GLOSSARY OF COMMON WORDS & PHRASES

ARTISTS PROOF
These are the copies of the final proofs that the artist signs as they are getting the colours and tonal values correct before commencing the print run itself. More commonly seen in intaglio and screen processes, as in litho (on a commercial level) they are approved before printing starts. This is enabled more now, as with computer technology, a lot of the proofing will be done on an inkjet printer that emulated the press colors.

COLOUR CORRECTION
Manipulation of channels, shades, hues, contrast and level of individual colours before printing to eliminate any colour casts and imbalances from the original or scanned image.

COLOUR MANAGEMENT
A system of control over the input and output devices on how they interpret the colours they are using. This is often done in an image manipulation software program such as Photoshop before printing, or for production based environments where more accurate and consistent results are required, RIP software will be used that contains colour profiles created to match colours when printing on different colours of papers. This process of getting the file to a correct stage is often referred to as proofing.

CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key Black. Process colours. A colour system used by printers to combine each colour on a different printing plate to make up a full colour image. 4 colour printing. (Most giclee printers will print to an inkjet printer in RGB however, as there is better (wider) color gamut, and scanners capture images in RGB). These are the primary colours of the halftone printing process (offset lithography).

DIGITAL CAMERA/SCANBACK
A camera that captures information in a digital file, rather than on film. Digital cameras eliminate the film process of reproducing an image therefore allowing for less colour casts etc. The digital data will also archive better. A Scanback is a professional back for large format studio photography. This digital back scans directly onto a computer and many are capable of creating files of 300 - 500MB. This process is still very costly however, and requires a sound photographic knowledge.

DIGITAL PRINT
A print that is created on an inkjet printer from a digital file on a computer.

DPI
Dots per inch. The measurement units of the output device quality of print. It refers to the number of dots a printer can print per inch. I.e.: a print at 600dpi will have 36000 dots on one square inch or the paper (600 x 600). It also refers to the dots per inch of a scanned image.

FILE FORMATS
The information of a digital file is stored in various file extensions or formats. The formats are either based in the application program that created the file, PSD is a Photoshop file for example, or a more universal format that is supported by most imaging programs are TIFF and JPEG. Some compress information in the image more so it creates smaller files. While this is good for storage space and e mailing, information will be lost in the image when you come to print it.

GAMUT
Gamut is the colour range that different types of output device or ink sets can process and create certain colours in that particular range.

GICLEE
Term referring to a digital print from a digitized image outputted from computer to an inkjet printer. It usually should refer to a limited edition, fine art print, onto archival quality coated paper, and printed with pigment inks, which are UV stable. The blue Wool scale is a print standards scale set by the Fine Art Trade Guild, and it specifies a score of 6 or above, on paper over 250gsm, to qualify for the title of a giclee print that has longevity.

HAND EMBELLISHED
A process of painting onto a giclee edition after it is printed. The artist will usually pick out certain areas to highlight, either to create a texture similar to the original, or to pick out gold and metallic colours that can't be reproduced.

HOLOGRAM SYSTEM
A system to ensure that artists’ prints cannot be copied, and the authenticity can be recognized. It consists of an alphanumeric hologram that goes on the back of a numbered print, and one of the same number on a certificate of authenticity.

LIGHTFASTNESS
The rate at which dyes, pigments and paints change colour or get lighter as a result of being exposed to UV or daylight, heat, acids or alkalis. The expected or estimated life of a print can be measure by tests such as the Blue Wool scale (UK) and the Wilhelm laboratory reports (USA). However, the lightfastness can be affected by the combination of ink and paper used and therefore all the inks may not fade at the same rate.

LIMITED EDITION
A limited edition has a closed number of prints in the print run. Once this number of prints has been made, no more copies of the images can be reproduced or sold. (Apart from the artists and prints proof). This can add value to a print. In Lithography 850 is the usual standard number in the print run, at the numbers can be much smaller. The Fine Art Trade Guild conditions state that if it is declared a limited edition print no more than 1950 copies (including the artists proof) must be produced.

LITHOGRAPHY
High volume, 4-colour separation, process ink based printing process. Commercially, offset lithography and is the quickest and commonest form of photo mechancial reproduction. Artwork is scanned then separated in the CMYK colour channels onto 4 printing plates, printed in succession to create a full colour image. Separate colours can be added on further plates to create special effects such as gold ink or a varnished area that cannot be made up from CMYK in the standard Pantone range. These are called spot colours. Artists still use offset and stone lithography to create artwork, but by hand it is a much lengthier process. The basic technique for both methods is that grease repels water and these are the areas that will remain white, the rest of the areas will accept ink and therefore print.

OPEN EDITION
Referring usually to offset lithographic prints and the fact that there is no limited to the number of prints produced from this image. An open edition also means it can be produced in various sizes, on cards and clothes etc.

PIGMENT INK
Pigment inks are literally pigments of colour ground down very fine and suspended in a liquid to make ink, compared to dye ink, which is a dye suspended in liquid. As with other types of colour, pigment produces a more lightfast material or ink that will take longer to fade. Current pigment based inks on the market can be anywhere up to 100+ years lightfast, but this depends on a number of factors such as ink manufacturer, paper type and storage conditions. Pigment inks can tend to have a smaller colour gamut than dye-based inks.

PROFILE
Refers to specific colour settings to be used with different papers and ink sets, to create the correct colour reproduction. It is used to transform from one colour space to another.

RESOLUTION
The higher the resolution of a scanned image the more information is held. The resolution of an image is measured in 'dpi' dots per inch. The 'dots' refer to the pixels that make up a digital image. So for example a resolution of 150dpi means that in each inch of the image there are 22500 pixels (150x150) in every square inch. This is also referred to a ppi, pixel per inch and sometimes just as 'res' which is the metric resolution per millimeter (e.g. res 12 is equivalent to 305 ppi).

RGB
Red, Green and Blue. This colour system cannot be used for planographic printing such as lithography, but is often used in digital printing, the files stay in this format. The actual inks in the printer however are still CMYK, often with the additional colours of light cyan, light magenta, an extra black and sometimes orange and green (called hexichrome) to give wider colour gamut and better tonal graduation. RGB are the primary colours of light, which are different to the primary colours of pigments in paints and inks.

RIP
Raster Image Processor. Raster images are made from bitmap rather than vector grids. Rasterization is the process of converting mathematical and digital data into dots by an output device. Therefore, the job of a RIP is not only to do this job but it also helps to increase images to large sizes without as much loss of information or pixelation as doing the same process in Photoshop. ICC profiles can also be attached to the RIP software for colour management purposes.

SCANNER
An input device in which to capture a piece of artwork onto a computer as a digital file. A scanner uses light sensitivity to translate the picture into a pattern dots.

WORKFLOW
This refers to having a complete system of scanner, monitor, software, printer and paper which are all calibrated up to each other. This makes colour management easier, quicker and more accurate.

*Content provided by Hahnemuhle FineArt USA.

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