With a wide variety of print types to choose from, we’ve developed a buying guide to help you navigate which style best fits your taste. Scroll through to learn about the nuances of these unique printing styles from high saturation c-types to one-of-a kind vintage pieces
C-Type Print
A digital c-type is a photographic print, on light-sensitive paper, that has been exposed using digital technology, rather than traditional analogue (otherwise known as ‘darkroom’) techniques.
Digital c-types are created by exposing the paper using lasers or LEDs rather than a bulb, like in a darkroom. The second part of the traditional process is much the same however: the paper is processed in a photographic developer, followed by bleach fix before being washed to remove the processing chemicals.
Gelatin Silver Print
Before the advent of digital technology at the end of the twentieth century, the gelatin silver process had been the most commonly used method of making black and white prints since the 1890s. A negative image is transferred to light-sensitive paper that has four layers: a paper base, a white opaque coating of gelatin and barium sulfate that creates a smooth surface, the gelatin layer that holds the silver grains of the photographic image, and a protective gelatin overcoat. Properly exposed gelatin silver prints are quite stable if exhibited under controlled light conditions.
Until the 1970s, art photographers used this process almost exclusively to create high-quality black and white prints. Color photography was considered a commercial medium, not suited to serious artistic expression. Today, as fewer and fewer photographers are working in darkrooms, gelatin silver printing is quickly becoming an antiquated, historic process.
Platinum Print
The Platinum printing process is a rare and highly appreciated technique that was developed in the late nineteenth century, which only a handful of printers in the world have the expertise to practice today. The technique became virtually extinct after World War I due to the shortage and astronomical price rise of the platinum metal, in which place the gelatin silver printing process became more commonplace.Platinum prints are printed by hand, so each print is unique. The negative, which has to be the same size as the image, is laid directly on a paper that has been treated with a solution containing platinum salts. These salts are embedded in the paper rather than simply lying on top as an emulsion. Since platinum is one of the most stable and unreactive metals, this technique results in a print that is chemically inert which will not react to light or degrade with time.
In addition to the print’s longevity and rarity, collectors appreciate Platinum prints for their greater tonal range and depth. Rather than a true black or white produced by gelatin silver prints, Platinum prints have a wide range of grey tones which expresses every nuance of detail on the photograph.
Vintage Print
A vintage often refers to a print that was produced around the time of when the photograph was originally taken. In some cases, a vintage print can also mean a print created by the photographer, usually hand-signed, that remained in the photographers archive following the photographer’s death
Press Print
A press print is similar, in as such that it was originally printed at the time of when the photograph was taken, but then sent to press agencies or publishers for publication. These press prints are often stamped on reverse with markings indicating usage, credit and in some rare cases, the original caption material that would run with the image in the press. Press prints are very rare and can show signs of wear. Collectors love these original prints, as they are truly unique and have their own exceptional history to them.
Archival Prints
Archival prints are high quality pieces that use refined particles of pigment to create beautiful, high-resolution finished artwork. As its name suggests, this method of printing creates artwork that is designed to last for a long time.