FAQ’s

What is a giclee and how do you pronounce it?

A giclee (pronounced ‘zhee-clay’) is a type of art reproduction using highly advanced technology specially designed for this purpose. The word itself is French for ‘spray’ which in this case refers to the process of inkjet printing on canvas and other archival substrates. In the art industry giclees have dominantly overtaken traditional art reproduction methods- such as lithography due to their many advantages.

Why create giclee editions of your art?

Simply put-it greatly increases your earning potential and greatly expands the marketability of your artwork. Making giclee editions provide you with additional marketing categories:

You are able to keep your original art at full market value.
You are then able to make several price categories for different sized prints.

If someone likes your artwork yet cannot afford the original, you can offer a giclee edition that looks just as good as the original, at a print size that fits within their budget- again making your artwork much more marketable and accessible, while increasing your profits.

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How do I reproduce my artwork?

Upload or send us a digital file of your artwork or photographs and let us take care of the rest! (See digital file requirements) If you are reproducing a painting- we strongly recommend having a professional photographer or reprographics company handle the digital capture - as your print will only be as good as your digital file. As our service is tuned to web-users, most of our clients will send a digital file that is already color-calibrated to match the original artwork as closely as possible. They are then happy to find that we can very accurately reproduce their artwork at prices much lower than our competitors.

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How do I upload my file?

After checking out, you will directed back to our web site. View your account by clicking on the Account tab. Under My Orders, you can click on any orders that need to have images uploaded. You can upload multiple files up to 200 MB each.

If you need to upload files larger than 200MB or are having trouble uploading your files to our web site, you can either try uploading the file via FTP or send us a CD with the file(s) on it.

To upload via FTP:

Please contact us and let us know you would like to upload the files via FTP and we will send you instructions.
Once you recieve the email, follow the directions using an FTP client. If you do not have one, you can download a free one from here.

Note: Please be sure to check your Junk Email box just in case our email was directed there by mistake.

To Send a CD:

Please send the CD with the file(s) on it to the following address:

State of the Art Editions
204 Kneese Rd
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624

Note: Sorry, we are unable to return your CD

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What does State of the Art do with my uploaded file?

We will keep your file on hand for producing future editions. This will make it more convenient for you to order more editions and ensure consistency. Your files are safe with us. They are never displayed, sold, or otherwise passed on to any other party. However, if you prefer, we can delete your file from our storage device - specify in the comments not to keep the file. NOTE: You will be unable to receive discounts for future orders of prints from which files are deleted.

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Which paper should I choose?

Paper Specs

Generally speaking, for fine art reproductions you should choose media similar to the original artwork - watercolors and drawings on fine art papers, oil paintings on canvas, etc. Both canvas and fine art papers are well suited for fine art photography, depending on desired presentation.

The following specs and observations may be helpful in deciding which to choose:

Hahnemuhle William Turner 310 gsm: 100% cotton rag, acid-free natural white finish with a rough structured surface equivalent to a traditional watercolor paper, making it ideal for high quality fine art reproductions where a heavyweight paper and texture is desired. Particularly suited for watercolors and abstract art.

Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 gsm: 100% cotton rag, acid-free. The heavier 308 gsm provides the weight of an art paper with a smooth bright white surface, making it ideal for very detailed, high quality fine art and photographic reproductions.

Somerset Velvet 255 gsm: 100% cotton rag, acid-free. A soft, elegant, medium-textured surface which yields exceptional depth of color, making it ideal for artists who demand crisp ‘photo quality’ without sacrificing the luxurious feel of fine art paper. Recommended for both vivid colors and black and whites.

Breathing Color Aura Decor 300 gsm: acid and lignen free. Alpha cellulose. A quality-equivalent alternative to cotton rag fine art papers - at much lower cost! Its smooth bright white surface makes it ideal for high detail fine art and photographic reproductions. Its affordability makes it very suitable for the commercial and decor art market.

Canvas

PremierArt Canvas: 21 mil: 100% cotton, 2:1 double weave, acid-free. PremierArt’s unique acid-free coating produces one of the highest D-Max and color gamuts of any matte canvas on the market and is highly archival- making it ideal for all fine art reproductions. Also very suitable for hand embellishment. Canvas reproductions are coated with an archival UV, scratch and water resistent finish.

Breathing Color Decor Art Canvas 21 mil: Poly/cotton. A non-archival, low cost alternative that delivers both exceptional print quality and affordability- making it ideal for commercial and decor giclee reproductions. Canvas reproductions are coated with an archival UV, scratch, and water resisitent finish.

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Which mounting option should I choose?

Gallery Wrap - Canvas is wrapped around either 3/4” or 1 1/2” stretcher bars and stapled on the back - making the artwork ready for framing or display. The canvas area wrapped around the side of the stretcher bars can be:

white or black
color - you choose a color from the artwork- specify in comments on order page
reflect - mirrors image at edge of the artwork-see examples
stretch - stretches image at edge of the artwork-see examples

Note: We will add on the area to be wrapped around. PLEASE do not add it to your image area.

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How much discount for quantity orders?

We offer one of the most competitive discounts for ordering a number of editions. Simply put, the more editions you order, the larger the discount, as you can see from the chart below:

QUANTITY DISCOUNTS:

2-4	5-9	10-15	16-30	31-49	50+
10%	15%	25%	35%	45%	49%

The best part is that these quantity discounts are cumulative, meaning that you don’t have to order all at the same time. We will catalog your file for future editions- simply order more at your convenience and enjoy saving more money with each print!

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How do I get a discount for ordering more editions?

Fill out the order form as usual, specify the quantity you would like to order, select a file that has already been uploaded from the dropdown box and proceed to checkout. Your discount will be automatically applied to your order total . This will be reflected on both your order confirmation and receipt.

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Do you offer proofs?

We do offer proofs printed on the media you choose, in fact, we recommend getting a proof before printing a large quantity or if very precise colors are important to you. The proofs include a 2” strip at the size and on the media you’ve chosen and a 5x7 to see the overall color harmony. For orders of 5 or more prints we provide you with free proofs. Simply check "Send a proof on material" and this will be processed and sent to you ASAP for approval before your actual edition is printed. Very affordable at only $10 per proof (including shipping to you). Rush shipments are billed to your credit card at actual cost. If you would like your proof rushed to you, please specify on the order form under "comments".

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