Artists FAQs - Fine Art Giclee printing

We know that artists will have lots of questions when choosing a company to print and distribute their art work. We have put together the following Artists FAQs which cover some questions relating to the printing process and materials used in producing high quality prints for retail.

 

What printers will be used to print my work?

The word Giclée (“g-clay”), is derived from the French verb gicler meaning “to squirt or spray”.  The term is widely used to describe modern high resolution digital printing that uses 12 ink colours.  Athena use latest technology Canon printers and their unique 12-colour professional LUCIA pigment-ink, producing an impressively broad colour gamut.

The precision high speed print heads use a micro vapour lay down to satisfy the most demanding professionals, achieving a maximum print resolution of 2400 x 1200 dpi.  The print heads operate with the equivalent of over 30000 nozzles.  The image is colour corrected to attain the closest match to the original work with the digital information being fine-tuned to the type of media surface. 

 

What inks will be used for my art prints?

Ink used in most printers is either dye-based or pigment-based. Our Canon LUCIA range uses both technologies: pigment-inks combine the glossiness of dye ink with the vivid colours and weather resistance of pigment ink.

The LUCIA system increases the colour reproduction range by up to 20% by using more vivid pigments for all 12 colours and using pigments with a variety of particle diameters.  LUCIA technology also incorporates a dark black to meet the needs of professional photographers.

The LUCIA pigment inks can last approx. 80 years on display behind glass (light fastness) and 50-years without the glass (gas fastness).

 

What paper do you use for printing?

Athena use a middle weight 240gsm matt coated paper as our standard media. It is a proven, smooth, bright white paper that is ArtSure approved by the Fine Art Guild.  It has a quick dry surface and is ideal for giclée work with excellent colour reproduction, outstanding contrast and high resolution with perfect compatibility with our specialist Canon inks.