Thick Fine Art Prints

[Ulrike Dweck]

I have some thick 5x7 fine art paper that I want to print on using my pro-1000. I am unsure of whether to use the top or rear feed, as it is supposedly too small for the rear feed but the top feed isn't supposed to handle thick fine art paper. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

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I actually apply two pieces of tape to this sheet of paper before I roll the print, so that I can just feed it in as you see in the video. Trying to roll this around and tape it without doing this can cause you to lose your grip on the rolled print, and it starts to open up and sometimes needs to be rolled again, and I like to avoid that.

Some prints fit perfectly into the tubes, and some have a little play. If there is much play between the ends of the print and the tube caps I make a little padded bung by rolling strips of bubble wrap and then taping them to hold it all together, and place one of these at one or both ends of the tube. A few millimeters of play is fine, but if the print can travel far inside the tube it will bang against the plastic cap potentially damaging it, so I like to prevent this.

Thanks very much Martin
I have a 1913 print that I will be shipping in a few weeks. In the meantime,I think ill mail a rolled 1913 to myself as a test to see what the process feels like and then improve on the real deal.

Hi Martin. Very informative and helpful post. One question I have is will I be able to roll matte papers which are cut sheet and not coming off a roll? Are you using roll based prints which already have that natural roll as they come off the printer? Thanks again for the informative article.

Whenever I can get a tube long enough, I prefer to roll the print by the long side, as your husband suggests. For very large prints this is sometimes not possible, and it works fine, but I do prefer to roll as little as possible.

Hi im looking to ship 3 prints in one tube. Do you think it is possible in rolled form? I have options of 230gsm vs 400gsm. I think it may be hard to do that for 400gsm, seems like 230gsm can be rolled (not sure how many in one tube) while 400gsm may be better to be shipped flat than rolled. What do you think?

Also, note that when rolling prints together, you need to have an interleaving sheet between each of them, although this can be very thin interleaving paper, like soft tissue or tracing paper, but it should also be archival quality if possible. Here is what I mean on the University Products website:

400 gsm is quite stiff, so it might be better to ship it flat, but again, trying to roll a print and feeling how much resistance you get is the only way to really tell. Some paper is just more flexible than others, depending on its physical makeup.

Thank you for the valuable information on this video. I am new to print making and I was wondering if I could use tracing paper (wax paper) or Tyvek instead of canon coated paper to protect my print. Also, I would like to ask what other paper options I may have aside from canon coated paper if it is not recommended to use wax paper or Tyvek, please. Thank you.

Of course, when choosing the right paper, personal preference is paramount. It depends entirely upon the look and feel you want to achieve with your print. But in this guide we will help you navigate the important properties to consider and terminology to understand in order to choose the right paper for your print.

Alpha-cellulose is a high grade wood pulp made from trees. They are matte papers that have been refined to remove acid and lignin. This paper is usually used for fine art prints. It is often less expensive and has a sturdier feel than cotton rag. Alpha-cellulose provides a sturdy, durable paper.

Cotton rag paper are usually higher grade with fantastic strength and durability. It's made from cotton linters or cotton rags, or a combination of the two. They are great for fine art reproductions as the texture really emulates the appearance of an original work. They can also add great depth and character to photographic prints.

RC, otherwise known as 'resin coated' papers traditionally refers to wet processed photographs. Historically, laminate was added on both sides of the sheet to reduce processing times. RC today extends to inkjet photo papers. In this case, alpha cellulose based papers are encased in plastic polyethene, usually coated with microporous inkjet receptive emulsion. They allow for a glossy, satin, lustre or pearl surfaces and are fairly scuff resistant. We also offer a metallic coated paper which had a multi-laminate base that provides durable prints. The metallic coat offers a 3D-like finish and accurate flesh tones.

Paper weight is measured in gsm which stands for 'grams per square meter'. The weight of the paper isn't something you need to worry about too much. All of our fine art papers and photo print papers are a suitable weight for professional printing.

