ARTISIMO PRINTS

The word Giclée is derived from the French verb gicler meaning “to squirt or spray”. Giclée is used to describe a fine art digital printing process combining pigment based inks with high quality archival quality paper to achieve an inkjet print of superior quality, light fastness and stability.

As with many aspects of art it all comes down to taste and preference. Photographic paper tends to have a smooth glossy surface with a sharper image whereas a print on fine art paper tends to look more like an original work of art on paper or canvas with a slightly textured surface. The difference between fine art paper and normal photographic paper lies in the composition of the paper itself. Natural fibres are included within the composition of fine art paper. The paper is not artificially bleached with chlorine, thus ensuring that the print stands the test of time. It could be said that the quality of fine art paper is more ideally suited to receiving inks and pigments with the surface layer allowing the inks to adhere well for a long lasting finish.

Each purchase is printed to order. Depending on how busy the printer is, this can take up to 5 working days. We use Royal Mail recorded delivery to deliver your print which could take a further 3 working days, so up to 8 working days, in total but we would hope to do better than this.

You will receive your print in a strong tube.

We suggest two methods, either uncurling by carefully rerolling, or by using weights. Uncurling by Rerolling Clear off a flat surface. A clean table or desk can be used to flatten the print. Provide enough space for the item to lay flat when unrolled. Slide the print out of the tube and carefully unroll across the flat surface. Usually you will need to place the item facedown. Place the tube at one end of the item and align the tube in the centre of the print. Keep in mind that you need to roll your item in the direction opposite the curl. Roll the print opposite from the way it curls. Hold the end of the item tight to the tube as you begin to roll it towards the opposite side. Work slowly and gently. Start loose and tighten the roll as you go to avoid creases. Sometimes this will be enough to flatten the print. Wrap rubber bands around the tube to keep it in place. Rubber bands are a good binder since they’re not likely to cause damage to your print. Place one around each end of the roll. Leave the roll alone for an hour. A new print will need to stay in this rolled up position for this time. A more tightly curled print may take longer. Don’t overdo it though. You don’t want your print to curl in the opposite direction! Take off the rubber bands, being careful not to squeeze the edges of the print. Lay the unrolled print flat. Adjust it so that the side it curls towards is facing up. Your item should be in a better shape. If it still curls too much, roll it up again or try flattening it with a weight. Flattening with a weight Lay the print flat. Find a spacious, out of the way area and clean it off first. Lay your item flat. Keep the curling side facedown. Typically the print is rolled so it curls inwards, that’s the side that should be facedown. Weigh down the print to flatten it further. Books are always a good choice since they distribute weight evenly over a decent amount of space. Get as many as you can to cover the print. Remember to make sure the books (or objects) are clean before you place them. Leave the weights alone for a couple of hours. It’ll take some time for the weight to be effective. Curling can take a day or more to correct when using this method. If you tried rolling the item previously, the curling may be fixed within a couple of hours with this second method.

30cm x 20cm = 12" x 8" 40cm x 30cm = 16" x 12" 50cm x 40cm = 20" x 16"

If our standard sizes are not what you would like, please contact us with your ideal print dimensions and we will ask our printer if it is possible.

Please see the information on returns in the Terms section of our website.

Unfortunately we do not yet as we are only a very small firm and do not have the resources to supply frames as well as prints. Fortunately most high streets have a framing shop and it is possible to buy frames on the internet. We do recommend that you frame your print as this will preserve its integrity.