Durability

The paper that we have selected to print the artworks on this website has an outstanding quality, called museum quality. The requirements that a paper needs to comply to gain this denomination are defined in a norm (ISO 9706). One of the key strength of these papers is their durability: depending on the model of paper and how the artwork is displayed (bare, under glass, or under a UV glass), its colours can remain unchangeable decades or hundreds of years. To achieve the best quality and durability results it is also required to use pigmented inks (instead of dye-based inks), which carry fined powder of solid colorant particles suspended in a liquid. The prints using pigmented inks are called Glicée prints, which have a higher quality.

Absence of optical brightening agents (OBAs) in the artworks

The artworks on this website have not been treated with OBAs, products that are used to increase the brightness and contrast of other papers. OBAs are not recommended for printing artistic creations given that they become deteriorated faster than the inks and papers, decreasing colour permanence or life span of the artworks. Instead, we use museum quality papers with high natural brightness and contrast.

How framing affects color permanence

The permanence in the quality of the printing depends on where it is placed and how the work is framed or stored.

It is not essential, but it is advisable to frame the artworks by placing a glass or methacrylate with a filter to eliminate ultraviolet light. It is also recommended to avoid very humid environments such as a bathroom, placing on top of a radiator, in front of air conditioning exits, in aggressive atmospheres (workshops with solvents) or fixing the artwork to a rear support using a non-neutral pH adhesive.

External tests have revealed that on average, using first quality papers, the duration of an artwork exhibited without protection is multiplied by about 2 when using a normal glass, and by 4 when using a glass with UV filter.

Initial consideration

We vastly reflected on where and how to print our artworks before starting our activity.

To oursource this service to an external laboratory offered massive advantages (cost, risk, space, provisions…). 

However we also identified massive reasons to print using our own means: 

• Total quality control: instead of leaving in the hands of others to obtain the maximum quality, we have complete thorough testing, experimenting with different papers and adjustments in order to achieve the best results.
• Peace of mind by following the best printing practices: there are a series of common practices that can cause long-term defects. Following the best procedures we make sure we avoid subsequent defects. For example, respecting the drying times before framing to allow the ink glycols degassing or using neutral-pH glassine paper to store and pack up the prints.
• Total control over the artwork digital files: this factor minimizes the associated risk of unauthorized reproduction of images and possible loss of value of the limited editions.
• Speed to manage orders

So finally we decided to use our own means to produce our artworks. As a result, we have now a thorough understanding producing our artistic works, regarding printing, types of papers, subtleties of each one of them and others details. 

Printer selection:

We use a large format printer (Canon ImagePrograf PRO-6000), with 12 original pigmented ink cartridges (Lucia PRO), designed specifically for high quality photography. According to our exhaustive investigation, when we selected this printer it was the best in the market, both for the tonal reproduction (gamut), as well as for the excellent depth of the blacks (D-density), purity of the colors, smoothness of the transitions between similar tones (gradients), appearance of the bright areas and sharpness.