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HOW TO
PRINT A
PERFECT
GICLÉE
BY
KAUAI’S PRINTMAKER, LLC.
WWW.KAUAIPRINTMAKER.COM
Copyright © Kauai’s Printmaker 2008
is document is intended solely for the use of persons visiting our web site and can not be reproduced
or distributed in any way by any form or manner without written permission from the authors. e only
exception is for teachers who wish to distribute this document to their students. In this case, teachers
and educators are free to download and print only as many copies as are needed by their classes. Manufacturers, distributors, educators and other art professionals are free to link to this document from their
web site(s)
Kauai’s Printmaker is a Limited Liability Company operating as a partnership between omas Niblick
and Debborrah Gia, who are the authors of this document.
Kauai’s Printmaker
4365 Kukui Grove Street
Suites 105 & 106
Lihue, HI 96766
808-245-7203
www.kauaiprintmaker.com
Aloha
is little PDF booklet is designed to help artists, gallery owners, museum staffs and aspiring
printmakers make perfect giclée reproductions.
While perfection may seem a lofty goal, let’s define
our standards. In this case our aim is to be able to
hang our finished giclée beside the original with the
average person casually looking at the two not being
able to see a significant difference.
Of course, close examination will show the
brush strokes of the original and a long studied
comparison will show certain minor color differences between the giclée and the original due to
those few colors that are beyond the ability of current technology to reproduce. But unless someone
takes the time to study and compare both original
and giclée, a good giclée should be able to pass for
an original. is is our goal.
You will not find a lot of theory in this short
piece. ere are many books available that will explain the workings of Photoshop, color management
and photography. We assume that you have some
working knowledge of these subjects. is is more of
a how to with simple A, B, C illustrated steps.
Printers and printmakers are very traditional
and adhere to the old apprentice, journeyman, master system. Here, you apprentice for a few years and
learn the basics of the trade. When you know enough
to be valuable, you either are promoted from within
or you move on to another shop to learn how they
practice their craft. en, after 25 years in the trade,
you have earned the title master printmaker.
In some ways, this is a journeyman’s crash
course. You have come into a master printmaker’s
studio on a small island in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean. You will earn how we do things here. We, in
turn, will show you the things we have learned from
both 40 years of our own experience and what we
have learned at the hands of many master printers
and printmakers. Sure, giclée printmaking is a new
technology. But art reproduction is a time honored
endeavour. We now, however, apply the latest technology to basics developed over hundreds of years.
We use a pair of Epson 9800 printers in our studio. While you may get the same results from other
brands such as Roland, Canon or HP, we use Epsons
because they are proven workhorses in a production
environment. If you are using another brand, you
will find that some of the controls are slightly different. Just make that mental adjustment.
We also use several Macs running various versions of Photoshop. If you see controls or menus
different than the ones you are accustomed to, you’ll
have to make that adjustment as well.
You will also notice that we are not running a
RIP. While we have used many RIPs over the years,
we feel that the current Epson drivers are quite good
and that the benefits gained by using a RIP were just
not worth either a new purchase or an upgrade. is
is a personal choice based on the work we do and the
needs of our clients. Many printmakers would never
even consider not running a RIP.
Lastly, we use a BetterLight Super 6K scanback.
We also have a PhaseOne scanback as a backup. We
use the BetterLight because it offers the highest resolution and the greatest dynamic range of any method of capture. is is very important in reproducing
oil paintings as reflections can only be completely
removed using cross polarization techniques, which
tend to be extremely contrasty. Scanbacks are quite
expensive however, and you may opt for a medium
format camera or a DSLR. If so, you will need to
investigate multiple exposure techniques.
Find the Center Point
In order to print a perfect giclée, you must start with
a high quality capture. is is a perfectly exposed,
high resolution file in which the art is clearly focused and absolutely square – that is, all sides of the
art are parallel to each other.
Perfect exposure is simply a matter of even lighting and giving enough exposure that the highlights
retain the finest details seen in the original art while
the shadows hold all of their detail. You can use any
camera you have available, though some are more
suited to the task than others. Professionals use
special scanbacks mounted on 4x5 cameras because
this equipment offers the greatest resolution and dynamic range. Using Camera Raw to double process
files or High Dynamic Range (HDR) and tonemapping software, makes it possible to work with
medium resolution DSLRs and achieve acceptable
results. Files from 10 to 24 MB cameras will need to
be interpolated up in order to print large giclées, but
with care, and the use of software such as Alien Skin
BlowUp, prints up to 24x36 should be possible. e
equipment you use depends on your quality requirements and budget.
Scanbacks are expensive and a good copy setup
can cost more than a new car, but if you aspire to be
a professional printmaker, you will need the proper
tools of the trade. If, on the other hand, you are
shooting your own art, then a good DSLR and the
right software should help get your editions started.
Getting square is achieved by simply leveling the
art and the camera. It is easy to put a bubble level on
the art and on the back of the camera, but getting
the sides square takes a few tricks.
Assuming your easel is in the center of your wall
and that your wall is square and level, start by finding and marking the center of your easel. is is the
point where everything revolves. In our studio, the
center is 44 inches from the floor. Every painting
copied will be centered on this center point.
