Last week, I met two eclectic artists—best evening in a long time. It was a stimulating conversation on printing, the process, the frustrations and the wonderful results.

Our talk continued as we discussed my last blog post Prints, Prints and Printing. It gave us food for thought on how we label our own final products as artists and photographers.

This week, part 2 of my post on printing, I’m showcasing prints by artists/photographers who use different printing methods.

Let’s start with a Pigment Inkjet Print of my new artist book Conversation printed on an Epson Stylus Photo R3000. Conversation is a limited edition of 3.

© 2014 Louise Levergneux,  photo detail of artists' book Conversation — © 2014 Louise Levergneux, photo detail of artists' book *Conversation*

I met Betty Mallorca and Lawrence Manning at a Treasure Valley Artists’ Alliance exhibition. Both are photographers and founders of Hill Street Studios and TRACK 13 in Nampa, Idaho. Betty and Lawrence have many years of experience in commercial and professional photography, art direction and graphic design. They are contributors and part-owners of Blend Images, a multicultural commercial stock agency.

Betty printed her limited editions on an Epson 3800. Almost Home (copy 1 of 10) and Ghostly Passage (copy 1 of 10) both are mixed media—Giclée and colored pencil prints.

© 2016 Betty Mallorca, Almost Home — © 2016 Betty Mallorca, *Almost Home*

© 2016 Betty Mallorca, Ghostly Passage — © 2016 Betty Mallorca, *Ghostly Passage*

Lawrence printed his photos on an Epson 3880. 5885 Rodeo study #2 and 5655 Depot Study Two are Digital Pigment Prints.

© 2016 Lawrence Manning, 5885 Rodeo study #2 — © 2016 Lawrence Manning, *5885 Rodeo study #2*

© 2016 Lawrence Manning, 5655 Depot Study Two — © 2016 Lawrence Manning, *5655 Depot Study Two*

I met Diane Ronayne when I emailed my move to Boise on the Book Arts listserv. Diane is a freelance editor for books and manuscripts and writer for magazines and newspapers; but her passion is photography.

Diane's Archival Color Print Angry Rabbit was printed on an Noritsu wet-lab printer, model OSS-3411.

© 2015 Diane Ronayne, Angry Rabbit — © 2015 Diane Ronayne, *Angry Rabbit*

In 2010, after my move to Utah, I communicated with Laura Russell owner of 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Laura is a photographer and book artist who creates hand-bound, limited-edition artist books. Her books incorporate photographs of urban landscape and tell a story about our culture and our communities. Laura works under the imprint Simply Books, Ltd.

Laura's flag book Hit the Road! was printed on an Epson R2400. The flags/pages of this limited edition artists' book are Archival Digital Inkjet Prints. Hit the Road! is volume one in a series featuring Washington, Oregon and California. The artist spent close to three years traveling Highway 99 to photograph and catalog roadside attractions.

© 2011 Laura Russell, Hit the Road! — © 2011 Laura Russell, *Hit the Road!*

© 2011 Laura Russell, Hit the Road! detail — © 2011 Laura Russell, *Hit the Road!* detail

Ellen Crosby a member of the Treasure Valley Artists’ Alliance was introduced to me by Diane Ronayne. Ellen is a dedicated landscape photographer, proven by her 150 sunsets chronologically recorded during 2012.

Ellen worked with fellow photographer Ann Lindell to create this appropriated and altered Inkjet Aqueous Archival Pigment Print Ann's Cat Photo for her series Teeny Abstracts.

2015  Ann Lindell/Ellen Crosby, Ann's Cat Photo — 2015 Ann Lindell/Ellen Crosby, *Ann's Cat Photo*

Vera Greenwood’s contemporary art practice is subjectively personal, placing emphasis on story telling, record keeping, social studies and a conceptual approach to representing the everyday. Her installations have always incorporated text—bookworks became a logical extension of her art practice. Oh! by the way Vera is a dear friend and our conversation on art is always stimulating.

Vera's photographs of sheets of blotting paper with fragments of leaves and/or petals are Giclée Prints. The Flower Press project was printed on an Epson 9900.

© 2013 Vera Greenwood, Flower Press 1 — © 2013 Vera Greenwood, Flower Press 1

© 2013 Vera Greenwood, Flower Press 2 — © 2013 Vera Greenwood, Flower Press 2

© 2013 Vera Greenwood, Flower Press 3 — © 2013 Vera Greenwood, Flower Press 3

Going beyond the codex format for my artists' books, I wanted to create other book structures. I met Karen Hanmer through her article and great tutorial on the flag book structure in The Bonefolder: an e-journal for the bookbinder and book artist. Karen’s artist-made books are physical manifestations of personal essays intertwining history, culture, politics, science and technology. What attracted me to Karen’s work is the often playful content she uses.

Karen printed Big Blue with an HP LaserJet 1320. The edition of 100 computer punch cards are Laser Prints on polyester film.

© 2006 Karen Hanmer, Big Blue — © 2006 Karen Hanmer, *Big Blue*

To Serve and Protect: Containers, conveyances, and cosmic happenings was printed with an Epson Stylus Pro 4000. The artists' book has 32 Pigment Inkjet Prints/pages. In this artists' book the artist’s muses on life in the 1960s and 1970s.

