Archival Paper Imagery

What Is Archival Paper and What Is It Used For?

Archival paper can be made from a variety of materials, such as wood pulp, cotton, rice, grasses and even elephant poo. (That’s right, there is paper made of elephant poo!) These materials are typically broken down either chemically or mechanically into a cellulose fiber base. It’s in how the materials are processed that allows us to have such a variety of papers to choose from.

So, what exactly is archival paper?

Archival paper is a permanent, durable, acid-free paper, intended to last a very long time. It is typically broken down into two categories, conservation-grade and archival-grade.

  • Conservation grade is commonly made from buffered wood-based pulp and is not suitable for long-term storage, as the alkaline reserve may become depleted over time, allowing it to deteriorate.
  • Archival grade is a cotton rag paper made from cotton pulp. It is also sometimes known as museum grade or museum quality. It is the most archival option in terms of stability for preservation and long-term storage.

Unfortunately, there is no universal definition of how long an archival print should last. The level of permanence is determined by the paper used, the inks used, and how the prints are stored and shown. Here are a few key factors from the established criteria from the international standards ISO 11108 which qualifies paper to be Archival grade.

  • Paper is acid-free (or neutral pH above 7) and lignin free
  • Contains no unbleached cotton
  • Free of any optical brightening agents (OBAs)
How does this benefit you as an artist or printer?

There is a reason why archival-grade is also known as museum-grade or museum quality. Simply put, archival grade paper is superior in quality and stability compared to other paper types, particularly in fine art. An archival print is designed to last a century — or longer.

That is exactly what Museo offers with our coated archival cotton rag paper. Fine art paper crafted to the highest of standards for long-term life and galley use. Each award-winning paper has been meticulously designed to give you the color depth, density, gamut, and tonal range you seek.

Most of Museo’s cotton rag papers are considered Archival grade, and can be found right here. If you’re interested in ordering a sample pack, find our diverse selection here.

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facebook groups

3 Tips to Starting a Facebook Community

There’s no denying the power that Facebooks community management tools hold for a brand looking to directly reach its audience. Most if not all of us can agree that starting a Facebook business page is a necessity, especially for a creative business. Any and all methods of content distribution should be something you should consider as a part of your strategy to bring your work to the masses. But there is a tool that some but not all have considered, your very own Facebook group. We will be discussing why your business could possibly benefit from groups and the thought process that goes into creating a group.

Starting a community

Naming your new community should catch the attention of your specific dedicated audience and those that relate to the content your group is posting. They should know what they’re coming into and they should be excited and ready to share related content to the subject matter that you have established within the groups ‘About’. You do not want to name your community after your brand, you can have your brand name in the title, but it should be something that separates your community from your business page. Do not worry about the length of the name. Be a little clever, even facetious, a good group name is key to attracting new members.

Whom to Invite, who to exclude

Think of your group as your community. You want to bring people into your private forum that you know are interested in your product/brand/message/niche/business. Start by inviting your closest friends and fans. The people that engage with you on a regular basis and support your endeavors. As people start to join be sure to have at least 1 and at most 3 questions that relate to the niche of your group. This will prevent bots and will help you narrow down who may be more engaging within your group but to start I recommend letting everyone in and be fastidious with watching the comment sections. Depending on the subject matter it is always wise to keep an eye out for trolling and spamming. Your community is a safe space for you and others interested in your niche to post, nurture it.

What to post

If you’re not accustomed to posting anything but your own content well now is time to don the content curator cap and really get to looking for what your audience can relate to or use the most. Content curation is an art and your Facebook group is the canvas. Look for your niche’s content and start posting your curated content regularly. Your original content is great but utilize this space to share everything related. If you are already curating content to your page your group is your testing grounds. It’s a place where you can engage on a more personal basis and really understand your audiences’ interests and get them engaged with your brand especially now that Facebook pages can join groups.

