Paper, ink and print quality, in plain English
Why every print here is matte, what the two papers are, and how to tell a good print from a cheap one.
Most of what makes a print look expensive is not the picture. It is the paper, the number of inks and how carefully the file was prepared. Here is what each of those means for the prints on this site.
Two papers, one choice
Archival matte is a 250 gsm off-white paper with no shine at all. It is printed in four colours, it is heavy enough to stand up when you hold one corner, and it is the standard choice for every piece here.
Fine art is a 200 gsm paper printed in twelve colours instead of four. The extra inks are lighter and in-between shades, which gives smoother skies and walls, cleaner skin tones and deeper darks without banding. It costs about a fifth more. It is worth it for the Lantern Studies, where the light on the horse and the rider is the whole picture.
Why matte, and why it feels smooth
Every print here is matte, with no shine, so it looks calm on the wall and does not throw back reflections from windows and lamps. It is a print, not a painting: where a piece looks like thick paint, that texture is part of the picture, and the paper itself is smooth to the touch.
Printed to order, not from stock
Every print here is made after you order it, by Gelato and its production partner closest to you. That is why production takes a few days, and why there is no warehouse and no print that has sat in a tube for a year.
How to tell a good print from a cheap one
Look at the darkest area. On a cheap print it is grey or shows bands of colour. On a good one it is a full, even dark. Then look at a fine line against a light background: on a cheap print the edge is soft and the colour bleeds. Finally, feel the paper. Thin paper bends under its own weight.
What is on the certificate
Each print is numbered as part of an edition of 50 and comes with a certificate recording the piece, the number, the format and the date. You can check any certificate on this site.
