Proofing

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Proofing

Proofing

For complete control over your final print, proofing is a prerequisite. The proofing is an important phase before the actual printing of your work. Therefore we always recommend having a small colour proof made beforehand instead of printing directly. This way we prevent disappointments afterwards due to deviations in colour from your file on your monitor or from your original work.

We make a distinction between digital files delivered by you and reproductions of paintings and art works scanned by us on our Cruse Fine Art Scanner.

  • Proof on fine art paper or canvas
  • Clean-up of file
  • Professional coaching

Proofing of digitally delivered files

In most cases, what you see on your monitor is not what appears as a print. After all, you are moving from a light source RGB to a print, whereby lots of factors determine what the print will look like.

We work with calibrated EIZO monitors that are attuned to our printing process. Our experience is that many artists and photographers work with an Apple monitor or a monitor attuned to film or Internet use. In addition, the settings of Photoshop are of tremendous importance and also whether you have saved the file with an ICC profile. If that is not the case, the outcome in colour is unpredictable. It makes a huge difference in what colour space within Photoshop you work. Is it S-RGB, Adobe RGB or Pro-Photo RGB? All three lead to different outcomes in print when they are converted to the inks that we use for our fine art and giclée prints.

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This is why we always recommend you to have a proof made the first time. On the basis of this proof we can still adjust the result and make corrections. Once the proof has been agreed, we shall save all the data in the digital master so that exactly the same result is achieved in the event of any reprints.

Proofing of a painting

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The reproduction of a painting is one of the most difficult processes within our craft. The reason is that an artist can paint any colour perceptible to the human eye. Unfortunately it is also a scientific fact that we are not capable of laying down or printing every colour photographically, because many colours fall outside the photographic colour spectrum or are outside the colour range of our of pigment inks.

Then again, some colours that we cannot photograph we can actually print, or vice versa. An oil painting calls for another approach than a painting in acrylic. As a result of the transparency of oil paint, colours can change through the light refraction. Moreover, the medium on which we print is also a decisive factor for the colour rendition. A glossy paper or ChromaLuxe plate has a more intense appeal than a matt type of paper. This makes it necessary to conduct extensive colour testing in order to come as close to the original painting as possible. This implies that it will sometimes be necessary to compromise, but once the colours have been laid down, we guarantee that the first and the last print of your edition are exactly equivalent.

During the proofing phase we also optimise the digital file and retouch any disruptive elements, such as dust particles, scratches or reflections. In consultation with the artist we also remove the original signature so that it can be signed again later. We carry out the proofing on the same material on which we print later. After approval, we save all the data in the digital master file and we save the colour test in our archive, which enables us to give you this guarantee of equivalence.