It takes an investment of time and attention to really get a good group going but the information you get back from your audience even from a small group is priceless and not just information, you can nurture your brand and your audiences brand loyalty. Utilizing all the tools Facebook has to offer will yield infinite benefits, use them wisely and be strategic with every action you take. This is just a few strategies on how to start a group, Facebook offers many tools to assist in making your group successful.

We hope this was helpful to you and your business. Please let us know if you would like to see more of this type of content or have any comments or suggestions you can direct message us on our Facebook or Instagram.

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How to build a better business Instagram account

Instagram is the hottest tool out there for businesses of all sizes to reach an ever growing and actively engaging audience. We know there are many of you out there that don’t think this applies to your business, well let me be the first one to tell you-you’re wrong. All social media platforms can be utilized for business, Instagram just happens to be the best one to engage directly with your audience.

Hashtags

Hashtags are your friends, the more relevant the better in my opinion. Do your hashtag research! Start with a base word and then use a tool on your web browser called hashtagify.me. This website will help you get better suggestions for hashtags for Instagram and Twitter (if you’re into that kind of thing). But there are many tools out there that are free and paid for. To start though use Instagram’s suggestion box to find some related hashtags. Then delve deeper, in the search bar on Instagram start digging away and look what you find is using for hashtags. Follow brands you already know and are within the print (or any) industry and see how specific you can get.

Formatting a post

If you’re fresh to Instagram posting isn’t as simple as writing a quick sentence and adding some hashtags. The best way to format your text is to use a serious of periods and then placing your hashtags after that, see below for an example.

instagram

Collaboration

Interacting with your community and working with people that utilize your prints and media will yield nothing but great content. Working together with those out there that are already involved and willing to help will do nothing but benefit your Instagram account. The artists you print for, they have an Instagram account and usually are posting amazing content. Feature them within your feed and hashtag accordingly. Be sure to credit and tag them properly so they are notified.

Engage

You need to be actively liking and commenting on the all posts that are relevant to your companies’ niche whether that’s print, design, wide format etc. start hunting down those influencers within your industry and engage with them, if they don’t have an Instagram, you’ll more than likely find them on twitter. Always engaging, always drive that positive conversation

Creating content

So now you have your Insta all set and ready to go but you’ve got no clue what to post. First, look at your industry and see what they are posting. Copy that and do it better. But more importantly, post what you are DOING. Use that Instagram STORY, showing your day to day, the back end of the process. Create videos and photos showcasing what you are doing, it might seem mundane but if you put some thought into what you are posting with a little intuition you can make something fantastically interesting. Your feed is just the same but with more effort, create a style, a voice, your very own aesthetic, this will establish your brand equity within the Instagram. Professionalism along with a little bit of down to earth appeal will help your audience relate.

I hope these tips give you some great ideas to start out off and hopefully build on. Instagram is a great tool for marketing, and we will revisit how to keep growth going in future blogs.

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Tips for Editing Your Fine Art Print Portfolio

Building a portfolio is deceptively difficult. The days have passed when you had to shuffle through hundreds of negatives to figure out which photo is the one you want to print. Now you must shuffle through THOUSANDS of digital images and analyze every one of them to edit down to maybe 15 or 20 images that represent your work in the best light. I just get anxiety thinking about it but worry not we have some tips for you to help you out.

Building a portfolio starts with you taking pictures obviously. You probably already have a goal in mind and style that you have established if you are considering building a professional portfolio so we will skip that. First, examine what your goals are then looking at the photos you have already taken. Does this look like what you would want to show in an interview? Look at other portfolios online and do a little comparison. Make some mental notes of what you see then apply those notes to what you have already established as a portfolio and look at what you can do to make that portfolio pop. Communicating with the photography community to get a critique of what you already have will help you find what you need to stand out among the competition.

Apply Social Media Analytics

If you’re not already using Instagram or Facebook for your photography that is a great place to get feedback on all your images. Picking the photos that get the most comments and likes might help you narrow down images that you know the people that already like your work enjoy the most. Getting as much input from every source of information is always best.

What to print on?

