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Printing Authentic Digital art for Professional Artist

rawjahprintshop

rawjahprintshop

New Member
Hey guys, a really cool thing ive been doing just the past week since we tried it, and they liked it... But I am printing a Professional Artists artwork drawn from Procreate, Onto my regular Substance Icon 3755 digital media (all i have at the moment but thats my question)
which is what i use for my stickers etc with a laminate on my stickers as well, but this artist came to my house, saw the prints and was like, "Holy sh*t, dude thats sick if you wanna work together this could be a nice revenue source."

SO , basically after just talking in general, doing other sample prints and such, What kind of material would be best for me to be printing on if these arent for stickers and for just Giant Art prints?

Im sure there is a specific vinyl of some sort specific to highlight the most out of a drawing or artists work.

May I hear what you guys recommend?
And, any setup secrets from you experts I might be able to change to make it look even just that Tad better? Do we always hit it with something in photoshop to bring the best out of the pic (i dont use PS, never learned it, but i sure would if it helps anything!)
thanks in advance guys, I cant wait to hear what you have to say!!
 
G

GaSouthpaw

Profane and profane accessories.
My opinion, but vinyl isn't a good media for a "Professional Artists artwork". I would look into some fine art paper or wall cover.
Fine art media would (normally) require individual prints on a flatbed. Printing on a nice wall cover and mounting on wooden art frames also gives a very nice product when stretched and mounted properly.
As for using Photoshop (or any other program) to be "able to change to make it look even just that Tad better"- don't. It's their art. It looks like it does because that's what they want it to look like. If you're worried that your printer doesn't make an accurate reproduction, print a sample and have them approve it.
 
rawjahprintshop

rawjahprintshop

New Member
GaSouthpaw said:
My opinion, but vinyl isn't a good media for a "Professional Artists artwork". I would look into some fine art paper or wall cover.
Fine art media would (normally) require individual prints on a flatbed. Printing on a nice wall cover and mounting on wooden art frames also gives a very nice product when stretched and mounted properly.
As for using Photoshop (or any other program) to be "able to change to make it look even just that Tad better"- don't. It's their art. It looks like it does because that's what they want it to look like. If you're worried that your printer doesn't make an accurate reproduction, print a sample and have them approve it.
Click to expand...
ok So I guess my message didn’t come across clearly but it’s a weekold and we didn’t know I could do anything similar to so, so we were excited. Plus 1.

plus 2- asking, what would be a good material to print on other than my standard sticker material….. as asked. Clearly sticker vinyl is the absolute worst, but, when your going to an anime show AND YOUR PRINTS SELL FOR 15k and we wanted to print sample size 10 inch designs, and it came three days later, we used what I had…. Sorry you wanna rain on my parade lol.. and yes, the IDEAL WOULD BE PRINTING THEM ON A FLATBED, BUT GUESS what! We own a nice printer in our already business, so why not use what we got when he already loves the results, right!?

as the print production guy, that’s why I came on here to ask about a better vinyl or media than printing on my sticker media, but clearly you already missed that part. Also, if you’re not mad at not deciphering text correctly already haha, do you know of a fine art paper that is a 30 inch roll, similar to say a 30 inch roll of vinyl. do they not make what I’m asking for? A roll of “fine art paper”, to print art onto? I just think the message needed to be read a little clearer that’s all
 
Geneva Olson

Geneva Olson

Expert Storyteller
Not sure what kind of printer you have but hp has fine art paper. not vinyl, but photo paper. I don't know if you want stickers or not, but that's available. FireSprint.com might be able to point you in the right direction...>?
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
I believe you want to use an aqueous type printer with the correct media. Hopefully 'bob' from earth will join in as he is very familiar with this kinda stuff.
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
rawjahprintshop said:
ok So I guess my message didn’t come across clearly but it’s a weekold and we didn’t know I could do anything similar to so, so we were excited. Plus 1.

plus 2- asking, what would be a good material to print on other than my standard sticker material….. as asked. Clearly sticker vinyl is the absolute worst, but, when your going to an anime show AND YOUR PRINTS SELL FOR 15k and we wanted to print sample size 10 inch designs, and it came three days later, we used what I had…. Sorry you wanna rain on my parade lol.. and yes, the IDEAL WOULD BE PRINTING THEM ON A FLATBED, BUT GUESS what! We own a nice printer in our already business, so why not use what we got when he already loves the results, right!?

as the print production guy, that’s why I came on here to ask about a better vinyl or media than printing on my sticker media, but clearly you already missed that part. Also, if you’re not mad at not deciphering text correctly already haha, do you know of a fine art paper that is a 30 inch roll, similar to say a 30 inch roll of vinyl. do they not make what I’m asking for? A roll of “fine art paper”, to print art onto? I just think the message needed to be read a little clearer that’s all
Click to expand...
:snarky:
 
H

Humble PM

Mostly tolerates architects
I run this stuff day in, day out for artists.
Pigment prints onto art paper, using an aqueous printer (12 channels). Arches 88 Awagami Kozo, Canson Edition Etching Rag, Canson Platine Rag, Canson Prestige Baryta, Hahnemuhle Photorag, Hahnemuhle Bamboo, Hahnemuhle Rice Paper, to name but a few. Available in 17", 24", (some) 36", 44", (some) 60". Never sen 30" on any of the fine art materials. You could get a 60' and take a chop saw to it. Here is a link to a 36" x 39' roll...

If you're looking to produce $15k prints, I'd suggest getting the right machine for the job. You can pick up a new 44" from Canon, Epson, or HP for 1/3rd of the sales sticker for one print. Chuck in another k for materials, another couple of k for for your profiling and calibration kit, and you're on your way.
 
J

Jim Hancock

Old School Technician
First, I admire your willingness to venture into a whole different area of the printing world.

Agree 100% with Humble PM. Spent a few years doing Giclee printing, starting with the Iris 3047, then on to early aqueous Roland FJ's with hexachrome pigment inks, then on to Canon and Epson printers with aqueous pigment inks. Did a lot of research on the technical aspects and industry standards for fine art printing. This is a good source for technical information - http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ . The focus of the fine art printing world is very different than the sign world. Fine art focuses on color accuracy and longevity, meaning pigment inks and acid free papers that last for many years, as in 50 to 100 years, as well as the artistic impact of the printing media surface, meaning matte, glossy, textured, canvas, etc. Anything lasting more than 6-7 years in the sign trade is considered lucky. Anyone paying 15k for a fine art print expects it to last for generations, not less than 10 years. And you must use pigment inks, never dye inks. Do your research, as doing it wrong in the beginning can give you a bad rep that will take a while to overcome. Artists talk to each other about their print suppliers. The 2 big players are Epson and Canon for printers and, as Humble PM listed, many paper manufacturers. You can get a 44" Canon for under 5K and a 44" Epson for under $6500. And these are printers have up to 12 colors, which depending upon the model, could have some combination of the following - orange, green, red, blue or violet, in addition to the standard light black, light light black, light magenta and light cyan, while your Roland is just CMYK.

The use of Photoshop or any image editing software in reproducing fine art isn't to make it look a "tad better", unless the artist wants that. The real purpose is to modify the file to compensate for how the RIP interprets the image colors, so the printer output matches the original file or physical image. And the same file may print slightly differently on a Canon than it will on an Epson. You can get by with the Roland with the right paper, but it won't pass the requirements of fine art. Not trying to "rain on your parade", just food for thought from someone who was in the business for quite a few years. Get it right and it can become a very good revenue stream. Do what you can with what you have now, but reinvest in the right equipment as quickly as possible.

FYI, GaSouthpaw didn't mis-interpret your request, he pointed you in the best direction. :)
 
G

GamecockGrafx

New Member
rawjahprintshop said:
ok So I guess my message didn’t come across clearly but it’s a weekold and we didn’t know I could do anything similar to so, so we were excited. Plus 1.

plus 2- asking, what would be a good material to print on other than my standard sticker material….. as asked. Clearly sticker vinyl is the absolute worst, but, when your going to an anime show AND YOUR PRINTS SELL FOR 15k and we wanted to print sample size 10 inch designs, and it came three days later, we used what I had…. Sorry you wanna rain on my parade lol.. and yes, the IDEAL WOULD BE PRINTING THEM ON A FLATBED, BUT GUESS what! We own a nice printer in our already business, so why not use what we got when he already loves the results, right!?

as the print production guy, that’s why I came on here to ask about a better vinyl or media than printing on my sticker media, but clearly you already missed that part. Also, if you’re not mad at not deciphering text correctly already haha, do you know of a fine art paper that is a 30 inch roll, similar to say a 30 inch roll of vinyl. do they not make what I’m asking for? A roll of “fine art paper”, to print art onto? I just think the message needed to be read a little clearer that’s all
Click to expand...
It's not the cheapest vinyl, but Phototex EXS is some great stuff - its removable and restickable too - like a "Fathead." What I really like about it is the texture - it feels almost like a fabric with some texture. I print with latex and love it - nice score with the artist - sounds cool.
 
N

netsol

Premium Subscriber
you still haven’t even mentioned what printer, ink type or ink set you have.
you will learn that different media yield acceptable results with different ink types.
you are probably running a CMYK (4 color) printer.
fine for stickers.
grimco has offices in 48 states so you can open an account with them, have a salesman appointed & start the discussion with them about what ”fine art paper” they can recommend that is compatible with your printer.
they have the resources to cut whatever you buy down to 30”.

This should be able to give “acceptable” results for your client to start printing his portfolio.
when he has a sale you can have it printed on proper media, on a proper, calibrated printer.
your client will certainly not be taken Seriously showing cmyk prints on vinyl

take a look, for instance, at inkjetmall.com to get an idea what you are looking at getting involved in

DO NOT invest in a roll of premium paper & cut it down to 30 inch only to discover that the paper is incompatible with your printer. You will find it won’t even be an acceptable eBay item.
 
N

netsol

Premium Subscriber
EVEN BEFORE doing any of the above, try printing a greyscale test print or stair step

Grayscale Color Test Page | Color Test Page

colortest.page colortest.page
this willl give you an idea of the limitations of your printer
NO ONE is so talented an artist that people will be buying prints of his work without blacks that are truly black,
greys that are grey & a reasonably full color space

HUMBLE PM mentions a whole range of papers, but, step is determin8ng what will give acceptable print quality with your printer.
harborsales.net has a policy of providing a practically unlimited quantity of samples.
ttheybare very helpful on the phone, but, they are in Maryland.
 
bob

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Gino is correct, I do this sort of thing all of the time. I use either 100% rag paper and/or canvas. The actual brand of paper depends on how much snob appeal you're seeking. I'm currently wrangling an old Mutoh 1204 48" eco-solvent printer. I seldom load anything more than 30" media but, on occasion, have done some 40"x whatever canvas prints. Just make sure that whatever media you choose is printable with whatever ink you're squirting. My upper limit on the short side of any canvas print is ~40" since with the stretcher bars I make it takes 3 1/2" all around to properly stretch them. Paper prints are generally a lot smaller, I print them on 30" rag paper generally with multiple prints nested. I leave 1/2" all around for these prints. Whatever you do don't ever use photo paper, vinyl, or banner material. That reeks of 2nd class work at best. Likewise, for canvas don't use 5/8" - 3/4" Hobby Lobby flavor stretcher bars. You can buy 1" - 1 1/2" stretcher bars but they're rather pricey. I make my own from PVC brick mold or wooden 5/4 stair tread material. The 5/4 stair tread is cheaper.
 
N

netsol

Premium Subscriber
bob said:
Gino is correct, I do this sort of thing all of the time. I use either 100% rag paper and/or canvas. The actual brand of paper depends on how much snob appeal you're seeking. I'm currently wrangling an old Mutoh 1204 48" eco-solvent printer. I seldom load anything more than 30" media but, on occasion, have done some 40"x whatever canvas prints. Just make sure that whatever media you choose is printable with whatever ink you're squirting. My upper limit on the short side of any canvas print is ~40" since with the stretcher bars I make it takes 3 1/2" all around to properly stretch them. Paper prints are generally a lot smaller, I print them on 30" rag paper generally with multiple prints nested. I leave 1/2" all around for these prints. Whatever you do don't ever use photo paper, vinyl, or banner material. That reeks of 2nd class work at best. Likewise, for canvas don't use 5/8" - 3/4" Hobby Lobby flavor stretcher bars. You can buy 1" - 1 1/2" stretcher bars but they're rather pricey. I make my own from PVC brick mold or wooden 5/4 stair tread material. The 5/4 stair tread is cheaper.
Click to expand...
Bob, you get acceptable quality with CMYK ?

i consider my Epson ultrachrome K3 vivid magenta rig to be a poor consolation prize these days. so i suppose OP can get by at the low end of this market if he calibrates, builds profiles etc?
 
H

Humble PM

Mostly tolerates architects
When folks insist on gicleé prints, the quote goes up 20%, to pay for the time it takes me to hunt out my french keyboard, and stop muttering about the various colloquial meaninings of giccle.
/rant
 
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