Buy 2 Prints, Get 1 Free

Affordable, adorable and ready-to-frame! A perfect gift for a nature enthusiast. All prints are buy two, get one free. 

Free print must be of equal or lesser value. Purchase two prints on Etsy, then in the note to seller during check out, let me know what print you want for free. Promotion ends December 13, 2013.

"Lenten Rose No. 1"  $30 on Etsy 

"Sprouts No. 2" $10 on Etsy

"Sprouts No. 4" $10 on Etsy

"Summer Glow" $20 on Etsy

"Summer Weeds" $20 on Etsy

Giclée Prints Part 3: Paper

There are seemingly endless varieties of giclée substrates to print on: watercolor and photo paper, canvas, adhesive paper, fabric, signage material such as vinyl and backlight media. There are many important factors to consider when choosing a substrate.

Not all substrates are equal. Many brands sell similar substrates in various levels of quality and use terms such as "museum quality" or "artist grade". Every type of substrate should provide a specifications sheet. This sheet should list a brief description of the substrate, its applications and proper conditions of use and storage. You should also find a list of the technical specifications. This list may or may not include: weight, thickness, surface finish, whiteness, opacity, OBA content, pH-Value, acid free, water resistance, rag content and/or calcium carbonate buffered.

Paper Weight and Thickness

Paper weight is often confused with paper thickness. In reality, paper weight is density or volume and is measured in grams per square meter (gsm). Paper thickness is measured in thousandths of an inch. 

When choosing a paper consider the weight/thickness for handling purposes. A lighter paper will crimp more easily. On the other hand, check your printer's specifications for the maximum paper weight in order to avoid paper jams and printhead issues.

Paper Finish

Surface finish is a matter of preference and is different with every substrate. Many paper companies sell letter-size sample sheets. This is a good investment.

Optical Brighteners

Optical brightener agents (OBA) make paper look bright white and they can be great for punching bright colors, but OBAs can cause premature yellowing. Substrates can have varying amounts of OBAs. If possible, avoid OBAs.

Acid Content

If you want your print to last, choose a paper that is 100% rag. Paper that is 100% rag is made of cotton, opposed to wood pulp, which may have a high concentration of acid.

The substrate you print on should also be acid-free. Your specifications sheet might tell the pH-value, which if neutral, should be between 7 and 9.5. Calcium carbonate is sometimes added during the paper making process to make the paper pH-neutral. It has the added effect of neutralizing other acids in the environment that may cause the paper to become acidic over time.

Printer and Paper Compatibility

You may have found the perfect substrate, but don’t bother using it if it isn't compatible with your printer. It is important to do your research before ever testing the first sheet. Not only is compatibility important for optimal longevity and print quality, but for the life of your printer. If you put a substrate in your machine it isn’t meant to have, you could ruin your printheads and/or spray ink all over the inside of your printer.

Up next, Part 4 Digital Files & Photography.

Part 2: Printer & Ink

Part 1: A Great Giclée

Bittersweet No. 1 (detail) 

Lenten Rose No. 1 (detail) 

Moments (detail)

Inspiration for a New Painting

My husband spends hours in the yard pulling weeds. This one was too pretty for the waste bin.

A Swell Holiday Market

This Saturday 5 - 9 pm, Swell Gallery will be open with a variety of crafty goodness. A wide variety of handmade items are available from over 20 artists, including myself. Items include jewelry, gift tags, ornaments, traditional artwork, clothing/aprons, fairy houses, teacup plants and bags, not to mention the best soy candles ever made, fantastic mid century vintage items and much more. 

"Moments", $85 available at Swell Gallery. Photo by Swell Gallery.

Click photo for sneak peak of exhibit. Photos by Swell Gallery 

The Natural World at Swell Gallery

I am proud to be part of the awesome line up of artists for The Natural World, the next exhibit at Swell Gallery. Opens March 10, 5 - 9 pm and Thursdays and Saturdays 2 - 6 pm through March 30.  

Jennifer Hines  - ink and pencil drawings - botanical and abstract

Kristina Knowski  - watercolor - birds

Robert Lait  - oil on canvas - rivers and trees

Maggie Puckett - mixed media, bookmaking

Kim Hoffman  - collage and paintings - silhouette botanicals

Debbie Beller - photography - butterflies and flowers

Kari McDonald (The Paper Button) - printmaking and jewelry - vintage buttons

Kristen Gosselin (Red Peacock Designs) - jewelry - deconstructed watches

Cindy Kennedy - photography - landscapes

Laura Krause -  photography - wild animals

nikki hollander (duck and cover shop) - jewelry and paintings - vintage inspired

Turn off the Lights for Earth Hour

At 8:30 PM tonight turn off your nights and light a candle, snuggle under the covers, take a swim or play among the trees for Earth Hour. Celebrate nature! Fun things to during Earth Hour Etsy treasury.

Lightcatcher, soft glowing d... Jabulanishop $28.00	The Weather was Nice, We Sle... groundwork $30.00
Turn Off The Lights. Vintage... forever500fran... $15.00	nuit 1 aliette $25.00
If you go into the woods tod... irenesuchocki $35.00	pixel votive holder- made wi... colorstorydesi... $19.00
Night Swim kikiandpolly $20.00	Above the Trees - 11 x 17 Pr... swanbones $29.00
Mystic Collection - Necklace... ThePeachTree $77.00	Midnight, print CathyMcMurray $20.00
The Hold Steady - Original s... cricketpress $20.00	Birch bark log Tea light hol... dchampin $48.99
Mia - Eco Friendly Dress - M... threadhead $375.00	Just Around Midnight - Fine ... buckscountyfra... $30.00
Full Moon Journal Diary Sket... jhalbleib $25.00	night flight - embroidered d... marysgranddaug... $250.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Celebrate Earth Hour on Etsy

Today at 8:30 PM, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour. This Etsy treasury is all eco-friendly items in honor of Earth Hour.