What to print on is just as important as what to print. Your physical portfolio should be an extension of the work you are trying to portray. I have seen several creative portfolios utilizing handmade products and even had made papers. When it comes to Museo paper all our papers our high grade and archival, so it comes down to brass tax. Gloss, Luster, Matte; thick or thin GSM. There are many papers to pick from but the one that emulates your work is best. You must consider the environment in which the photos are to be displayed, direct sun, dark room, business office. For portfolios I suggest having Matte overall, our product portfolio stands to its name and is the best option for portfolios, but all factors must be accounted for.

 

 

 

This is just the beginning of how you can edit your print portfolio, but I hope this helps you get back on track to making that portfolio that will win you that job you are working hard to get. Museo wants to see every artist out their flourish with the best materials to suit their work. It’s with that mission in mind that we hope you appreciated this info and if you do have any questions please contact marketing@dietzgen.com.

Look at more resources here, or check out our online shop. 

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Museo Legend Feature Del Higgins

Del Higgins’ world is one of natural beauty and peace. Del has a great compositional and technical grasp with his fantastic landscapes with very aesthetically pleasing dramatism incorporated into each frame. Del started taking pictures in high school and got back into it in 2007. You can appreciate his creative growth through his technical expertise and the evolution of his style.

You can tell he is at home in nature and show’s his reverence and respect for the world around him through carefully editing what he chooses to display. One of the greatest challenges I have found as an artist is editing nature photography. The persistence of the world around you makes it all beautiful and to pick and choose what is your best work is challenging to say the least. Del’s landscape echoes many fine art painters and photographers with the world he chooses to show in his work.  His use of water in motion leaves me wanting to see the photos he didn’t choose. Each frame he chooses to show seems to be carefully chosen and well-manicured.

I have a great appreciation for his subtle composition of peace. One of the most difficult things in photography to me is making a peaceful landscape no matter how beautiful, interesting. It takes a great eye for composition and timing to be in the right place to capture the proverbial breath of the wild.

 

Del does a great job and showcasing color and beauty while keeping his work interesting. He takes advantage of our MAX250/365 line of papers as well our Silver rag fantastic for his style of photography to emphasize the subtle colors along with his vivid colors with deep colors and blacks. His evolution as an artist really shows an artist coming into his own and understanding the world around him.

Check out Del’s work on his Facebook here

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How to Use The Product Page

The product page is full of information that will help you figure out which Museo product is right for your needs. If that doesn’t work our capable customer service associates at Dietzgen can assist you with any questions you may have.

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fine art ecommerce

How to Sell Printed Fine Art in the Digital Age

The need to show your art at a gallery to get your name out there in the art world is long gone. While we advise everyone to show your work publicly as often as possible, if you want to build a fanbase you must take advantage of the social media and an e-commerce website. You no longer need to rely on in-person sales in a gallery, your work should speak for itself in the digital and physical space. Here are several resources with their pros and cons that will help you sell your creation:

How to Print

Printing fine art can be a treacherous road to go down. When it comes down to it, basing your decision on how to print your art should be a decision based on knowledge, experience, budget, time allotment and tech know-how.

A great place to start is by glancing at your local listings for fine art printers. Depending on how many prints you want to make doing limited or large runs, it is likely your local printer will be able to help you. While this is not the most affordable route, it is most likely the easiest.

Printing from home is going to be your most time-consuming option. The benefit of printing from home is that you control the process from start to finish. While the initial cost can be pricey, depending on your printer needs, purchasing your own paper and ink will always be more affordable. Owning your process will keep you in control of quality and shipping

Printing online can be a tricky but quick route to fulfill sales. There are two ways to print online. The first is printing and shipping through a drop shipping company like Printful. If you aren’t familiar with dropshipping, it is a business model that prints, ships, and does customer service products for clients e-commerce stores. All you need to do is market your product. The second way to print online is going to any number of websites that you can upload your image and order prints from, just like you would through your local printer but without the storefront. The cost here can vary so do your research and compare your prices.

