The Value of… Archival Art Print Quality Contemporary Art Prints

The Value of… Archival and Conservation Quality

Investing in art for your home or office is an investment in your personal environment. Art contributes a great deal to the atmosphere you live in as well as saying something about who you are. In the case of art it isn't solely the subject of the art itself. Archival quality is an important value.

One can invest a relatively small amount in a poster print reproduction of a Picasso. If you display it in the often available inexpensive mass produced frame it will look like a framed poster.

One can invest in a Picasso poster print and then invest in a professional frame. Unless your extremely wealthy no one would expect you to own an original Picasso so a print would be most acceptable. The poster print may be a temporary viable alternative. If you know anyone who collects say movie posters, you will know they go to great effort to prevent the rapid fading and the rapid yellowing that occurs. If you are displaying what is clearly a poster, say a movie poster, the fading and yellowing is something one would expect to see. In the case of a Picasso print the fading and yellowing of a poster is not. In a matter of just a few months your Picasso print may look like an aging poster in maybe an expensive frame. Actually the inexpensive frames often available on line often do not include protective glass and they may include adhesives, inexpensive mat board and backing materials that are not acid free or neutral ph and will actually add to the deterioration of your art.

Another important factor in investing in art is what you do with it if you decide to change to some new art because you have changed your interior design or found a piece you like better. Maybe you can even use the frame for the new piece. You could then just toss the "old" art in the trash. In the case of a poster print you might as well. In the case of a quality archival print or reproduction you can store it. We have all heard of people finding valuable art in an attic and who knows.

There are archival quality prints of work by famous artists. In fact there are real paintings that are excellent copies of work by famous artists available. These of course will cost more than the rather inexpensive poster prints you find offered by so many especially on the internet. If you can't afford or do not wish to invest in the cost of a quality archival print by a famous artist then there are 1000's of not so famous artists that produce fine work that is either the original work or an archival quality print or reproduction for a lesser investment. It is all about finding art that you like and want to live with. Finding investment quality art by an unknown artist can be an excellent investment. Investing in poster "high quality" or "finest quality" art by a famous artist may end up in the trash sooner than you think. If it doesn't say archival it isn't.

Before you buy learn what the art is printed on. We at DOUGLAS Art Prints® have selected a heavy weight fine art 100% cotton rag paper by Hahnemühle. The Hahnemühle paper is produced in strict accordance with DIN6738/ ISO9706 specifications for archive grade paper, are 100% acid free with a neutral pH that can withstand the tests of time over "several centuries".

Before you buy learn what inks are used to produce your print. We at DOUGLAS Art Prints® use only ink that is certified to deliver archival results with a lightfastness rating of up to 108 years for color prints, and up to 140 years for black and white (B&W) prints.

If your investing in art prints once you decide you like the art it is important to learn if it is produced with archival or conservation materials unless you plan on tossing it in the trash in the future. The same is true of frames. Your local frame shop will provide you with an archival or conservation quality frame. That on line bargain frame may contain materials that will actually shorten the life of your art. It may not even include protective glass so your art is further subject to damage from the environmant. Even worse, instead of glass it may have a plastic protective covering and that plastic will even further add to the destruction of your art unless it is archival or conservation quality.

"Finest quality", "best quality", and "giclée" mean nothing unless it is archival or conservation quality.