Notice that our studio walls are painted a neutral gray. is helps reduce reflections and provides a
quick and easy gray balance. e
easel is painted black for similar
reasons.
Measure from the wall to wall
to find the center point. Mark
this with a piece of masking tape.
Repeat this several times down
the length of the room. Connect
these tape marks with a single line
of tape. You now have a center
line. e camera’s lens will always
sight down this line.
Now set the height of your
tripod so that the center of the
camera’s lens is exactly the height
of your center point (44 inches).
Make sure the camera is level! Reset the tripod’s height if necessary.
Measure the spread of the
tripod’s legs. In this case, it is 24
inches. Measure out 12 inches
(half the width of the tripod leg
spread) to both sides of the center
tape line. Mark with pieces of
tape. Connect the pieces of tape
with solid lines of tape. You will
now have three lines of tape that
run down the length of your studio floor. e tripod legs will go
on these lines.
Place the tripod on the tape
lines. If you are using a monorail
4x5 camera, make sure both ends
of the rail line up with the center
tape line. As long as you don’t
change the height of your tripod,
whenever you move your tripod
along these lines, your camera will
always be square to your easel.
Carefully zero out all of your
camera’s swing and tilt controls.
Most view and technical cameras
click into their zero positions.
While many are clearly marked,
don’t completely trust these
markings. Some older cameras
have been dropped or otherwise
abused. Standards can get twisted
and warped. ese defects will
not only give you problems with
perspective but can also result in
uneven focus. If you find that
your paintings are sharp in the
center but one corner is always a
bit soft, then you can be sure one
of your standards or your lensboard has been damaged
Put a carpenter’s bubble level
on both the front and rear standard and, if off, use the camera’s
controls to square the camera.
Replace warped lens boards or
the camera if it is impossible to
square the camera. If you are using a medium format camera or
DSLR, check both the lens and
the camera back with a level.
Measure from the center of the lens to the floor. Set
your camera’s height to the center point.
Measure the spread of the tripod’s legs.
Use masking tape to mark the leg positions.
Connect the tape marks.
Measure the art.
Place the art on the easel so that the center of the art is on the center point.
easel
tripod tracks
light
camera
e object of lighting a work of art for reproduction is to create an exactly even field of illumination
across the painting. Start by squaring your camera
room. If, for example, your room is 15 feet wide by
20 feet long, place a piece of masking tape at 15 feet
along both the right and left hand walls. Now run a
tape line from the center of your easil to your tape
marks. Your lights can be placed anywhere along
these lines.
To get perfectly even lighting, start by aiming the center of each light towards the center of
the easel. Place a large sheet of foamcore on the
easel. Make a trial exposure (prescan). With your
light
software’s eyedropper or a spot meter, measure the
light across the foamcore. It should not vary by
more than 5 points or 1/6 of a F stop. If the center
of the board reads more than the edges, turn the
lights outward towards the edges of the foamcore.
Test again. Continue moving the lights until you
have even lighting across the foamcore.
Once you have found this perfect placement,
mark the tapeline so you can repeat this placement.
You will also want to sight down the side of your
lights and either mark or make a mental note of the
place on your easel where the edge of your lights
line up.
Tape shows where to place and angle the light.
Polarizing filter on a North Light 900w HID bank.
Lights, Camera…
Cross polarization the only technique which can
completely remove reflections. Here, polarizing filters are placed over the lights and a polarizing filter is
placed over the lens. e filter over the lens is slowly
turned until all reflections disappear. e dynamic
range will be reduced but a good camera profile can
compensate for this loss. Here, scanbacks have an advantage with their extremely wide dynamic range.
is technique requires a lot of light. Our 900
watt North Light HID lights are the equivalent of
3600 watts of tungsten or quartz illumination. Even
still, exposures often run 15 minutes at F11. Turning
up the ISO or sensitivity of the sensor would reduce
this time, however higher ISO settings increase noise
in the shadows.
e North Light HID lights are more than
twice as bright as studio quality fluorescent such as
those manufactured by Lowel. Both, however can
be used to copy art. Lower intensity lights can be
moved closer to the art in order to reduce exposure
time. is will reduce the maximum size of the art
that can be shot. Using 900 watt North Light HID
lights, we can shoot 48x72 inch art with even light
at normal 15 minute exposure times. Switching to
220 watt Lowel fluorescent, maximum size drops to
24x36 and times can run 30 minutes.
Studio strobes can also be used with DSLRs.
Four polarized 600 watt second flashes will cover
48x72 art, but will require multiple pops to afford
F11 exposures.
Tungsten and quartz-iodide lights should be
avoided due the heat these light generate. Heat is neither good for the art nor for the camera’s sensor. With
CCD sensors, heat can create high levels of noise.
Enlarged detail of painting without cross polarization.
Enlarged detail of painting with cross polarization.
Focus using a magnifier.
Set the F-stop and replace the polarizing filter.
Insert the scanback.
Prescan. Check the histogram, gray balance and, if
everything is okay, expose.
Film
While it may seem that digital capture has taken
over the printmaking world, there are still a few
advantages in shooting film. Film can be considerably less expensive. e 4x5 outfit pictured above
can be purchased second hand for less than $1,000.
