Quality is an investment.
This means that besides the monetary value of premium materials and craftmanship Archive Arts products carry emotional, artistic and historical values now and for generations to come that far outweigh the initial outlay.
With this in mind Archive Art does not generally use 'glossy' or 'semi-gloss' papers because they do not have true archival characteristics. They are usually not 100% photo rag and they contain OBAs (optical brightening agents) both of which hinder the longevity and fade resistence of fine at prints. We do and will use 'pearl' and 'satin' finishes as long as they fill the archival quality criteria. You get all the gloss you need when your print is mounted and framed with good glass.
As a small custom business Archive art will initially carry a limited range of material and substrate choices as standard stock but in time these choices will grow with the business and your support.
All prints are created using Epson Ultrachrome K3 pigment inks on mostly Hahnemuhle Digital Fine Art and Canson Infinity papers that are 100% photo rag with no OBAs (optical brightening agents) to ensure maximum archiving qualities. Other papers are available by consultation.
Archival quality testing of various brands of materials is conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research which is recognised as a global benchmark.
All other materials used at Archive Art are sourced from reputable suppliers and are assured as acid and lignen free archival quality.
As far as colour matching between real life, the human eye, digital and film cameras, scanners, software, printers, inks and substrates no two things will ever look the same BUT international standards, calibration technology and a commitment to detail get us very very close indeed. Preparing your images carefully is quite simple and can ensure you of accurate and satisfying reproductions everytime.
Archive Arts monitors, computers and printers are checked and calibrated regularly using a professional monitor calibrator, proprietry software, test printing and proofing and a regular maintenance schedule. I have an extensive set of ICC profiles that are matched and tested with my equipment and materials.
Use this checklist to ensure your files are prepared correctly and ready for sending and processing.
✓ Files must be JPG, TIFF or PSD no other formats accepted
✓ PSD (photoshop) files must have layers flattened.
✓ Files must be RGB not CMYK.
✓ Colour profile preferred is Adobe RGB (1998) or sRGB
✓ The resolution should be 360ppi . Files can be 8 bit or 16 bit.
✓ Images should be 'layed out' at the appropriate size ie. 'canvas/page size' should be A4, A3, A3+ or A2.
✓ There should be a small border (approx 5mm per side) around the image on the canvas/page.
✓ Full bleed (to the edge) printing is considered the next size up.
✓ Multiple files should be in a folder and zipped before uploading.
✓ The preferred method is to send me the file through an upload service like 'yousendit' for files up to 100mb ( when registering just choose the free option) but you may choose to use any of the many other services available. Send files to aart_archiveart@ozemail.com.au.
✓ If you need to post me you files on cd/dvd or USB memory stick please email me for the postal address.