Fine Art Paper Showcase

When it comes to reproducing artwork, choosing the right paper is a huge deal. With different weights, textures, tones, it can be hard to pick the right one to communicate the "whole package" to a client, or to capture the full essence of your artwork. Below we list some of the characteristics of our best selling fine-art paper to help you choose.

These are our top 3 bestsellers: the Enhanced Matte paper, the Hahnemuhle Photo-Rag, and the Hahnemuhle German Etching.

Enhanced Matte

The most economic, smooth and bright, the enhanced matte is our most popular option. Though it is not archival in quality, its brightness and wide gamut allows for a very rich saturation of colors. Thus, this paper is a universally excellent choice...especially for images that really "pop", such as bold, matte graphics, bright portrait photography, or smooth, rich typography.

Hahnemuhle Photo Rag

This is our most popular archival paper. Like the enhanced matte, it has a very smooth coverage that compliments virtually any image. It is slightly heavier in weight and of a pleasant, distinct thickness. It is uncoated, with a very subtle texture that's evocative of hot-pressed watercolor paper, which harmonizes very well with artworks in traditional mediums. An image printed on Photo Rag has the feeling of being nearly like the original - sturdy, polished, and hand-pressed with love.

Hahnemuhle German Etching

If you would like an even heavier and more textured choice than the Photo Rag, we recommend our German Etching paper. With a substantial thickness and coarseness akin to cold-pressed watercolor paper or rougher, the German Etching is an excellent choice for those who really want to capture that "original" look and feel. Because of its rough texture, it isn't capable of capturing as wide of a color gamut as the other papers - so we recommend going with German Etching if you have paintings with rich, dark colors, as opposed to light, gentle washes.

Specialty Fine Art Papers: Moabs, Baryta and William Turner

For those thinking more outside the box, we also have 4 additional specialty papers. Each have been tailored to suit a more specific need or purpose, which we will get into here.

 Moab Entrada, Bright and Natural

The Moab series is an excellent archival match to the Enhanced Matte paper. It is similar in weight, with a very wide gamut, and comes in either warm or bright whiteness. Because of its wide gamut, I would recommend the Moab for any work that has soft colors, gradients, transparencies, etc, as it is capable of capturing that subtlety.  The Moab Bright especially provides excellent contrast for black-and-white work.

Though uncoated, there is a rich, smooth feel to it, evocative of vellum. Though its color and brightness are a win, most artists tend to prefer the Photo-Rag for its slightly thicker density and weight.

Baryta and William Turner

The Baryta is an interesting paper. It is extremely heavy and glazed with a thick coating that enhances the richness of the colors beneath. Its gamut is also very wide, and is excellent for black and white or rich photography. That being said, sometimes the gloss can be a little rigid and off-putting, reserved only for very specific circumstances.

The William Turner is similar to the German Etching, but consider it as its ultimate, Hulked-out brother. Extremely thick and sturdy, one can definitely feel the amount of pulp that was hard-pressed to make it. Its texture is also rich and riddled, excellent for recreating oil paintings and acrylics. However, because it's texture is so thick, it is harder for the printer to capture the same range in its gamut.

 And there you have it, our condensed, more poetic take on our Fine Art papers. If you'd like to learn about their specifications in more detail, visit our website here!

To experience these papers yourself, we do also sell a sample pack of not just the Fine Art papers, but the photographic ones too! Pop one into your cart here for $29 + shipping and handling.


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KeenArt Media is an online fine art printing and framing company, specializing in canvas, archival and photographic prints and reproductions. We are proud to serve and support artists from all over the US. 

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 (KeenART)
www.USAOnCanvas.com 
Working Hours: Pacific Standard Time
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday

Why You Should be Printing with Inkjet Printers

With the rapid sophistication of modern printing, it's becoming harder and harder to discern differences in quality when it comes to comparing the various methods one can print fine art. On Etsy alone, fine art and design prints can be found on laser-printed cardstock, off-set printed fancy paper, or inkjet-printed on high-end 100% cotton rag. But while digital laser and offset printing can be appealing due to their lower cost, inkjet printing is still by far the best choice for artists and photographers, and here are our reasons why.

An example of an inkjet printer - the Epson SureColor 

More Precise Printing Process / Higher DPI 

Unlike laser and off-set printing, inket printers do not make colors by layering one on top of another. Instead, inkjet printers print using precise nozzles connected to colour cartridges. These nozzles are activated by little electrical pulses that activate the nozzles to put out a single dot of color in a certain area. This is why inkjet printers often will advertise their high-resolution capability – this means that the higher number of dots per inch (dpi) they advertise, the smaller the dots each nozzle is able to print, resulting in a much more accurate and rich color combination than other printers. 