Generally however, artists prefer a heavier paper as it offers rigidity and a more substantial feel. A heavier gsm is also preferable if you are creating a large print for display as it is easier to mount.

110-140gsm is the weight typical of most traditional poster papers. It's sturdy enough to withstand a little wear and tear but too thin for a fine art print. Think flyers and posters.

310-400gsm is a much thicker, card-like paper. This is the weight you'd likely feel for greetings cards and wedding invitations. The highest gsm we offer across our photo and fine art paper is 315gsm. This is for a premium, heavyweight paper that offers the look and feel of original artwork.

It is however worth considering how your print will be displayed. Generally, smooth textured substrates will look better when exhibited under glass than highly textured papers. Smooth paper also allows for excellent detail and contrast.

A print with more texture feels pleasant when handled and can help enhance image depth and reality. Certain textures suite particular art reproductions. For example our Cold Press Watercolour Paper has a look and feel similar to etching paper.

All of our fine art papers have a matte finish. Matte finish papers have a smooth and natural looking surface without the sheen that comes with a glossy paper. Even matte papers described as 'smooth' will have a slightly grainy texture compared to a gloss paper.

Glossy paper generally has a smooth, reflective surface created by a resin coating. Glossy finishes are great for bringing out contrast, detail and radiant colour in your image. The smooth, shiny surface allows for pin-sharp detail.

A glossy finish is popular for posters and consumer photographs. Bear in mind that if you are displaying your image on glossy paper you may have trouble with glare at certain angles. It also has less resistance to fingerprints than a matte finish which may be a problem if your print will be handled.

Lower or cream whites absorb the blue light. They tend to work better for yellow based and lighter toned images. Softer, lighter tones may be washed out by a high-brightness paper. Images of natural settings also tend to favour warmer paper because colours appear more natural.

Higher or 'bright' white tones reflect blue light and tend to be more vibrant. The whiter the paper, the higher the contrast in colours and therefore you get a richer colour gamut. Colour gamut refers to the entire range of colours and tones achievable by an imaging system. Bright white papers tend to be favored by photographers for their deep blacks and great dynamic range.

NB C-type papers are not measured by their whiteness as paper changes as it goes through chemistry. However, silver halide C-type paper offers vivid colour reproduction and brilliant whites.

Gicle is French for "sprayed ink". Today, the term is used to describe a sophisticated inket printmaking process which creates the highest quality fine art reproductions. Gicle printing offers extra-fine image resolution, helping retain a higher degree of detail from the original fine art or photographic images.

The archival nature of the print varies according to the type of inks used, as well as the archival properties of your chosen paper and the conditions in which the print is displayed or stored. Current scientific opinion is that our recommended papers and gicle printing process will produce a print that lasts between 100 and 200 years in good conditions.

C-type printing is a traditional photographic print method that uses the latest LED technology to expose your image onto silver halide paper, before going through a conventional chemical developing process.

C-type photographs also offer archival quality, vivid colour reproduction, distinct highlight details and brilliant whites. Generally photographers use C-type prints while illustrators and artists favour gicle prints.

The smooth, matte, natural paper offers a fantastic base for fine art and photographic reproduction. It has excellent durability and contains no optical brightening agent (OBA) that can damage the longevity of the print.

Our global range of products can easily be located in the manual order form by typing "GLOBAL" into the search. The following shortcut will give you our global fine art prints which are all made from our EMA paper: GLOBAL-FAP.

At Prodigi, printing is at the heart of everything we do and every product we create. Each substrate is individually profiled for our printers, ensuring fantastically accurate and consistent reproduction.

I'm SO excited to show you guys the difference that paper can make when printing art at home. Forget dropshipping, forget Staples, quality paper can really make all the difference in the world when printing art at home! Not to mention, if you print from home, the amount of cost you can cut down is actually mind-blowing.

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