future.