What Separates Museum-Quality From Other Art Prints?

When it comes to fine art printing, several technical factors differentiate each technique and medium. Museum-quality prints use refined pigment particles to create captivating, finished artwork. But what separates museum-quality from other art prints? Continue reading to learn more about the technique and some notable differences.

What Is a Museum Quality Print?

Also known as archival or Giclee prints, museum-quality images are subjects that undergo a sophisticated printing method using an inkjet printer. These illustrations use color-matching techniques and utilize high-quality archival ink and materials that a gallery or museum would approve.

It’s worth noting that owning museum-quality prints is relatively close to owning original artwork.

How Is It Different From Other Printing?

As mentioned previously, one of the main differences between museum quality and other art prints is the materials used to develop imagery.

Archival Materials

Archival printing services rely on special-grade ink and specialty paper to create an illustration that can last a long time. Combined with archival paper, the special ink is resistant to fading and weathering, making the final print more durable and longer lasting than other alternatives.

Cotton rags are material typically used during museum-grade paper construction; the paper does not contain optical brighteners, lignin, or acid that would cause illustrations to fade.

Framing

Another notable difference between museum-quality prints and other printing techniques is the types of framing implemented to showcase pieces. Given their development, higher-quality prints may require UV-filtered glass and rag matting as a form of protection and preservation.

How Do You Turn Artwork Into a Museum Quality Print?

When an archival printing service turns artwork into a museum-quality print, experts may rely on a professional-grade inkjet printer that can scan an image.

Once they scan the artwork, they’ll establish optimal resolution settings for printing. After adjusting and cropping the image, the printer will use archival pigment inks to develop the illustration.

Defining factors separate museum-quality prints from other art prints; however, these attributes make them valuable and worth the cost. When looking for a trustworthy service to reproduce original artwork, please contact us on our The Stackhouse webpage for more information.