Photo sourced from http://www.dp3project.org/

Wider Color Gamut / Smoother Continuous Colour

Although technically inkjet printing operates on the same principles as CMYK, unlike laser and offset-printing, inkjet printers have a wider range of inks in which to print. While laser printer and off-set printers have 4 different color rolls or drums (one for each color: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black), inkjet printers often have secondary inks available in various shades of the main colors. 

CMYK Rollers for Off-Set Printing

Laser printer showing the 4 CMYK drums inside

For example, rather than having one cartridge for black (K), some inkjet printers may have matte-black or gloss-black. They may even have several different shades of gray, light cyan or dark magenta. Having a wider range of precise ink colors means inkjet printers are able to replicate a wider color gamut with more accuracy. This also results in more natural, continuous shades of color, which is why inkjet printing is often used to feature black-and-white photography.

This is why some fine art printing companies will ask files to be supplied in Adobe RGB rather than CMYK. A 6-color or 12-color inkjet printer, therefore, can create color gradations with more precision than 4-color offset or laser printers. 

Inkjet Inks, in various colours for smoother gradients 

Larger Choice of Paper

Example of Hahnemule paper, showcasing continuous grays in a b/w photo

In addition to offering a larger gamut of color in their inks, inkjet printing also offers a wider range of paper choice. This is because certain inkjet printers are built to take specific types of paper that laser printers cannot. For example, an archival 100% cotton rag paper would be too thick and textured to run through a large format laser printer.

While offset printers are able to print on a variety of paper as well, they are not usually of archival quality, and therefore do not offer the same width in color gamut. Archival papers are often acid-free as well, and photopapers are made only to receive inkjet inks. Outside of archival papers, injkets can print on virtually any other type of material as well - canvas, transfer paper for dye-sublimation printing, textiles, etc.


At KeenArt Medida, we use the Epson Surecolor inkjet printer for all your print needs. It carries a 12-color cartridge capability for stunningly smooth results. We also carry a wide range of substrates, including fine art paper, photopaper, canvas, textiles, etc - check out our selection our website today!

Fine Art

• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, Photo Rag 
• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, Textured German Etching 
• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, William Turner 
• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, Fine Art Baryta 
• Fine Art - Moab - Entrada Rag Bright 
• Fine Art - Moab - Entrada Rag Natural  

Photography

• Photographic Paper - Metallic Paper 
• Photographic Paper - Premium Luster 
• Photographic Paper - Premium Glossy 
• Photographic Paper - Premium Semigloss 
• Coated Paper - Enhanced Matte

Synthetic Textiles

• Fabric - Satin Cloth
• Fabric Removable Adhesive - Peel n' Stick
• Canvas

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KeenArt Media is a family-owned printing company specializing in fine art prints, framing, canvas and  dye sublimation (onto metal or wood!) printing. Whether it's for the home or for the gallery, we have you covered.  Inquire today!

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-88-533-6278

www.USAOnCanvas.com

Working Hours:

8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday to Thursday

8:30 AM to 4:00PM Friday

Our New Epson Printer is Here!

Hello all!

Have we got great news here at KeenArt Media, specially for those of your who are monochromatic photographers! We have just bought a brand new printer for all our Giclee needs - and it's the renowned Epson SureColor P20000!

The Epson SureColor is faster, more efficient, and crisper in its precision. Its printer head measure 2.64 inches and prints at resolutions up to 2400x1200 dpi. It is also features the first pigment ink set  with four levels of gray ink, such as Gray, Light Gray, Dark Gray and Black to provide smoother transitions and rich details for monochromatic grayscale prints. This also lessons potential noise and bronzing during output.

Here is the official spec listing from the Epson website below:

The all-new 44” Epson SureColor P10000 and 64” Epson SureColor P20000 are the successors to one of the most widely used fine art printers ever developed – the Epson Stylus^® Pro 11880.

Designed for high-production photographic, fine art and indoor display graphics printing, we’ve incorporated newly-developed imaging technologies – including an all-new high-performance 2.6” wide Epson PrecisionCore^® MicroTFP^® print head. Along with an all-new Epson UltraChrome PRO nine-color pigmented ink set – including four levels of gray – the all-new SureColor P10000 and SureColor P20000 are the ultimate production tools for the demanding requirements of high-production color and black-and-white fine art printmaking.

Including advanced media handling options from cut sheet to roll, from plain papers to photographic, fine art, and even 1.5 mm thick poster boards, the new Epson SureColor P10000 and SureColor P20000 redefine the state of the art in wide format, high-production photographic imaging applications.

So if you've got a b/w photograph or detailed artpiece in your collection, now's the perfect time to get it printed.  Upload your photo and select from our large collection of canvas and fine art prints to make the most out of our new Epson printer!

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KeenArt Media is an online fine art printing and framing company, specializing in canvas, archival and photographic prints and reproductions. We are proud to serve and support artists from all over the US. 

