Printing
Archival Quality Prints
We use archival quality ink, paper, canvas and framing materials to create art and photo prints that last a lifetime when cared for properly. You can find our different printing, stretching and framing options below.
Fine art and photo printing in Canberra
Lucent Imaging prints artwork and photographs to order at our Fyshwick studio. Work leaves here in one of four forms: a loose print ready for your own framer, a print we frame for you, a canvas stretched over a bar, or a stretched canvas set into a shadow box. Nothing is printed until you have signed off on the size, the paper and the crop.
Inks, papers and canvas
Prints are made with 12-colour Lucia PRO pigment inks. Pigment inks matter here: the colourant is a solid particle suspended in the ink rather than a dye dissolved into it, and that is what makes a print fade resistant rather than merely colourful on the day it is made.
We print only to papers by Canson, Hahnemühle and Ilford, in two collections:
- Studio Collection - our most popular papers, and the most cost-effective option for prints under A3: Canson Edition Etching (310gsm), Canson Platine Fibre Rag (310gsm), Hahnemühle Photo Rag (308gsm) and Ilford Smooth Pearl (310gsm).
- Extended Collection - premium and specialty stocks for archival editions and exhibition work, covering textured cottons, Japanese fibres and metallics: Canson Rag Photographique and Canson Aquarelle (310gsm), Hahnemühle Torchon (285gsm), Hahnemühle Bamboo, Hemp and Agave (290gsm), and Ilford Metallic Gloss (310gsm).
Canvas prints are printed with lightfast pigment inks onto cotton-based canvas by Canson and Hahnemühle, then coated with a protective varnish and stretched ready to hang.
Fine Art Prints
Ready to frame art prints made using fade resistant pigment inks and archival quality materials.
Framed Prints
Ready to hang framed prints that are custom made using 40mm deep moulding to fit your fine art prints.
Stretched Canvas Prints
Ready to hang fine art canvas prints stretched over a 40mm deep stretcher bar for a premium feel.
Framed Canvas Prints
Ready to hang fine art canvas prints, stretched and fitted in a 40mm shadow box frame for a premium feel.
What "archival" means here
"Archival" is not a protected word - anyone may print it on a price list. So it is worth setting out exactly what we mean by it, and where the limits of the claim sit.
The ink
Pigment, not dye, and selected to be lightfast. This is the single biggest factor in whether a print still looks right in twenty years.
The paper
Fine art and photographic stocks from Canson, Hahnemühle and Ilford - the cotton rag and fibre papers listed above - chosen for their own archival properties rather than for cost.
The mounting
Where a print is mounted, we use P.A.T. (ISO 18916) certified adhesives onto substrates such as Dibond and Alupanel. P.A.T. is the Photographic Activity Test: it is the one part of this process carrying a formal international standard number, and it applies to the adhesive and mounting materials, not to the print itself.
The framing
Framing is where measurable lifespans start to apply, and they depend on the level you choose: Premium framing protects work for around 5-10 years in ideal conditions, Conservation framing for up to 20 years, and Museum framing for up to 35 years. Conservation and Museum framing both use reversible techniques, so the print can be taken back out undamaged.
Put together, prints made this way last a lifetime when cared for properly.
Sizes and resolution
We print fine art at 600 PPI, so the pixel dimensions of your file set the largest size it can print sharply. Upscaling adds size but not real detail, so start with the most pixels you have. Larger prints are a more forgiving case than they sound: work viewed from further away still reads well at a lower PPI.
If you are not sure what your file can carry, our print size calculator converts pixel dimensions into a maximum size at each quality level, or you can send the file to us and we will advise.
Turnaround
Fine art and photo prints from approved, print-ready files take 2-4 working days. Hand-finishing such as torn edges or mounting adds time, and canvas and framed work run considerably longer - see turnaround times for the current guide. These are guides rather than promises; we confirm a firm completion date when your quote is approved.
Who we print for
Illustrators, digital creatives, watercolour and pastel artists, designers, sketch artists and cartoonists reproducing original work; wedding, landscape, portrait, commercial and aerial photographers who need colour accuracy and print longevity; and galleries and institutions across Australia.
We are a carbon neutral print and digitisation studio. Emissions we cannot design out are offset with carbon units invested in Western Australia's Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor, and prints are delivered by Australia Post, who are committed to carbon-neutral delivery.
Ready to print?
Order your prints online, or check how big you can print your file.