Additionally, film scanners capable of producing
high quality 300-500 MB files from a sheet of 4x5
film can be purchased for as little as $500. at is
considerably less than the $10,000 – $20,000 you
will spend on a scanback, or the $10,000 – $35,000
you will spend on a medium format digital camera,
or even the $3,000 – $8,000 you will spend on a
quality DSLR.
If you process your own film or have access to a
good lab, you will be able to overexpose your transparencies and have them slightly underdeveloped.
is will result in lower contrast films with more detail in the shadow areas, important when using cross
polarization lighting which tends to be extremely
contrasty. Combined with a good profile, the results
can rival scanback quality.
As a storage medium, film is no more expensive
than an archival quality CD. When processing is
added, film is no more expensive than an archival
quality DVD. At $1 per sheet for 4x5 film and another $1.50 for processing, using a 1/2 stop exposure
bracket, shooting a painting incurs a $7.50 materials
expense.
e main drawback to shooting film is the time
lost in processing and scanning. Hours or even days
go by between exposure and proofing. is time may
be critical when a painting has been sold and needs to
be shipped. When this occurs, proofs are compared
to visual memories and not the actual art.
We shoot film when the art is too large to fit inside our studio. Transporting a Linhof and a case of
strobes is far easier than HID lights and computers.
Exposures are quicker as well.
Processing the Capture
e key to making accurate reproductions is found
in setting the highlight, shadow and midtone
points and hitting a good gray balance. If you get
those things right, you’re 90% of the way to accurate color. Pioneered by Kodak, this system has
been in use for generations in the printing and
prepress industries. Simple and effective, the three
aim point system gives you complete control over
the final print. Moreover, a consistent workflow
reduces waste and saves money.
e Kodak Q-13 or larger Q-14 gray scales
contain “A” (highlight), “M” (midtone), and “B”
(shadow) patches. ese patches have known density values and can be used to fine tune your file to
the final print. OP cards serve the same function.
e first step is to set the highlight. Open
curves: Image>Adjust>Curves. Double click on the
right hand eyedropper. A second menu will open.
In the RGB settings, set the highlight. You can use
235 to 255. Settings around 235 retain all of the
highlight detail but can look a bit flat. A slight Sshape adjustment to the curve can later be applied
to pop the highlights while retaining detail. Use
235-240 when the art contains important highlight information, such as clouds or white dresses.
Settings of 255 tend to blow out highlight detail
but can add extra snap to dark subjects. A setting
of 240-245 is safe for most subjects.
Once you have made the highlight setting,
click OK or hit return (enter on PC). en take
the eyedropper and click it in the white box of OP
card or in the “A” patch of your Kodak Q-13 or Q14 Color Separation Guide.
Other guides can also be used. Scales popular
with printmakers are the GretagMacbeth ColorCheckers. A word of caution however, the white
patch of a GretagMacbeth ColorChecker tends to
be slightly yellow and, if used, will result in blue
highlights. On the other hand, the center white
patch of the ColorChecker DC is very accurate.
Use curves to fine tune digital captures.
Set the highlight at 235 to 255.
Click the highlight eyedropper in the white box.
e second step is to set the shadow or black point.
Again open curves: Image>Adjust>Curves. Double
click on the left hand eyedropper. A second menu
will open. In the RGB settings, set the shadow. You
can use 40 to 0. Settings around 40 retain all of the
shadow detail but can look a bit flat. Again, a future
S-shape adjustment to the curve can be used to pop
the shadows. Alternately, black can be added to
black in the selective color menu to retain shadow
detail while enhancing color and contrast.
Setting the shadow at 0 will intensify color and
contrast but tends to obscure important shadow
detail. Using a RGB setting of 30 seems to provide
sufficient detail in the shadows without over saturating colors and is a good starting point.
e shadow point used will differ depending
on your choice of black ink and canvas. Matte
black ink used on a micro porous matte canvas
will require a higher aim point than glossy canvas
used with photo black ink. While print profiles
minimize this difference, they cannot completely
compensate for the loss of shadow detail. Test your
settings!
Kodak’s Q-13 and Q-14 guides use a slightly
lighter shadow target. e “B” patch reads about
15-18 points lighter than pure black and often
gives more control over shadow details. Setting the
B patch at 30-35 usually yields rich but detailed
shadows.
Once you have made the shadow setting, click
OK or hit return (enter on PC). en take the eyedropper and click it in the black box of OP card
or in the “B” patch of your Kodak Q-13 or Q-14
Color Separation Guide.
Hint: watch the color of the gray box. If it is
obviously too red or green or blue, click again in
another area of the black box until the gray looks
neutral. is will keep your shadow colors accurate. To keep your controls consistant, replace
your guides every 6 months. Dyes, inks and photo
papers fade under exposure to bright lights.
Use curves to set the black point.
Set the shadow at 40 to 0.
Click the shadow eyedropper in the black box.
e third step is to set the midtone or gray balance.
Again open curves: Image>Adjust>Curves. Double
click on the middle eyedropper. A second menu
will open. In the RGB settings, set the midtone.