Where To Sell

So you have created your portfolio website to show off your work but you’re not getting as many orders as you thought. These days many people do not realize how easy it is to create an e-commerce site. Utilizing any one of the website platforms out there like Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace, you can sell prints of your site directly through the internet. This provides a customer funnel that more people are accustomed to, along with all of the information you need to to be a successful e-commerce seller. It’s a great way to get started selling online with little entry cost.

Shipping

When selling online your logistics is one of your prime concerns. Shipping FedEx and UPS should be considered for your rush orders, but utilizing USPS and stamps.com is a great starter for getting the stamps you need to ship your prints regularly.

How To Sell

Now that everything is in place for you to print, sell and ship your work, all that’s left is getting people to your page. Of course, if you haven’t been living under a rock for the last almost 15 or so years, social media is a great way to attract people to your website. Your website is a great place to show your art, but social media is an even better outlet to grow your audience. Finding your audience and learning their interests and engaging with them will not only help you develop your artistic style, but it will also grow your business at the same time. Engaging with people honestly will grow your business 100 times more than any website will.

How To Price Your Work

Last but certainly not least a question most artists toy with on a regular basis “How do I price my artwork?” There is some “simple” math to find out this answer. Time + Materials + Experience = Price. This should give you a relative base price for your artwork. How much time you put into the actual artwork, plus how much you spent on materials to create it, plus your relative experience (degree, years honing your style and skills) will give you a general price. Now take this with a grain of salt and just look at how much you are charging for your work and if you are not comfortable with the price certainly charge more. But this is only regarding selling digitally reproduced fine art, selling originals is a whole other ball game.

We hope this helps you get your start selling your amazing artwork online and gives you a small gleam into what many have turned into a full-time job or at least a great side business. Building a following on social media is never an overnight process of fame and fortune. It takes hard work to create, engage with, and grow your audience, but through perseverance and insight, it is easily within reach.

 

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optimum printing

OPTIMUM PRINTING ENVIRONMENT

The levels of heat and humidity in the printing environment can have a negative impact on image quality. It’s important to always keep the levels stable and within the recommended guidelines of the printer manufacturer. It’s lucky for us that digital printers work best in the same environmental conditions preferred by people.

The optimum levels of temperature and relative humidity (rH) in a print environment is 68°F (20°C) at 50-60% rH. A thermometer can be used to measure the temperature and a hygrometer can be used to measure the relative humidity. A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the amount of humidity in the atmosphere (or print environment).

Prints produced in high rH printing environments take much longer to dry and exhibit poor ink adhesion. High relative humidity also increases the amount of dot gain, image bleed, and coating/image tack. Prints produced in lower rH printing environments will dry faster and will exhibit better ink adhesion. The prints will also have less dot gain, image bleed, and coating/image tack.

Temperature in the print environment can be controlled properly with a high-quality HVAC system. A programmable thermostat is recommended to keep the temperature stable within +/-  1°F. An evaporative humidifier can be used to increase the relative humidity in the print environment. A dehumidifier can be used to decrease the relative humidity in the print environment.

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printer

PRINT QUALITY ISSUES?

You can fix most common print quality issues yourself before calling for technical support. The following information will help you troubleshoot the problem.

Print is Blurry or Smeared

• Make sure the media is acclimated to the printer environment for at least 48 hours.
• Check the Media Type setting. Make sure it is correct for the media you are using in the printer.
If the exact media type is not available in the printer driver, choose a media setting with a similar material type and thickness.
• Make sure the printable side is face-up when loaded in the printer. Also, make sure the media is compatible with your ink type.
• Check for an ink leak inside the printer. Clean up excess ink inside the printer using a soft, clean cloth.
• Clean the printheads. Use the printer’s Head Cleaning utility or manually clean the print heads.
Print has Smears on the Leading Edge
• If the edge of the media is curled in the direction of the printable side, flatten it or curl it toward the opposite side.
Also, try spooling out one or two feet of media past the platen. It will prevent the print heads from striking the curled edge.
• Check the Media Type setting. Make sure it is correct for the media you are using in the printer.
• Adjust the PLATEN GAP or HEAD HEIGHT to the proper distance for the loaded media.

