PIGMENT PRINTING.
THE BEST QUALITY IS NOT CHEAP.
October 18, 2025.
By all my art photographs, exhibited on this site, is a note saying, they are made using pigment printing. What does that actually mean, why pigment printing, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of this technology?
WHAT IS PIGMENT PRINTING?
Pigment printing, sometimes called also giclée, is the transfer of a digital photograph onto paper using special pigments and printing equipment.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGTES OF PIGMENT PRINTING?
The biggest advantages of pigment printing are color accuracy and longevity of the prints.
1. COLOR ACCURACY.
Using so-called color profiles, it is possible to guarantee a very high degree of color fidelity between the image on the screen and the resulting print.
2. LONG PRINT LIFE.
Longevity is guaranteed by the technology itself, where pigment droplets adhere to the surface of the paper and dry there. According to laboratory tests of accelerated aging, the lifespan of prints was simulated to be over 200 years. In contrast, with conventional, so-called inkjet printing, droplets of colored inks soak into the paper, which has a negative effect on the fidelity of color reproduction and the lifespan of the printed work. It only takes a few years before there are significant changes in the color and contrast of the print.
The top quality of pigment printing is determined, among other things, by the number of printing colors. Here there are 11 and a gloss control agent.
For comparison, offset printing, which is used to print posters, but also books, magazines, brochures etc., uses only 4 colors.
However, pigment printing also has some disadvantages and limitations.
WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF PIGMENT PRINTING?
1. COSTS.
The main disadvantage is the price, the costs. Pigment printing is very expensive. Not so much the printing equipment itself, but the pigment solutions. In this case, no cheaper substitutes can be used, because then you cannot work with pre-prepared color profiles and even when creating your own profiles, perfect color matching with the original is not guaranteed. For example, Canon produces its pigment solutions directly in Japan, which is usually a guarantee of top quality, but at the same time a high price.
2. NOZZLE CLEANING.
To make matters worse, pigments are not only consumed during printing, but also to a large extent during cleaning the print head. Pigment solutions are quite thick and tend to settle. Therefore, if the printer is not used for some time (typically more than three days), it is necessary to mix them thoroughly and flush the print head. This is done by individual pigment solutions, which after passing through the micro-nozzles of the print head end up in the machine's interior or in a special container, which is thrown away after filling.
If you think, that the need for cleaning can be avoided by printing frequently, I will prove you wrong. Even in everyday use, the machine sometimes has to flush the nozzles, because during this there is a more intensive flow of liquids and thus cleaning, than when printing.
That is exactly the wrong idea to simply turn off the printing machine and thus prevent it from cleaning the nozzles. The longer it is not used, the more intensive the cleaning will be. And if the pigments in the print head nozzles dry out and clog them, it is necessary to buy a new print head, the price of which can reach half the price of the entire machine.
PAPERS.
In order for pigment print to last as long, as possible in unchanged quality, it is necessary to use special papers. These are specifically designed and precisely manufactured for this type of printing. Their price is of course very high and has a considerable impact on the costs of the entire printing process. However, again, you cannot save money here.
CONCLUSION.
Pigment printing is currently the highest quality and most durable way of transferring a digital image to the paper. That is why all my photographs are printed using this technology. The disadvantage is the high cost, which is of course also reflected in the price of the resulting artworks. However, I fundamentally do not make and strictly reject any compromises and offer my customers only the best. Fine Art photographs, that will be an unmissable decoration of your interiors for ages.
© Martin Mojzis, 2025.
Introductory collage: © Martin Mojzis, 2025.
Source photographs and collage of pigment print solutions: © Canon Press.
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