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What Are the Different Types of Fine Art Digital Prints?

By Tess C. Taylor
Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 12,469
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Several major types of fine art digital prints have become part of the contemporary art scene due to digital creative technologies. Fine art digital prints, which are high-quality reproductions of original artwork, can be mass produced and distributed much more easily than with traditional press printing. The major styles of fine art digital prints include photographic prints, giclee or iris art prints, light-jet relief prints, digital silkscreen prints, and canvas prints.

The most common of fine art digital prints include photographic images captured with traditional or digital camera equipment. These images can be edited prior to printing, so that they come out with the highest possible quality. Photographic fine art digital prints can also be printed in a variety of sizes and printed as many times as desired.

Another type of fine art digital print is the giclee or iris art print, which is a high quality digital image that incorporates original or montaged artwork. The giclee or iris print is produced by either digitally scanning images or pulling from digital graphics to create an individual piece of artwork. Once the digital image is completed, high quality inkjet printers may print it onto a variety of digital papers or fabrics for display.

Light jet relief fine art digital prints can be reproduced in mass quantities or on demand. This style of digital art print is a favorite of graphic artists, mass printers, and digital designers who can easily modify the size and colors of the images to produce a wide variety of works. Light jet relief fine art digital prints with classical and limited edition images are also displayed in fine art galleries.

While digital silkscreen prints are considered another form of fine art digital prints, they are often seen on the mass consumer market in the form of wearable fashions and corporate logo products. The method by which images are transferred to fabric is vastly different with digital silkscreen from traditional silkscreen printing, which uses a hand-applied coat of paint. Machines transmit the digital image in layers of special fabric ink, which is then sealed to the textiles with a heat process.

Canvas prints are similar to silkscreen prints, except a different method is applied to create eye-catching digital fine art prints. First, the canvas is treated and stretched to a flat surface. Then a series of digital files are passed through the ink printer onto the canvas to create the varying colors and textures on the canvas. The ink used on canvas is a flexible, heavy duty fabric paint that can withstand wear and tear.

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Discussion Comments
By orangey03 — On Apr 11, 2012

Canvas prints make awesome gifts. I wanted to get my sister a special wedding present, but I told her that I would have to wait until after the wedding to give it to her, without telling her why.

I took several photos with my camera as the professional photographer was shooting the wedding pictures. I came up with the perfect shot of the bride and groom, and I knew that it would look so great on canvas.

I sent my image to an online company that transfers photo files to canvas, and it arrived in a couple of weeks. The canvas was big enough to look like an actual painting, but the photo was so true to form that you had to question whether it had been painted or shot.

By Oceana — On Apr 11, 2012

@wavy58 – I actually tried to scan one of my paintings in sections, thinking that I could put them all together with a photo editor and it would look natural. I could never get them to line up perfectly, so I gave up on scanning my art.

Instead, I got a digital camera that takes high resolution photos. With this camera, a photo of my art will look even more high quality than a scan. It still captures the texture of the canvas, but I don't have to worry about things like fingerprints on the scanner bed.

Also, since the photo is high resolution, I can make it as big or as small as I need it to be. If I need to print a large image, I will go to a printing service. Otherwise, I just print it at home.

By wavy58 — On Apr 10, 2012

I have made several acrylic paintings that more than one person in my family or circle of friends has wanted to buy. That is how I got started selling giclee prints.

I have a scanner, so I simply place the canvas on it and transfer the image to my photo editing software. If the lighting needs adjusting or the hue seems off, I will make alterations as needed. I want it to look as much like the original as possible, though.

The only disadvantage to doing this type of art print is that my printer can only use 8.5x11 sheets of paper, and my scanner cannot hold a large painting. So, I try to keep my paintings on the small side for convenience.

By kylee07drg — On Apr 10, 2012

I started using my dad's high quality digital camera to take photos of nature scenes on our property. I discovered a had a knack for choosing layouts and waiting for the right lighting, because the images I produced looked like the could have been sold to a calendar printing company.

I started printing out 8x10 photos and framing them with black mats. I basically used them as artwork to fill my walls.

I like using glossy photo paper for my images. This is more expensive than regular printer paper, but the reward is in the quality of the prints. They look like photos that have been developed in a dark room, only better.

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