A digital print is an artwork that has been created or processed digitally and output using a digital printer. The term covers a broad range of work — from original art made entirely on a computer or tablet, to digitally composed images, to high-quality printed reproductions of physical artworks. Giclée printing is the most refined form of digital fine-art printing.
As digital tools have become central to contemporary art practice, the digital print has taken its place as a legitimate and increasingly collected medium.
A digital print starts with a digital file. This might be an artwork created from scratch using software and a graphics tablet, a digitally manipulated photograph or collage, or a high-resolution scan of a physical painting or drawing.
The file is then printed using a digital printer, for fine-art purposes, typically a large-format inkjet printer using archival pigment inks on quality paper or canvas (the giclée process). The quality of the inks, the printer and the materials all determine how faithful and how long-lasting the finished print will be.
It is worth distinguishing between two kinds of digital print. The first is original digital art, work conceived and created in digital form, where the print is the intended final object, much as a bronze cast is the final form of a sculpture. The second is a digital reproduction of a physical artwork that exists independently.
Both are valid, but they are different propositions for a collector. Original digital artworks are signed and editioned by the artist; reputable galleries are always clear about which kind of print is being offered.
When collecting digital prints, look for signed, limited editions produced to archival standards on quality materials. Clear documentation of the edition size and the nature of the work, original digital art or reproduction, is the mark of a reputable source.
At Byard Art, any digital prints we offer are clearly described, signed and editioned by the artist, and produced to lasting archival standards.