Use the default 128 setting. is is the halfway
point between 255 and 0 and will yield a middle
gray.
Once you have made the midtone setting, click
OK or hit return (enter on PC). en take the
eyedropper and click it in the gray box of OP card
or in the “M” patch of your Kodak Q-13 or Q-14
Color Separation Guide.
Again, watch the color of the gray box. If it is
obviously too red or green or blue, click again in
another area of the gray box until the gray looks
neutral. is will keep your colors accurate.
e midtone is the swing point for the tone
curve. You can raise the midtone setting in curves
to lighten the image overall without sacrificing
highlight details. You can also lighten this setting
while lowering the shadow setting to expand the
3/4 tones. You can lower the midtone setting for
slightly more color saturation.
You can determine which numbers (aim points)
work best for your canvas/ink/printer/varnish combination by printing a small version of a file with
gray scales at various settings. We find that 245/
128/30 works best in our studio using matte black
ink on a micro porous matte canvas with three coats
of a semigloss varnish. You may need 250/128/15 if
you are printing on glossy canvas with photo black
ink, or some other ink/canvas combination.
Test! Print a known file with the gray scales attached. Check to see if the shadows and highlights
contain all of the detail in the original file. Check
the prints against the original art. e differences
will be very subtle, but the prints will differ. Once
you have numbers that work, keep your settings for
all future work. Only change these numbers if a
piece of art requires a different approach.
Use curves to fine tune digital captures.
Set the midtone at 128.
Click the shadow eyedropper in the gray box.
Crop and Size
It is time to say goodbye to the scales and exposure
aids. Rotate the art to its natural position. Pull
guide lines down from the rulers to check if the art
is square. Even if your camera was perfectly square
when you made the capture, stretcher bars are
made from wood and wood warps over time. Since
many artists use light pine stretcher bars, the wood
may not even have been straight in the first place.
Probably half to two-thirds of the paintings you
will encounter will be out of square. You can use
the perspective tool (edit>transform>perspective)
to fix minor problems. Paintings that require more
than 2° of transformation may not be the fault of
warped art and need to be reshot with a closer eye
on your bubble levels.
Using your guide lines, crop the background
and guides away. Now carefully inspect the edges.
Use the clone tool to fix minor warps from stretcher
bar deformations and any other rough edges. Now is
also a good time to check the capture for sharpness.
It is easy to miss focus and many lenses have a slight
focus shift when stopped down. Make sure you can
see the weave of the canvas on all four corners of the
art. Warped paintings may require that you focus
in the center and stop down. Longer exposures are
preferable to corner softness.
Save this version of the file with a distinctive
name. Use a “IP” tag to indicate that the file is not
finished and is in progress. is is a safety precaution. You can always use the history menu to go
back but a day or two later, when the artist wants
to make a small change, it is good to have an IP file
to work from.
Measure the original art and size your file accordingly. is may require lowering your resolution or using a uprezing program such as Alien Skin
Blow Up. At 309 MB, our BetterLight files usually
require downsizing.
If necessary, rotate the art.
Crop.
Adjust the size.
At this point your file should look pretty good.
Comparing the original art to the capture shown
on your profiled monitor, the colors and tones
should match. You may, however, notice that the
file is a bit flat and lifeless compared to the original art. Here are three ways to add a little sparkle
to your file. Be careful though, you do not want
to change the colors. Your aim is only to recapture
the intensity and drama of the original work of
art. A little tweaking goes a long way.
A slight s-curve adds saturation and depth
without distorting colors like Photoshop’s saturation controls sometime can. Click on the 1/4 and
3/4 points on the curve. Move the 1/4 point up
and to the left a few points and the 3/4 point down
and to the right a few points using an S shaped
curve. e top (1/4 tone) curve adjustment lightens the highlights while still retaining highlight
detail. e bottom (3/4 tone) adjustment darkens
and saturates colors without changing the midtones or loosing important shadow detail.
Adding just a touch of black often improves
the depth and details in the shadows and gives
greater dynamic range. is technique is more
helpful if you’re using photo black ink and may
be too much if you are printing with matte
black ink. Go to Image>Adjustments>Selective
Color>Black. Adding 5% of black in black is
more than enough.
Unsharp mask can be used to add sparkle and
pop. Set the amount at 20-50, the radius at 20
and the threshold at 1. is gives the midtone
colors a little more separation.
Used in moderation, one or more of these
controls will go a long way towards making a good
art reproduction. Before you tweak anything, look
at the file compared to the original. If you used a
lower dynamic range capture such as a DSLR or
scanned film, you may not have enough information in the shadows to allow any adjustment.
An s-curve adds saturation.
Adding black in black gives depth
Sharpen for tonal contrast.
Canvas Size
Being either 100% cotton or a blend of cotton
and polyester, canvas is organic and will change
size. Ink and varnish can cause canvas to shrink
by as much as 1/4 inch. is can be compensated
for by adding to the image size. Generally, 18x24
and smaller giclées need 1/8 (.125) inches added
to both the horizontal and vertical dimensions.
Larger canvases can need as much as 1/4 (.25)
inches added. Sometimes a small amount of image will hang over the edge of the stretcher bar,
but this is far better than having white canvas
showing.
