Print Information. Black and White Human Interest, Music and Fine Art Photography by Greig Clifford

An information page for anyone who would like to know more about the prints, the variations, the print process, and the thinking behind my preferred choices too.

Print formats

The print process

Print life expectancy

Silver Gelatin prints compared with C-Type and Giclee prints

Changing papers for numbered prints in May 2024

Print formats.

Prints currently exist in a number of different formats which can be categorised as:

Poster prints
Exhibition prints
Bespoke prints
Numbered prints (applies to all images listed in the Print Archive).

Poster prints are very affordable high quality prints on coated paper which look great framed. However, they are not archival, but this is reflected in the price.

Exhibition prints are typically one-off prints made specifically for exhibiting purposes. Although print quality must be suitably high, these prints are not necessarily made using archival paper and could be on a variety of media.

Bespoke prints are made to the specific requirements of the buyer.

Numbered prints are created to exacting standards and should be regarded as the preferred print media. Each print is of exhibition quality, strictly limited in number, and all are signed. They are made with longevity in mind by using methods and materials with a proven history of archivability when properly cared for.

Most of the photographs in the Print Archive have an aspect ratio of 3:2 so they are printed in a range of dimensions to suit framing (with a protective border of matting) to the popular A1, A2, A3, and A4 sizes, which accomodate the 3:2 aspect ratio well. The few images of a different aspect ratio (such as 4:3 or 1:1) are generally similarly sized, but with dimension differences better suited to imperial measurement frames.

For ease of reference the numbered print sizes are named as follows:

Gallery size.
The 'gallery' size prints are the largest of the numbered print sizes, with an image typically 30" x 20" (762mm x 508mm). Usually only one of these prints will be made.

Original size.
The 'original' size prints are smaller than the gallery print size, typically 20" x 13.33" (508mm x 339mm), and usually no more than three of these will be made.

Standard size.
The 'standard' size prints are smaller than an original print size, typically 13.5" x 9" (343mm x 229mm), and usually no more than five of these will be made.

Collection size.
The 'collection' size prints are the smallest, typically 7.5" x 5" (191mm x 127mm) and they are more numerously available. Usually no more than 10 of these will be made.

Image of a signed collection size print, and also shown displayed.

All numbered prints are sold unmounted and unframed. A Certificate of Authenticity is included, which can be checked with a filed copy if requested.

The print process.

Prior to May 2024, all numbered prints were made by a C-type or Giclee process.

Prints created from May 2024 onwards are pure silver gelatin prints made in the traditional way where the image is projected onto light sensitive black and white paper which is then processed in chemical baths to develop and fix the resulting image, before being thoroughly washed and dried.

Each print is inspected by myself (and spotted if necessary), then signed and numbered using archival pigment ink to match the longevity of the printed image.

The paper I currently prefer is a resin coated silver gelatin paper from Harman / Ilford with a lustre texture for a semi matt finish. It is an evolution of the Ilfospeed paper I used to print with in my darkroom over 30 years ago.

I have prints I made then that look just the same today and I trust contemporary papers and processing to also create prints that can last at least as well.

Incidentally, fibre based silver gelatin prints can also be made as a bespoke print.

Print life expectancy.

There is a direct correlation between the life expectancy of the print and how well it is protected from factors that may cause it to deteriorate. Such factors are exposure to heat, moisture, atmospheric pollutants, and light. All can be equally damaging.

In my experience I would protect a print for display by framing it behind UV light-filtered glass or acrylic. To prevent the print from touching the glass or acrylic, it should have a window cut mat border. This should be hinged with acid free tape to mat backing board onto which the print can be held in place with acid free photo corners. The mountboard used for the matting border and backing should also be acid free. The frame backing can then be attached and sealed with paper tape.

This process should provide a good level of protection from atmospheric pollutants, and depending on the glass or acrylic used, from upto 99% of UV light, but proper consideration to where the print will be displayed is a key factor in a long print life. Keeping prints away from direct sunlight is important. LED light sources are less harmful than flourescent lights. Damp, or humid conditions should also be avoided, as should displaying a print near a direct heat source such as above a radiator.

