In an article in the Art World News, Gary Kerr of Fine Art Impressions provides excellent advice for Choosing the Right Fine Art Giclée Printmaker. He cautions that finding the right printmaking requires artists to do some research because “The quality of giclée printmaking varies as much as the art itself.”

Fine Art Impressions is so committed to quality in every step of the process that they can truthfully promote their work as museum-quality giclées. They have done work for the Louvre in Paris, and often make prints for artists who have sold originals for $50,000 and more. The most expensive original Fine Art Impressions has reproduced to date was valued at $800,000.

In his article on choosing the right printmaker, Kerr emphasizes that “First and foremost, the shop you choose should handle the digitizing of your art in-house, offering specific expertise in techniques for lighting and capturing original art properly. The accuracy of the process to digitize your art will determine 90% of the quality achieved in the final print.”

In a sidebar, he lists the 10 warning signs of an inferior giclée.

• Blurred or soft image focus.
• Poor image delineation or sharpness.
• Overexposed highlight detail or underexposed shadow detail.
• Pixel artifacts: jpeg compression, poor scan quality, pixel noise.
• “Halo” outlines or improper/excessive image sharpening.
• Poor color rendition or “fake” looking colors, flat, or lifeless colors.
• Printer malfunctions: banding, streaking, or other misprint patterns.
• No texture, detail, or nuance in the print.
• Lack of a UV coating on canvas prints.
• Color cast, poor gray balance, or odd tint.

In a story to be published in the next issue of LexJet’s In Focus newsletter, Kerr says “Fine Art Impressions is here to replicate art so accurately that no one knows that it isn’t the original. We want to enable the joy of owning art without the financial commitment or in-depth knowledge involved with collecting original art.”

He uses a music analogy to remind artists that not everyone with access to better cameras and printers is equally skilled at the craft of printmaking: “Remember, the music is in the pianist, not the piano.” He takes great pride in the craftsmanship of the work at Fine Art Impressions and is committed to client satisfaction: “We invest the time it takes to make the best possible print for our artists.”

You can read more about Fine Art Impressions by visiting: www.fineartgiclee.com. A copy of Gary Kerr’s article on Choosing the Right Fine Art Printmaker can be downloaded from that site.