Canvas giclées need a large border to accommodate the depth of the stretcher bars plus another inch
for the canvas pliers to grasp and pull as you staple
the canvas to the bars. With small giclées, a 2 inch
border is adequate. Anything over 11x14 needs a 3
inch border. To create this border, add 6 inches to
both dimensions using canvas size.
Finally, select all and add a 1 pixel black stroke
to act as a guide for cutting. You can also use the
printer’s driver to add a cutting guide line but if
you include the border and stroke line in your file,
you will be able to combine several files on the
same piece of canvas. is is a great help later when
you go to trim out your giclées.
RIPs are useful for nesting (placing several images of a large piece of canvas) but you can also
combine your images in Photoshop. Simply create
a new file with a size that will fit several files but is
comfortable to handle. For example, you can print
two 16x20 images each with 3 inch borders on
one 44x26 canvas. You could also print a 16x20,
an 11x14 and two 8x10 proofs on the same piece
of canvas. Simply drag the files you intend to print
onto the canvas. Turning off the background layer
makes it easy to see where one file ends and another
begins. Tightly butting files will save time when
you go to trim the giclées out of the master canvas.
If you flatten the print file, it will spool faster than
a layered PSD file.
Add 1/8 inch to compensate for shrinkage.
Using Canvas Size, add 3 inch border.
Add a stroke as a cutting guide.
Gallery Wraps
Gallery wraps provide a simple and elegant solution
for artists who want to present their work unframed.
Here, the giclée image wraps around thick stretcher
bars so that when hung, the art wraps around the
edges of the bars. Rather than losing the part of the
art that wraps around the bars, gallery wraps are
created by copying the edges of the art, flipping the
copy, and pasting the copied selection back onto the
edges of the art.
Commercial stretcher bars are available from
several manufacturers and come in thicknesses
ranging from 3/4 of an inch to 3 inches thick.
ese light-weight bars feature mitered corners
that simply tap together with a rubber mallet.
Cost ranges from $1 to $2.25 per foot depending
on thickness.
We make our own bars from 2x2 Douglas fir
for canvases over 30x40 inches or 1x2 poplar for
smaller pieces. Both size bars give us 1 1/2 inches
of depth. Mitered and corner-braced, these bars
hold the art a comfortable distance away from the
wall while providing sufficient strength to resist
warping.
A 2 inch wrap covers the edge, leaving 1/2 inch
of extra image on the invisible back edge of the bar.
icker bars require more wrap – in some cases 3
inches of wrap plus a 1 inch white border. inner
bars require less wrap and border.
Normal size wraps start with a file that is exactly
the final size of the finished giclée. Add a 3 inch
white border using canvas size. Making sure your
rulers are turned on in Photoshop, pull guide lines
down from the rulers to the edge of the image. If
you enlarge the image, you will be able to move
the guide lines in 1/2 a pixel. is will help prevent
copying any of the white border.
Now pull a second set of guide lines 2 inches
into the image. ese lines show the area you will
copy. Taking the rectangular selection tool, draw a
selection of the top 2 inches of the image. Copy and
paste this selection.
Add a 3 inch white border.
Add guide lines.
Select top 2 inches.Copy and paste selection.
Pull this selection up so that it occupies the area
of the border two inches above the art. Go to
Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical. is will look a little
bizarre the first time you see it on your monitor,
but it looks quite natural on the finished gallery
wrap.
Turn off your guide lines (command/control ;)
to see the edges more clearly. Inspect the fit and
placement of the pasted selection. If everything
looks good, flatten the two layers.
Take a close look at the area where the edges
meet. Nearly every painting has flaws at the edges.
Handling, frames and transportation often nick
the paint. Dirty fingerprints are common, as are
brush hairs, missed strokes and other defects. You
will also, find that every warp of the stretcher bars
is painfully obvious wherever the two edges meet. A
few minutes with the rubber stamp tool will clean
up this mess.
Some objects look odd when they are flipped.
A large area of blue sky that is interrupted with a
branch or a reversed mountain top or, worse still,
body parts all look unnatural reversed. ere are
few things more disturbing than a pair of reversed
eyes starring at you from the top of a gallery wrap.
ese are easy to remove with the rubber stamp or
selections that are copied an pasted over the offending object. Sometimes branches look natural when
the canvas folds and should remain. What stays or
goes is a matter of personal taste.
Copy and paste the remaining edges, flipping, retouching and flattening each in turn. Use
Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal for the sides.
Unless you like the look of three signatures,
rubber stamp out the copied signatures. Some
artists prefer to have their signature completely
removed so that they can resign and number each
giclée. If this is the case, remove the signature before you start making the gallery wrap.
Flip the selection.
Enlarge and use rubber stamp to clean up.
Use rubber stamp to remove copied signature.
Once the file has had the wraps added and the small
imperfections have been retouched, it is time to add
some guide lines. ese lines will make your job
easier when it comes time to stretch the canvas.
Pull a new line down from the top ruler to the
half-way point. It should click in place. Add another
to the half-way horizontal point. Remove the lines
that indicated the copy area – these are the lines that
are 4 inches in from the image edge and 5 inches
in from the edge of the canvas. ese guides are no
longer needed and can be confusing at later steps.