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 (KeenART)
www.USAOnCanvas.com 
Working Hours: Pacific Standard Time
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday

Our 5 Tips for Setting Up An Artist Space

An artist's environment is integrally important to an artist's development. Working in a space that is small and cramped isn't ideal, but for a lot of us it's an only option. For those  tiny areas, these are our top 5 tips for setting up an efficient and clean artist space.

1. Keep everything off the desk.

Penguin book designer Arielle Gamble works on illustrations for a new title.  Photo - Phu Tang.

Well, perhaps not everything. We know your desk will most likely be used to rest your pencils, paintbrushes, charcoal, water, etc. But these necessities aside, it is best to have your items off the table as much as possible, as this helps negate potential accidents from happening. The less items you have on your work space, the less likely a little charcoal thumbprint will stain the back of your work, or that your water jar will tip over when you reach for a paintbrush. This also makes clean-up easier, and prevents cross-contamination when you work from medium to medium.

2. Fill your wall-space wisely.

When you're first starting out as an artist, chances are your space will be a bit on the smaller side. While it can be tempting to stack that corner up with shelving, leaving a wall space empty may actually be more beneficial. An intentional blank wall space can actually be more inspiring, as it not only breaks up the crowding of towering storage, but it also provides a gallery space for you to hang your work when you are finished. Take time to bask in the pride of your work, the deep satisfactions of a completed piece. Hanging a piece reminds you of your productivity, and keeps your steam going to start a new piece.

If not with your own work, a blank wall space also provides an excellent area for brainstorming and iterating. It's a space for visual references and conceptual experimentation, while leaving you and your work surface clean and ready for the final process.

3. High Shelves.

 

Now that being said, shelving is also immensely important when you have a small space. The trick is to make sure you invest in the right type of shelves for your space, and from our experience, it's better to go up-up-up. If your housing situation allows, invest in shelving brackets and learn how to screw them into the wall - this will keep both your desk clear, and reserve some wall-space for inspiration and brainstorming.

If you are renting and are not able to make holes in the walls, no fear! In these scenarios we recommend adding a shelf onto a desk - or better yet, building a desk from a shelf. Sliding a desk right up against an adjustable shelf like Ikea's Billy Bookcase still lets you keep your items off the desk, while opening up a bit of much-needed gallery or inspiration wall-space underneath.

4. Wheel it in.

As your art grows, so will your work space. The best way to let both organically grow together is to keep as many components adjustable and movable as possible. By adding wheels to your furniture pieces and making each piece an isolated component on its own, you will be able to adjust your work space to fit your project, big or small. 

5. Be a bit of a Builder Bob.

Upcycling, Shena Meadowcroft

While this may sound like a bit of a stretch outside the art world, I cannot recommend it enough. The best way to ultimately make a space work for you, is to have some ability to build something to your exact need. Having some knowledge of wood types and boards (ie, birch plywood vs mdf) and some basic construction techniques will be of immense help (both to your space and to your pocket!). Once you get going, you may even find that building is actually quite fun, as it just opens up a whole new world of possibilities. 

So those are our 5 tips!! What did you think? If you have any tips you guys would like to share, let us know in the comments below and we can share them in an upcoming post!

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KeenArt Media is an online fine art printing and framing company, specializing in canvas, archival and photographic prints and reproductions. We are proud to serve and support artists from all over the US. 

KeenART Media Ltd. www.USAOnCanvas.com
Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 (KeenART)
Working hours: Pacific Standard Time
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday

Have you heard yet? We have a new Paper Sample Packs! ($29 + shipping)

Complete with 3 different types of images to help you better visualize how your print will look, our new paper sample pack certainly packs a punch! Printed on 14 different types of materials  and showcasing a Granger Rainbow Chart, as well as RGB, CMYK and Grayscale swatches, this sample pack should help in determining the perfect material for nearly any project. The complete pack is now available at an introductory price of $29, + shipping and handling ($19).

Your pack will include the following paper types:

Fine Art

• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, Photo Rag 
• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, Textured German Etching 
• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, William Turner 
• Fine Art - Hahnemuhle, Fine Art Baryta 
• Fine Art - Moab - Entrada Rag Bright 
• Fine Art - Moab - Entrada Rag Natural  

Photography

• Photographic Paper - Metallic Paper 
• Photographic Paper - Premium Luster 
• Photographic Paper - Premium Glossy 
• Photographic Paper - Premium Semigloss 
• Coated Paper - Enhanced Matte

Synthetic Textiles

• Fabric - Satin Cloth
• Fabric Removable Adhesive - Peel n' Stick
• Canvas

EXTRA BONUS: should your order of a sample pack result in a new print order of $99 and above, we'll reimburse the $19 shipping as credit towards your new order!

Got a question? We'd be happy to answer! Contact us at:

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 (KeenART)

www.USAOnCanvas.com 

Working Hours: Pacific Standard Time

8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday