Fine Art Archival Pigment Ink Printing Glossary
This glossary is a growing collection of terms commonly used within the Print Art studio and our wider fine art archival print practice. It serves as a reference to better understand the language, techniques, and materials that are part of our studio environment. While not a comprehensive list, it is continually updated to reflect the evolving nature of our work and shared knowledge.
Core Printing Terms
Giclée
A French term meaning “to spray,” used to describe high-quality inkjet prints
Fine Art Print
A high-quality archival inkjet print. Fine art prints prioritize color fidelity, detail, and durability, making them suitable for galleries, collectors, and museums.
Archival
Describes materials and processes designed to be long-lasting and resistant to fading, often tested for years under proper conditions.
Pigment Ink
Inks made with fine pigment particles, offering excellent fade resistance, water resistance, and color stability over time.
Inkjet Printer
A printer that sprays micro-droplets of ink onto a surface. High-end models used in fine art printing allow for stunning color fidelity and detail.
Resolution
(DPI – Dots Per Inch)
The number of dots printed in a linear inch. 300 DPI is standard for high-quality fine art prints, ensuring sharpness and detail.
Substrate
The material the artwork is printed on—typically fine art paper, canvas, or other archival-quality surfaces.
ICC Profile
A digital color map used to match colors across devices (scanner, monitor, printer), essential for accurate color reproduction.
Color Gamut
The complete range of colors a device or ink system can reproduce. A wider gamut captures more subtle tones and hues from the original image.
Paper Weight (gsm)
Grams per square meter; measures paper thickness. Heavier papers (250–350 gsm) are typically used for fine art printing.
Rag Paper
Fine art paper made from cotton fibers, valued for its texture, strength, and archival qualities. Commonly 100% cotton for museum-grade prints.
Canvas
A woven fabric (often cotton or polyester) coated for inkjet printing. Fine art canvas prints can be stretched, framed, or gallery-wrapped.
Coating
A protective finish (varnish or spray) applied to prints—especially canvas—to guard against UV damage, moisture, and abrasion.
OBA (Optical Brightening Agents)
Additives used to enhance paper whiteness. While they increase brightness, they can compromise archival stability over time.
Deckle Edge
A natural-looking, feathered edge on some fine art papers, emulating traditional handmade paper and adding a tactile, artistic feel.
Fade Resistance
The degree to which a print resists color fading. Pigment inks provide significantly higher fade resistance compared to dye-based inks.
Print Longevity
How long a print will retain its quality and color. Fine art prints can last for years if properly stored or framed behind museum grade glass.
Calibration
The process of adjusting equipment (e.g., monitors and printers) to ensure consistent and accurate color representation.
Soft Proofing
Previewing how an image will look when printed, using ICC profiles to simulate paper and ink characteristics on screen.
Matte / Baryta / Satin Finish
Surface types for papers or coatings. Matte is non-reflective; baryta is a coating to emulate traditional darkroom paper; satin offers a subtle silk-like sheen.
Print Edition
Indicates the number of prints made from a single artwork. Limited editions are often signed and numbered by the artist for authenticity.
Advanced Color & Tonal Concepts
Dynamic Range
The range between the darkest shadows and brightest highlights a printer or image can reproduce. Greater dynamic range captures more depth and realism.
Memory Colours
Common colors that viewers instinctively recognize (e.g., blue skies, green grass). Accurate reproduction of these familiar hues is crucial for a print to feel “right” or natural.
Contrast
The difference between light and dark areas in an image. High contrast creates impact; low contrast feels softer and more subtle.
Grading
The process of adjusting tones, colors, and contrast for creative or corrective purposes, often done before printing to ensure optimal appearance.
Mid-Tones
Tones between highlights and shadows, where much of the image’s detail and color reside. Accurate mid-tone rendering is essential for a balanced, natural print.
Neutrals
Colors without a strong hue, such as grays, whites, and blacks. In printing, maintaining neutral balance (no unwanted color cast) is essential for accurate tone.
Colour Cast
An unwanted tint in a print, often caused by lighting, ink, or incorrect color settings. Neutralizing color cast is key to achieving accurate results.
Shadows
The darker areas of an image. Detail retention in shadows is important for depth and realism in a print.
Specialized Printing Techniques
Piezography
A specialized black-and-white printing process using custom grayscale inks for stunning tonal range and detail, often surpassing standard methods for monochrome printing.
Darkroom
A traditional photographic workspace where prints are developed chemically from film. Giclée printing aims to emulate or exceed the tonal and aesthetic quality of darkroom prints using digital processes.
Traditional Salt Prints
One of the earliest photographic printing processes (1840s), using salt and silver nitrate to create images on paper. While largely historic, salt prints are referenced in the art world for their soft, organic tones—qualities sometimes emulated in modern giclée prints.