Ink, paper and canvas… and what does “Archival” mean?

That’s a good question! You will often hear the term “Archival quality”, really, it’s a non-technical term used to describe materials and practices that are stable and durable.  For the longevity of any print, the two main things (probably!) to worry about are light (specifically UV light) and acid in the materials used to produce the print.

The paper and canvas we use for your prints is made by Hahnemuhle and both are certified acid free museum quality.  We’ve tried dozens and dozens of different papers and canvases over the years but, for us, none match the quality of the Hahnemuhle Photorag paper and Hahnemuhle Art Canvas.

The inks we use are all genuine Epson Ultrachrome HDX pigment inks.  Being a “pigment ink” is quite important! These are inks which are composed of coloured particles held in a suspension, rather than dye based ink, which is just a colourant dissolved in a liquid.  This means that pigment inks give much, much better quality of colour and a much, much longer lifespan!

 Using the very best materials is only half of the answer however.It’s also critical that the work in producing the finished print is done in an “archival manner” as well.There isn’t much point using the best quality ISO Certified acid free paper to print on if its covered with finger prints!This is why “archival quality” is a bit of a broad term.It covers every part of the printmaking process – from materials to handling practices.It’s another reason we produce all of our prints ourselves from beginning to end – to make absolutely sure our prints meet our exacting standards