Poor Ink Adhesion

All Printers

• Make sure the media is acclimated to the printer environment for at least 48 hours.
• Check the Media Type setting. Make sure it is correct for the media you are using in the printer.
If the exact media type is not available in the printer driver, choose a media setting with a similar material type and thickness.
If there is too much ink on the media, choose a media setting with a lower ink limit.
• If applicable to your printer, set the printer to the correct temperature for the media. Thicker media may require a higher temperature than thin media.
• Make sure the printable side is face-up when loaded in the printer.
• Set the printer to the correct speed for the media. Inkjet printers may require the number of passes to be increased or decrease for the media. Also, try to print in uni-direction mode.
• Older media (two years past the manufactured date) may be unprintable due to changes in its composition. Discard expired media and replace it with fresh product.

UV Printers

• Increase the intensity of the UV lamps.
• Increase the number passes for the media.
• Print in uni-direction mode.
• If there is too much ink on the media, choose a media setting with a lower ink limit.

Horizontal Banding

• Make sure the media is acclimated to the printer environment for at least 48 hours.
• Check the Media Type setting. Make sure it is correct for the media you are using in the printer.
If the exact media type is not available in the printer driver, choose a media setting with a similar material type and thickness.
• Make sure the printable side is face-up when loaded in the printer. Also, make sure the media is compatible with your ink type.
• Clean the print heads. Use the printer’s Head Cleaning utility or manually clean the print heads.
• Decrease the media compensation or feed rate for white banding. Increase the media compensation or feed rate for dark banding.
• Check the levels of the ink cartridges. Replace ink cartridges if they are low or empty.

Vertical Banding or Misalignment

• Make sure the media is acclimated to the printer environment for at least 48 hours.
• Check the Media Type setting. Make sure it is correct for the media you are using in the printer.
If the exact media type is not available in the printer driver, choose a media setting with a similar material type and thickness.
• Print in uni-direction mode.
• Adjust the PLATEN GAP or HEAD HEIGHT to the proper distance for the loaded media.
• Run the printer’s Print Head Alignment utility for the loaded media.

Print is Light or it Looks Faded

• Check that the ink cartridges have not exceeded their expiration date. The expiration date is on the cartridge label.
• Check the Media Type setting. Make sure it is correct for the media you are using in the printer.
If the exact media type is not available in the printer driver, choose a media setting with a similar material type and thickness.
• Clean the print heads. Use the printer’s Head Cleaning utility or manually clean the print heads.
• Check the levels of the ink cartridges. Replace ink cartridges if they are low or empty

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paper curl

HOW TO SOLVE PRINTER CURL

paper curl

PRODUCT CURL

Many specialty media products develop “roll set curl” from being wound onto cores.  Allowing the material to equilibrate to the printing environment for 24hrs before printing can help reduce the excessive curl and minimize the impact on media loading and printing.

Media exposed to high humidity will be more susceptible to curling when loaded on the printer. It’s best practice to keep the print environment at 50% relative humidity and the air temperature at 70˚F. Also, adjusting the platen heater to extreme temperatures may result in buckling of the loaded media. Best practice suggests heater settings between 40˚C – 45˚C.

There are two methods for properly loading media on a printer that reduce the risk of a head strike.

METHOD 1

Advance the edge of the media 6” past the platen when loading it to avoid head strikes. This method is good for media with a slight curl.

METHOD 2

Advance the edge of the media at least 12” past the platen when loading it. Secure the end of the media to the printer take up reel with masking tape. One piece of tape in the center, one piece on the left and one piece on the right. Adjust the take-up reel to a sufficient degree of tension (if applicable) before starting the printer. Check to make sure the tape does not break free after starting the printer. This method is best for media with a moderate curl.

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