Drag these lines back into the rulers. Be sure to keep
the lines that show the edges of the original art.
Choose the pencil tool and set it at 1 pixel.
Make sure black or a dark color is selected as the
foreground color. Enlarge to a comfortable point
and, using the guides, add a 1 pixel pencil line from
the edge of the image to the edge of the canvas
wherever you see a guide line. If you click the pencil
then hold the shift key down and click the pencil
again, you will draw a straight line. You should end
up with 12 lines – two at each corner and one at
each center point. e corner lines will look like
bleed lines on a press sheet while the center lines
will look like fold lines.
e center lines will help you place the canvas
on the stretcher bars while the corner lines will show
you where the canvas folds over the bars. Together,
they make it easy to center the printed giclée on the
stretcher bars.
Finally, select all (command/control A) and
add a 1 pixel stroke line to the canvas as a guide to
trimming.
While all of this may seem complicated at first,
in practice it is quite easy. It may take you 20 or 30
minutes to make your first wrap but with a little
experience, you’ll soon be making perfect gallery
wraps in 10 minutes or less.
Add center guide lines.
Use pencil tool to indicate where canvas folds.
Stroke canvas.
Ready to print.
Depending on the artist, we may save several versions
of the file. e original capture is archived on DVD
with other captures from the same time period. e
full size file is saved in case the artist wants to print
a bigger version. We name this file with the artist’s
initials and the title followed by the tag “master.”
If the giclée has tricky colors or the artist requires
a proof, the file gets an “ip.p” tag, indicating in progress proof. Artists often save these proofs in a book
along with the CD to ensure that all of the prints in
an edition match. is is especially important when
prints in an editions are printed one at a time over
the course of several years as ink, canvas and varnish
may change. ese proofs are called “B.A.T.s” from
the French Bon a’ tirer meaning good to pull.
Once the proof is approved, this file is renamed
with the “master” tag. We will also save an 8x10 size
file for reproduction on our Xerox 7700. is file gets
an “X” for a tag. A low resolution JPEG is also made.
e artist can email this small file to galleries and potential buyers as well as post it on his or her website.
In this case, the final print file is named: RMC_
AfternoonGlow16x20w.tif. is indicates it is Robin
McCoy’s painting “Afternoon Glow” and that the file
is for a 16x20 gallery wrap. We will probably print
this file many times over the next few years.
We will save this file, along with the X and master
files on our hard drives. e artist will get a CD copy
of this file without the wraps at the 16x20 size as well
as the JPEG.
Printing the Giclée
When your file is ready to print, choose Page Setup
and select or create an appropriate page size. Choose
Print in CS3 or Print with Preview in earlier versions
of Photoshop to communicate with your printer.
Select your canvas’s color profile. Profiles can be
downloaded from the manufacturer’s website or created using specialized spectrophotometers and software. We use GretagMacbeth’s EyeOne Profiler Pro.
Now select Intent>Perceptual. (Some printmakers
prefer Relative Colorimetric for its greater control
over out of gamut colors. We prefer to let the software make small adjustments to the color so it will
fit within the available color space.) Check Use Black
Point Compensation.
Go to Print Settings and select Roll Paper if you
are printing on a roll of canvas, use canvas as the
Media Type and SuperFine-1440dpi. High Speed is
okay for production studios. For the ultimate quality,
uncheck this box and use 2880ppi. You might want
to try a test using 1440dpi with High Speed on, then
one with High Speed off, and then finally one at
2880dpi. Write the settings used on the back of each
canvas. Mix them up and see if you can tell the difference. Use the setting that gives you the best result.
Using the canvas media setting gives the appropriate amount of ink for canvas media and also disengages the printer’s cutter. is is important with
Epson printers since turning off the cutter using the
printer’s menu feeds a considerable amount of extra
canvas — about $10 worth. Selecting canvas in the
Media Type submenu lets you select the printer’s auto
cut mode without the printer automatically cutting
the canvas resulting in less wasted canvas.
In the Printer Color Management menu, select Off
(No Color Adjustment). is turns off the printer’s
internal color controls and lets Photoshop apply the
color profile you have already selected. If you miss
this step, and are not using Epson brand canvas, your
color will be way off.
Lastly, set the Platten Gap to widest and print.
Use print (CS3) or print with prieview to select profile.
Use print settings to select media and resolution.
Turn off the color controls.
Once the canvas has been printed, it is cut free with
sharp scissors and allowed to dry overnight. You can
get by with a little less dry time but 4 hours should be
considered minimum. It is important not to wrinkle
the canvas at this point. While most wrinkles disappear when stretching, it is unprofessional to present a
customer with a less than perfect canvas.
Push the scissors across the canvas while holding the opposite edge of the canvas tight against the
printer. is is much easier than sniping with the scissors. Using the printer’s built-in cutter on canvas will
quickly dull the machine’s blade.
Take a moment to examine the canvas. Small defects in the file that were overlooked on the monitor’s
screen are now painfully obvious. Sometimes the canvas is defective. We’ve encountered mysterious bumps,
bugs dried into the coating, cotton seeds and even
small twigs squashed into the canvas. ese defects
always seem to find their way into a clear blue sky or
other smooth tonal area where everyone will notice.
Quality control slips sometimes, even with the best
canvas manufacturers. Fix and reprint now, while the
file is still on the monitor. Mark the defective print as
an AP (artist proof or printer’s proof.)
Coatings are applied with a foam roller using long, light strokes. ree thin coats are better than one thick coat.
Coating is an essential step in the giclée process.
Adding a thin coat of varnish protects the print from
harmful UV light, from environmental pollutants,
shipping damage and over zealous housekeepers.
Varnishes also enhance the saturation and contrast of
the finished giclée.
Some printmakers use glossy canvases and skip
the coating process altogether. While this is certainly
a less expensive approach in the short run, over time
the replacement cost of damaged prints as well as the
damage done to the printmaker’s reputation far out
weigh any monetary or time savings.
After the canvas is thoroughly dry, it is ready
to coat. While we have a Neschen Giclée coating
machine, we hand coat many of our canvases. Hand
coating allows us to put down several thin coats of
varnish rather than one thick coat. e end result
looks more natural, more like the original art. A
single thick coat can look like a shield of shiny goo
and often has about as much appeal as a painting on
black velvet. Your taste may differ and using a coating
machine is certainly quicker.
e coating is applied with a foam roller, going
across the canvas with slow, even vertical strokes
followed by slow, even horizontal strokes. Keep the
pressure light and use sufficient varnish. en go
across the canvas with diagonal strokes using just the
weight of the roller. is action picks up the surplus
varnish and leaves a thin, even coat.
We apply our varnish in the camera room because the strong side light offered by our north window shows the evenness of our strokes.
If space allows, dry the canvas on a horizontal
surface. is lets the coating even out as it dries and
requires fewer coats. We give our canvases three thin
coats. e varnish will even out with the second coat.
By the time the third coat dries, the giclée should have
a perfectly even surface sheen.
Many printers spray their canvases. A compressor and a spray gun are all the hardware that is
needed. When you spray, fine particles of varnish
go everywhere. Having a spray booth or a special
closed room is essential, as is a good respirator.
Valuing our health, we use special water based
varnishes rather than solvent based varnish. Currently, we are using Breathing Color’s Glamour II
Museum Grade Giclée Veneer. We mix 50% gloss
with 20% Mat and then add 30% distilled water.
is gives a finish that is closer to a semigloss, which
is far less distracting when viewed under most lighting conditions. We do, however, offer both matte
and gloss finishes as well as semigloss.
Other fine water based varnishes are offered by
Clearstar, Neschen and several others.
Stretching the Canvas
You can use commercially available gallery wrap
stretcher bars or make your own from either 2x2 or
1x2 lumber. 2x2 is good for large canvases whenever
weight is not a concern because it is less likely to
warp. Corner and cross braces make 1x2 hardwood
quite workable. Lighter in weight, 1x2 is often a
better choice provided pine is not used.
To make your own bars, rip 1x2 poplar or similar hardwood using a table saw with the blade set at
10°. is bevel lets the canvas fall away from front
face of the bar, rendering the bar invisible. Miter the
corners at 45°. Glue and nail. Brace the corners with
pieces of 1x2 in lengths appropriate to the overall
size of the bars — 6 to 12 inches. Cut these braces
at 45° across the face of the 1x2. Glue and nail.
Place the giclée face side down on a soft surface.
An old blanket does a marvellous job of protecting
the print’s varnished surface. Center the stretcher
bars over the print, beveled face down. Measure the
bars and mark the centers. Use a carpenter’s square
to draw lines at these center points.
Fold the canvas edge closest to you over the bars
and line up the printed center line with the line you
drew. Repeat on the other sides adjusting as you go.
Now fold back the corners to make sure the corner
guide lines line up with the edges of the bars.
Once everything is in line, place a staple through
the canvas on the center line of the side closest to
you. Walk to the opposite side of the work table
and, using the canvas pliers, pull the canvas tight.
Canvas pliers have a metal lip on one side. is lip
acts as a fulcrum when placed against the inside
edge of the wood. As the pliers are pushed inward,
the canvas is levered tight. With your other hand,
add a staple on the center line.
Repeat this process on the centers of the two
remaining sides. At this point, there should be one
staple in the center of each bar holding the canvas
tight. Add additional staples at even intervals using
the same pulling action. With each staple, either
walk around the table or turn the canvas 180°.
Place the canvas face down on a soft surface. Center
the bars over the canvas bevel edge down.
Find and mark the center of each bar.
Use a square to draw a pencil guide on each center.
Line-up the center guide lines on the canvas with
center guide lines on the stretcher bars.
Once centered, place a staple in the center.
On the opposite side, pull tight with the canvas pliers
and add a staple. Turn, pull and add another, working your way around the canvas, one staple at a time.
Carefully fold the corners. e more visible vertical
edge should slightly tuck under the horizontal.
Trim off excess canvas.
Staple the corners.
e finished gallery wrap should be tight and all staples should be flush.
Stop stapling two inches before you get to the
corner. is will give you enough slack to pull and
fold the canvas. Take the vertical side’s end of the canvas and pull it tight, slightly past the corner. Hold this
fold with one hand as you fold and pull the horizontal
side’s end of the canvas over the vertical end. is will
give you a neat corner with a slight fold line on the
top (or bottom) corner of the finished gallery wrap.
Since the top and bottom edges of a gallery wrap are
not normally visible, it is better to have this slight rise
there than on the always visible sides.
Neatly trim off the excess canvas from the corner
folds. Staple twice and repeat these actions on the
other three corners. Add as many staples as are necessary in the two inches before the edges that were not
stapled earlier.
e whole corner process is no different that wrapping a boxed Christmas or birthday present. Your first
few attempts may be a little less than perfect but, with
practice, you will soon master the technique.
When you are finished stretching and stapeling,
its time to add the hanging hardware. Measure 1/3
down the vertical sides and drill a pilot hole in the
inside center of the bar. Screw in an eyelet (hook).
Repeat on the other side. Take a length of framer’s
wire and attach it to both eyelets. Neatly wrap and tie
the ends. If you have ever fly fished, you will know
the knot to use. If not, wrap tightly and pinch with
needle nose pliers. Trim with wire cutters. Framer’s
wire is wrapped with a plastic coating. If you used
a twisted galvanized wire you will need to wrap any
frayed wire edges with masking tape to prevent metal
splinters or cut fingers.
Try to make all of your wires consistently fall a
standard length from the top of the frame. is will
make multiple hangings an easier task.
Resources
Suppliers
All Square Computer Technologies: An excellent
source for paper, canvas and ink as well as all types
of printmaking equipment. Sales manager Jim Robbins is very knowledgeable in the field and always
a pleasure to deal with. He is the go-to man when
you have unusual printmaking needs or commercial applications. Jim always has great prices on all
types of hardware. 29 East Main Street, Taylors,
SC 29687 • 888-286-8801 • www.allsquare.com •
actjimrobbibs@aol.com
Breathing Color: Another excellent source for
canvas and varnish. eir new Chromata White
Matte Canvas performs superbly without breaking
your budget. eir Glamour II Museum Grade Giclée Veneer is an excellent varnish. Vice President,
Adam Hill is also very knowledgeable and helpful.
947 N. Elm Street, Orange, CA 92867 • 866-7226567 • www.breathingcolor.com.
LexJet: ey are a major supplier of equipment and supplies to the industry. eir helpful
and knowledgeable sales reps are always patient
and happy to help you. 1680 Fruitville Road,
3rd Floor, Sarasota FL 34236 • 800-453-9538 •
www.lexjet.com
Shades of Paper: Owner-manager Jimmy Doyle
stocks a wide range of materials from nearly all of
the major paper mills. His Fredrix 901wr is an industry standard as is Cranes Maestro canvas. Jimmy
also stocks the best watercolor papers from Canon,
Cranes, Epson, Hahnemuhle, Harman, Illford, Innova, Intellicoat, and Lumijet as well as most photo
papers. Top flight service. Good prices. Highly recommended. 114 Old Orchard Road, Cherry Hill, NJ
08003 • 856-795-7780 • www.shadesofpaper.com •
jdoyle1713@comcast.net
Note: these are the main suppliers we have dealt
with over the years. ere are many other good suppliers such as Bull Dog, Hawk Mountain and too many
others to list. And just because their name is not here
does not mean there is a problem with their service or
products. You should establish a relationship with a
local dealer if one is available in your area. However,
if, like us, you are hundreds or even thousands of miles
away from a supplier, the men listed above are all
worth contacting.
Canvas
Canvas is commonly available in rolls from 17 to
64 inches wide and in smaller sheets. Most canvas is
a cotton polyester blend, though some 100% cotton
canvas is available. Most commercial printmakers
avoid pure cotton canvas as it tends to shrink and
stretch more than blended canvas. It is also more
prone to surface defects such as seeds and twigs.
Canvas is also available in both glossy and matte
finish. Glossy is best left to photo labs where quick
production and low cost is more valued than a
quality product. Giclée printmakers warranty their
results and therefore need to produce work that is
both of the highest quality and reasonably archival.
Using a water-based varnish on a microporous
matte canvas will result in a giclée that can last for
100 years or more.
If you do decide to use a glossy canvas, give your
giclées 24 to 48 hours to dry and use a spray gun to
coat. Not every varnish works with glossy canvas.
Clearstar and Fredrix 901 glossy is a combination
we have used successfully.
Some canvas surfaces will crack when stretched.
Of the three canvases we use, only Fredrix 901 will
occasionally crack, and then only when stretched
with an automatic machine set at its highest tension. We have never had a problem with hand
stretching any of these canvases. But cracking can
be a problem. Test every canvas you intend to use by
printing and coating in a normal fashion. en fold
and twist to see if the canvas cracks.
Canvas Manufacturers
Breathing Color: www.breathingcolor.com
Crane & Co. : www.crane.com
Fredrix: www.fredrixprintcanvas.com
Hahnemuhle: www.hahnemuhle.com
InteliCoat Technologies, Inc.: www.intelicoat.com
Sihl: www.sihlusa.com