© 2014 Karen Hanmer, To Serve and Protect, page spread of Mood Ring — © 2014 Karen Hanmer, *To Serve and Protect*, page spread of Mood Ring

In 2012, at the Guild of Book Workers’ Standards of Excellence conference in Utah, I met Andrew Huot. The more Andrew described his books the more I was intrigued. Andrew, a bookbinder, conservator, and book artist originally from Toronto, Canada, is owner of Big River Bindery. Andrew looks at everyday situations and enjoys observing the world's small, passed-over details.

Andrew's artists' book Navigation is Letterpress printed on colored paper with hand-cut holes, bound in cloth-covered boards. Navigation, a carousel book that spans over 8 feet when opened guides the artist’s family to their next destination.

© 2009 Andrew Huot, Navigation — © 2009 Andrew Huot, *Navigation*

A Guide to Dogs is also Letterpress Printed with handset type, linoleum cuts, and photopolymer plates. This humorous guidebook helps to identify Man's Best Friend with silhouette drawings and vital information for each breed.

© 2008 Andrew Huot, A Guide to Dogs — © 2008 Andrew Huot, *A Guide to Dogs*

A studio is more than four walls filled with equipment and tools. An artist needs creativity, ideas, time, research and contacts to achieve a piece of work. Communication and sharing brings a different facet to an artist’s world. I’m always grateful for any discussion on art or someone’s opinion or critique. My work thrives when these elements are part of my world.

Thanks to everyone who shared their work this week!

It is late... going back for more ideas!

It's February and Canyonlands National Park is the place where my mind keeps traveling to.

© 2011 Louise Levergneux, Mesa Arch, Island in the Sky — © 2011 Louise Levergneux, Mesa Arch, Island in the Sky

Back to reality, at a Treasure Valley Artists’ Alliance art show, Lawrence Manning's wonderful print caught my eye and I noticed the term on the label of the piece. I thought it interesting as I was reading an article on how prints should be labelled, a controversy on naming prints now days. This brought me to research more on the correct technical names for prints.

There are so many ways to label prints it gets very confusing. Digital Print, Giclée Print—short for une épreuve giclée, Iris Print, Inkjet Print, Pigmented Ink Print—the list goes on.

Giclée Print, (which has negative connotations these days—not sure why), and Inkjet Print are the same. These prints are created by spraying ink through microscopic nozzles on a variety of surfaces or media from a digital-based image. A Master Printer told me, that if you have an inkjet archival printer, then the output from that printer is considered a Giclée or Inkjet Print because of the system used by the printer.

When using a laser printer, the prints are created using a toner cartridge filled with fine powder and a heated fuser. Galleries may have a hard time with the archival and quality of these prints that are not considered Inkjets Prints or Giclée Prints.

Giclée has become synonymous with fine art reproductions with pigmented inks. Most photographers selling inkjet prints refer to them as “photographs” or Inkjet Prints. A giclée print is said to begin with a high-quality digital file, either from scanned film, digital capture or computer. Printers that output Giclée Prints are calibrated in a closed-loop colour management system using inkjet with archival pigmented inks. Some people say that these outputs/prints need to be printed by a Master Printer, who understands colour theory and imaging software.

I often hear the term "Pigment Ink Print" which defines the type of ink used. If your printer has dye inks, then your output is a Dye Ink Print. It is straight and to the point and both terms are archival by definition and need no further explanation.

The term Digital Print or Digital Pigment Print may be a problem for those whose prints begin with film. The word digital is used when one starts with a digital file.

I have not yet seen a site that has published a universal agreement or naming convention for prints. Labelling should start with the printer used.

Laser and Inkjet are the two prime technologies that find widespread applications today. Laser printing is unbeatable when it comes to high text quality printing. While inkjet printers serve photographers and artists who are primarily focused on photo printing. The classifying of your prints should explain the ingredients that make up the print. Your printer determines how to label a print or output.

I find it good practice to specify the process, printer and paper types used to create my artists’ books. The artist should always communicate to a potential buyer the process in which a print is made and disclose the quality materials used.

Content with my research, I sat at my desk with brain cells on fire and my creativity exploding. I felt great! Then the printing stage of my project came along and everything turned into a major frustration. Adding to the shame of sending out the same blog post three times with MailChimp this morning. My Epson Stylus Photo R3000 no longer feeds paper or it does when it wants. Oh! same problem as the first R3000 I purchased. What a day @&%$#@. My Epson 2200 and my refurbished Epson R3000 printers retired and happy with themselves sit in the corner of my studio. Another dilemma!!

Stonewalled by my printers. AYE!!!!!

Have you ever wanted to throw your printer out the window? If yes, never place your printer near a window—it’s too tempting!

This video is hilarious and fills me with laughter and joy!! I guess I’m not the only one with printer problems.

Watch closely at the little printer icon that keeps popping on the right side of the video screen. Been there, hate the popping icon, it’s not good news!

The printer companies are money centric and no longer customer centric. We don’t need famous printer ads, we need a good printer that lasts. I have my eyes on you EPSON!!

So... what to do… maybe I will go back to Moab at least in my mind's eye!

© 2011 Louise Levergneux, Red Cliffs Lodge — © 2011 Louise Levergneux, Red Cliffs Lodge

A looming deadline... where do I print my pages?