When you have your artwork photographed, especially for use in making giclee prints, does your photographer give you the right kind of digital files? It's important for artists to document their work properly, because once an original is sold, it's too late.
Quality slides and color transparencies were the preferred documentation method some years ago, but in this digital age, there is a different standard. As an artist, I didn't pay a lot of attention to this issue. I took my own digital photos which were good enough for my website, but not much else. Once I started having giclee prints made of my work, my printmaker did the photography (and sometimes scanning) to create the high-resolution file necessary for large prints.
Recently my new printmaker Jim Kirsner, who I must disclose is also my brother-in-law, pointed out that the format of a digital file is critical to historical documentation. Here he is in his own words:
"When your printer gives you a CD with the image, are they giving you the original capture files (usually TIFF or Raw) or are you getting JPGs?
"Are you getting clean files (unedited) as well as the optimized print file (mostly only of value to your Printer's printer)?
"Not important, you say. Well it is if you, say, move out of the area and have to start up again with a new Giclee printer. Or, what do you do if your current printer ceases operation? Can you recover with less than pristine digital files? Of course you can, eventually and at considerable editing expense. Why risk it? Simply request copies of the original captures from whoever is doing them for you, they are your property!
"I can not emphasize too strongly the importance of possessing the original, unedited, un-color corrected file, the negative, if you will. There are many of you who have a considerable Giclee business. That high quality, unedited file (no JPGs, only TIFFs or RAW files) is the raw material of your Giclee business, especially when you've sold the original. No file, no Giclee. Questionable file, more expense, maybe not the same quality Giclee."
Jim has been making my Giclee prints for the last few months, as well as working with other area artists. For more information, check out his website at fineartprintbyjim.com.