Assuming such protective precautions are taken, I expect a displayed numbered print to age well over a lifetime and longer, with C-type and Silver Gelatin prints gradually showing a subtle shift towards the look of old photographs from the last century and earlier as they head closer towards antiquity.

Close view of the paper used for c-type prints.
Close view to show the texture of the resin coated silver gelatin paper used for numbered prints.

Silver Gelatin prints compared with C-Type and Giclee prints.

C-Type prints are also known as chromogenic prints and are similar in many ways to silver gelatin black and white prints, being made by projecting the image onto light sensitive paper which is then developed and fixed chemically. The difference is that the chromogenic prints are made using a dye based paper designed for making colour images, whereas silver gelatin paper can only make black and white images.

Fujifilm make one of the most widely used papers for creating chromogenic prints, under the Crystal Archive label. This paper was used for all Collection size images made before May 2024. Like the resin coated silver gelatin prints now available, these C-type prints are expected to last a lifetime and more if properly cared for.

Close view of the paper used for c-type prints.
Close view to show the texture of the Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper used for C-type prints.

The Giclee process is not a photographic one, instead using sophisticated inkjet printers and pigment inks to make archival fine art prints. Its popularity has greatly increased as technological advances have improved paper archivability and ink permanence. Depending on the ink and paper used Giclee prints are thought to be able to last many hundreds of years. This process was used to make all numbered prints before May 2024 that were larger than Collection size.

Prints were made onto Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308gsm, a 100% cotton paper of museum quality for high age resistance. This was my preferred printing method, as the paper is heavier and has no reflective qualities, the blacks are deep and the paper base tone has a warmer look. I also felt the paper's texture complimented the natural grain of my film images and added a random beauty to digital photographs.

Close view of the paper used for Giclee prints.
Close view to show the texture of the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper used for giclee prints.

Both print types are standard processes which can be seen in the best museums and galleries the world over. Despite the lower archive life expectancy many of the world's most expensive selling photographs at auction were chromogenic prints.

Changing papers for numbered prints in May 2024

Although there are surely many benefits to C-type and Giclee printing processes, there are downsides too, and I had started to feel that a pure black and white print process with traditional techniques would better reflect my photography practice.

By adopting Silver Gelatin prints as my preferred print media I no longer needed to be concerned about the possibility of colour casts in C-type prints. It also addressed an issue I have with Giclee prints, that they are not so easy to care for.

With Giclee prints I find that one has to be very careful to not touch the image at all, especially if the print is dark with a lot of black ink. A small speck of dust can be tricky to remove, and can't always just be wiped off like it can with a cotton gloved hand on a resin coated print. It is easier to mark or stain some Giclee prints.

Any moisture can ruin the print completely. This is not such an issue with C-type or Silver Gelatin prints, both of which are created using wet chemicals and washed.

I have also found that some of my Giclee prints, made on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, were sometimes susceptible to yellowing when they were stored in less than perfect conditions. C-type and resin coated silver gelatin prints stored for the same time with the giclee prints in the same box were not affected in the slightest.

This was important to know for me as I think it is likely that even the best cared for print will be exposed to less than perfect conditions on occasion through its lifetime. I have no doubt that there will be another paper less affected by such conditions but until I have personal long term experience of this I cannot be fully confident using it.

I have therefore come to the opinion that although Giclee prints have a technically greater potential archive life, in reality I think the prints I have are more likely to be damaged before then just by handling by non-professionals and life in the real world.

This real world handling is also why I prefer printing with resin coated paper for the numbered prints, rather than with the fibre based version, as the resin coated prints resist wear and tear from handling particularly well.

Despite my comments about C-type and Giclee prints I still think they are a good product and I am happy to make those remaining available to buy. However, for the reasons stated, all numbered prints made from May 2024 onwards will now be of the Silver Gelatin variety on a resin coated paper with a semi-matt lustre surface texture.