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- INFORMATION ABOUT OUR FINE ART PRINTS -
- INFORMATION ON GEMSTONES & METEORITES -
- FAQ's -
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INFORMATION ABOUT OUR FINE ART PRINTS

How are your prints made?
What is a Giclee Print?
What is an Original Print? What is a Reproduction?
What is a Limited Edition Print? What is an Artist's Proof?
How should my print be hung or displayed?
Will my print fade?
Are your prints waterproof?
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How are your prints made?
Marilynn Flynn now makes her own Giclée prints of her artwork on a large format Canon iPF5000 digital printer. Since each print is made by the artist in her own studio, each one is, in effect, an 'artist's proof'. This machine uses archival quality pigmented inks. Ms Flynn uses the highest archival quality, heavyweight textured papers for her prints.

What is a Giclée Print?
The name Giclee was originally applied to fine art prints created on specialized printers in a process invented in the early 1990s - but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used in galleries and print shops to denote such prints. More recently the word “Giclée,” as a fine art term, has come to be associated with prints using fade-resistant "archival" inks and the inkjet printers that use them.

What is an Original Print? What is a Reproduction?
The distinction between a 'reproduction' print and an 'original print' used to be determined by the way in which the original artwork was created. For instance, a painting that was created on a canvas which was then photographed or scanned and reproduced as a print was called a reproduction. A print which was actually hand printed by the artist, such as a silk-screen (serigraph) print, where there was no 'original' painting that was copied, was called an 'original print'. However with the advent of digital printing and digital paintings created on the computer, where there is no 'hard' original, the distinction between the terms is being debated. For our purposes, we consider any print which was made of artwork created by Marilynn Flynn on 'traditional media' (such as acrylic on canvas) to be called a 'reproduction'. And any print made from her digital artwork (created on her computer), to be an 'original print'. These days, Marilynn Flynn also makes the prints herself at her studio on her large format Canon digital printer, so whether reproduction or original you are getting a print that has actually been made by the artist, not by a commercial print shop. We also have a few 'lithograph' style limited edition reproduction prints remaining as well. In all cases, the prints are labelled as to their origin so you will know exactly what you are getting.

What is a Limited Edition Print? What is an 'Artist's Proof'?
This is a print that has been reproduced in limited numbers, after which it will not be printed again. Back in the day, the plates used to make the print might have been destroyed, ensuring no further runs of the print could be made. Limited edition prints are signed by the artist, and numbered to indicate their place in the series - for example the numbers '3/50' would indicate the print was the third print in a series of 50.
An 'artist's proof' is a term used for small portion of a limited edition print run. In old lithographic printing, these used to be the first prints pulled off the stone, which were inspected and approved by the artist before the rest of the run was continued. As the first prints off the press, they were the sharpest and best prints of the lot, thereby commanding a higher price. These days, in the world of digital or offset printing, all the prints in an edition are nearly identical. Artist's proofs maintain their value because they are a small subset of the edition, and they usually come directly from the artist. In these days of mass marketing, getting something directly or even indirectly from the artist is rare. Traditionally, artist's proofs number 10% or less of the total edition, so if there is an edition of 500, usually there will be only 50 artist's proofs.  Artist's proofs are signed "A/P" or "Artist's Proof" and may or may not be numbered with the serial number of that portion of the edition. Artist's proofs are generally considered a status symbol in the world of art collecting, and their resale value is proportionally higher than the numbered editions.

How should my print be hung or displayed?
Although our prints are made using archival quality materials, care should still be taken to avoid exposing the artwork to strong sunlight or atmospheric conditions that could accelerate fading or degredation of the print. The print should be matted, framed under glass (or plexiglass if preferred) and hung in a location out of direct sunlight. To keep out moisture, humidity, dust, insects and mold, the back of the framed piece can also be sealed with an archival quality gummed tape. This is sometimes called 'museum' framing or mounting.

Will my print fade?
Our prints are made using Canon Lucia pigmented inks on archival quality papers and canvases. The manufacturer claims these prints will last over 100 years if properly cared for (i.e. not hung in direct sunlight and so forth).

Are your prints waterproof?
In a word, no. Paper prints can be sprayed with coatings to enhance their water resistance but they still need protection from moisture, which can also attack the back of the print where there is no ink or sealers applied. The best protection is to frame your print under glass.