Cashmere Oatmeal Thistle - R... thejunebride $14.50	Peace on Earth- vintage glob... soradesigns $28.50
AID for JAPAN - 100 Favors -... sofiart $110.00	Pretty Birdie's Hemp Sil... stephanieteagu... $385.00
Tarnished Spoons, Hampden Pa... FalconandFinch $10.00	vintage SINGLE CARVED ROSE p... JohannaVintage $28.00
Organic Cotton Hobo Bag ----... retrofied $68.00	Coco-Cafe Sugar Creme - Orga... SpaGoddess $4.25
Reduce Reuse Recycle On Drye... zJayne $12.75	small snow forest basket PrintParty $39.00
Packing Light - limited edit... groundwork $30.00	Jacklyn2 - Soy & Organic cot... PyxusPassionPr... $78.00
Reclaimed pillowcase lapomme $48.00	BONJOUR French Book Wreath f... SimpleJoysPape... $40.00
10 Magical Acorn Cake Topper... Fairyfolk $25.00	50 sheets Recycled Kraft Tis... GreenEarthSupp... $4.50

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Do Something Nice Today

I'm not easy to cook for. Many foods give me migraines and most others I choose not to eat because I'm a vegetarian, and on top of all that sometimes I'm just picky. Whenever someone cooks for me, I warn them not to bother, and if they take on the challenge, I am impressed. Our friends Eric and Kara love to cook and invited us for dinner tonight. We're bringing some kind of fancy beer but we bring fancy beer everywhere, so I wanted to really thank them with a little something extra. Flowers are so conventional and easy. They are spending so much time and energy on a special meal, so I made them this little painting and titled after them.

"eric and kara" 4"x4"

While making this collage today, I thought about how lucky I am to have the option to be picky in my food choices, to have leisure time to be creative and have the freedom to write whatever I want on this blog.

Japan Disaster Relief Donation

All proceeds from the purchase of this $20 print will be donated to the Red Cross for Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami Relief. Please help today.

$20 EUCALYPTUS 8x10 Botanical Print

Giclée Prints Part 2: Printer and Ink

Giclée is a high-quality archival inkjet print. Printers vary in dot size, and inks vary in longevity. Be careful because even the best printer can be run at a more economical setting resulting in a soft and dull print. The key is to ask a lot of questions if you're buying prints, and provide a lot of information if you're selling prints. 

 

Ink Type

Inkjet printers use either dye or pigment ink. When giclée printers were first used to make fine art prints, they used dye-based inks that were able to print a small dot size and wide color gamut on uncoated paper. Dyes are absorbed into the paper and are considered archival because in the right conditions they can last 50 years or more. Five years ago some debated that dye based inks were the best. Today the color range in pigments has now surpassed dyes and the added longevity now makes them a far better choice than dyes. Pigments require a coated paper stock that is compatible with the printer. The right combination of paper, printer and inks will produce a print that will last up to 200 years if stored and displayed properly.

In an attempt to save money, some printmakers have switched out the manufacturer’s inks for a third-party’s low-cost cartridge-refilling system, usually sold in bulk amounts. Ink in bulk can get old and clog print heads, affecting printer performance. Some photographers switch out colored inks for black and gray tones, when looking for a true black and white photograph.

Print Permanence Ratings

Wilhelm Imaging Research evaluates print permanence ratings (or longevity) for nearly every printer. Before buying a printer or investing in a print run, check out the testing done by Wilhelm. Luminous Landscape is also known for comprehensive reviews of printers. More print permanence information is available on the  DP & I website.

Dot Size

You've probably heard of DPI (dot per inch), which refers to density, or the amount of dots per inch. DPI can change based on the printer settings. The printer also has an actual dot size that is measured in picoliters (1 picolitre (pl) = 0.000000000001 liter) that cannot be changed. Some printers use variable size ink droplets, meaning that various inks will print with different drop sizes. Smaller dot sizes result in finer detail, smoother gradients and less graininess. Five years ago a 6 pl dot was considered small. Today’s printers have dots as small as 1.5 pl. Some will argue that anything smaller than 3 pl cannot make a difference in print quality.

Printer Settings and Color Profiles

Dot size will mean nothing if the printer is not used to its highest capability. There are various print modes, such as "normal" and "best", in the print dialog box that control the density of ink. Bi-directional printing, another option in the printer dialog, means the printer will lay down ink in both directions. Bi-directional can save time, but in some cases can decrease quality and put extra stress on the printer.

The right color profile in the printer settings is one of the most important things to get right. Printers like the HP Designjet Z3200 allow the user to make and install their own custom profiles. If you don’t have a printer like this you will have to use a spectrometer and other expensive color measurement equipment to make a profile unique to your printer, paper and environment. If this is beyond your means, most paper suppliers provide profiles they have made. Color profiles are complicated and can be hard to understand. Just remember that everything has its own profile and in order to get a good print you need to ensure they all work together - your monitor, Photoshop, the image, the paper and the printer.

You can have the smallest dot size and greatest longevity, but printer and ink are only part of what it takes to make a great print. In Part 3, I will discuss paper and other substrates. 

Giclée Prints Part 1: A Great Giclée

Giclée Prints Part 3: Paper and Other Substrates