Printing your artwork

Your print

Printing brings the work into physical space. Each Black Flag Art artwork is supplied as an ultra-high-resolution master file, prepared for large-scale, professional production. The file allows you to print on fine art paper, photographic paper, or alternative contemporary materials, at sizes suitable for serious interior display.

This page offers guidance based on our experience with professional labs and art galleries. You are free to choose any printer or framing solution you prefer — the artwork is yours to interpret.

If you would like a reliable, high-quality online option, you can print directly with our recommended lab below.

Print

Fine Art Paper (Giclée)

Giclée printing is usually our preferred choice for all our art and photo works. Archival pigment inks are printed with professional inkjet printers on fine art paper. The results are outstanding for all prints apart from glossier photos. Fine art cotton rag papers absorb light softly, producing deep yet non-glossy blacks, a refined matte surface, minimal glare, and excellent long-term colour stability. A variety of fine art papers are available in matte and gloss finishes but they will always be less glossy and more paper-textured than C-type Prints.

Photo Paper (C-Print)

Choose C-type (Chromogenic print) photo printing for highly saturated colour photos, fashion imagery, cinematic gradients or photographs that rely on luminosity and gloss. The process is similar to a classic darkroom process where light sensitive photo paper is exposed to the image. The photographic process delivers exceptionally smooth tonal transitions, a subtle glow in highlights, natural skin tones and a deeper glossy presence. Although photo papers are available in matte and gloss finishes, they will have a smoother glossy texture.

Canvas etc.

Other formats such as canvas, acrylic face-mounting, or direct printing on aluminium are also available through many professional labs. These options can suit decorative or high-impact interior settings, offering texture, gloss or a frameless presentation. While visually striking, they are generally less aligned with traditional gallery display than Giclée or C-type Prints. It’s your print though, so feel free to explore different styles.

Mounting styles

Once you have selected your preferred print method, the next decision concerns mounting and presentation. Mounting determines how the print is supported before framing or hanging. A print can be supported by a traditional thick backing board, float mounted in a frame, adhered to a rigid panel such as Dibond, face-mounted behind acrylic, or presented with a passe-partout. Each approach shapes the character of the artwork, from classic and understated to clean and contemporary, and should be chosen in dialogue with the scale of the work, whether framed or freestanding and the atmosphere of the interior.

Archival Mounting.

Archival mounting refers to the traditional method used by framers and museums for works on paper. The print is either hinge-mounted or adhered to an acid-free backing board using conservation-grade materials, then framed under glass. This approach prioritises longevity and stability, and is typically chosen for paper-based works intended for classic or collector-style presentation. It is a reversible process.

This is perfect for limited edition and fragile prints. Prints often have a more organic appearance as the paper structures age and contract.

Floating Mount.

A floating mount creates the impression that the print is suspended within the frame. The artwork is secured to a hidden backing board and spaced slightly away from the surrounding mount, leaving a visible border around the edges. This technique highlights the paper’s edges and gives the work presence and breathing space. In this example the print has a “deckled edge” which makes it look like the paper is torn rather than cut. It is often executed by specialist printers and framers rather than online print labs. Typically a reversible process.

We feel this works very well for contemporary art giclée prints on textured paper.

Dibond Mount.

Dibond mounting involves adhering the print to an aluminium composite panel. The panel provides rigidity and perfect flatness, preventing warping or cockling over time. This method is widely used in contemporary photography and gallery exhibitions, particularly for large-scale works. It can be displayed framed or unframed, often with a clean, modern profile. Variations of this technique is used with perspex or foam boards. Non reversible but longlasting and widely used.

We think this is very good, stable, high quality solution for mounting your prints if you are looking for a clean, modern look.

Acrylic Mount.

Acrylic mounting (often called face-mounting) bonds the print behind a sheet of clear acrylic glass, typically with a rigid backing such as Dibond. This produces a glossy, luminous surface with enhanced depth and colour saturation. It suits bold, high-impact interiors but creates a more contemporary, polished aesthetic than traditional framed paper prints. Non reversible but widely used. Easier to clean and harder to damage.

We feel this works well for very large unframed photo landscapes and is more architectural than art gallery in style.

for FRamed Prints

Passe-partout

A passe-partout sits between the print and the frame, creating visual space around the artwork. Traditionally cream or off-white, it can also be used creatively in coloured or textured finishes. Passe-partouts soften the presentation and connect the artwork to its architectural setting. While many online labs offer standard options, more bespoke solutions are usually achieved through a professional framer.

    • Technical Standards

    Choosing a good print lab

    Experience & Reputation

    One of the simplest indicators of quality is who the lab works with. If the lab produces work for professional photographers, galleries or artists, it is more likely to understand colour discipline, finishing standards and good presentation. Good quality printing is a skill that artists, collectors and galleries value highly.



    Paper & Materials

    Professional fine art labs should offer recognised archival papers such as Hahnemühle, Canson or Epson Fine Art ranges. Look for 100% cotton rag options for matte work, baryta papers for deeper blacks, and clearly stated paper weights (typically 300gsm+ for fine art prints). Recognised brands for photo papers are Fuji, Kodak and Ilford.

    Pigment Ink Systems

    For gallery quality Giclée fine art print work, labs should use pigment-based ink systems rather than dye inks. Pigment inks offer superior longevity, improved resistance to UV fading, and more stable colour reproduction over time.

    Colour Management & ICC Profiles

    Because each paper absorbs ink differently, every printer and paper combination requires a specific ICC profile (International Color Consortium) to translate colour accurately from your file to the final print. This ensures your print is as close in print to what you see on screen. Professional labs develop individual ICC profile settings for their printer and paper combinations and regularly recalibrate their systems using spectrophotometers.

    File Preparation

    All Black Flag Art master files are supplied in Adobe RGB (1998) at 16-bit depth and 16k pixels to preserve maximum tonal and colour information. Professional labs will know exactly how to manage and preserve the image information in such high quality files, whether you choose to print Giclée or C-Type.



    Large Format Printers

    High-end labs typically use large-format pigment printers for Giclée prints from manufacturers such as Epson (SureColor P-series) or Canon (PRO series), or light exposure systems such as Durst Lambda or Océ LightJet for C-Type printing. These are expensive machines and while printer model matters, calibration, maintenance and operator skill are equally important.

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    Print. Print. Print.

    Your Black Flag Art artwork is supplied as a master file of exceptional quality, prepared for professional printing for small intimate spaces or for large contemporary rooms. Unlike traditional print editions fixed in a single format, you have the freedom to explore scale, paper and presentation.

    We encourage you to test different sizes and finishes. Print a smaller version to study the tones and texture. Try a larger format to understand the impact in space. Experimenting is part of the process and one of the advantages of owning a high-resolution digital master.

    For convenience, we suggest WhiteWall, whose printing and framing services we have used and found reliable. We have no affiliation with them; you are entirely free to work with any professional lab you trust. In many cases, a reputable local fine art printer can offer excellent results and the benefit of direct consultation (and even sometimes same-day printing). Our aim is simple: to help you bring the work confidently into your space.

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