Are Queensberry products “fine art”?

The short answer is “yes”, the long answer is a little more complicated!

Strictly speaking, the term "Fine Art" is ambiguous. No strict definition or industry standard can be applied to it, and that leaves it open to different interpretations and misunderstandings. This article aims to clarify what is meant by  “fine art” and how it relates to Queensberry products.

Definitions

Most commonly the term “fine art” denotes archival quality Giclée prints, but that term itself needs to be unpacked.  "Giclée" is a neologism invented by the printmaker Jack Duganne in 1991 to describe his prints. These days it's essentially a marketing term for inkjet prints, intended to connote high quality.

However, to confuse matters, fine art is also often used simply to describe inkjet paper stocks that have a matte or textured finish.

And as we’ll see, like the other terms, archival is also sometimes loosely used.

Queensberry’s practice

• We use the term fine art for the lightly textured Fine Art Paper that we offer in our albums and as an option in products like frames etc. Generally, though, we call our inkjet papers just that, “inkjet papers”.

• We generally don’t use the description “archival”, preferring to use conservation quality — because that’s the term our paper suppliers use, and because it’s closely defined by national standards. One of their most important characteristics is that such stocks are pH-buffered, the quality that ensures they will remain acid-free across their lifetime.

• In the real world the term ”archival” can be misleading in the sense that the printed paper is generally just one of many components in the finished product. Environmental factors like exposure to light and physical handling of the print can be even more significant. Also very important is the professionalism and practice of the printer. At Queensberry we hold ourselves to the highest standards!

Are inkjet lustre and silver halide prints “fine art”?

If the term “fine art” Is limited to matte or textured surfaces, then obviously not. But — and this may be controversial  — if we’re talking about quality they certainly are! After all they’re made to the same high standards.

So, can I describe your printing as “fine art”?

You certainly can if all you're selling is matte or textured inkjet prints as per the definitions above.

But if you're offering lustre inkjet or silver halide prints alongside them, as we do, we believe it's perfectly fine to call all of them "fine art". Here's why. If you said in your marketing that you were selling fine art and silver halide prints, for example, your wording would imply that you're offering fine art alongside something not quite as good. That would be entirely inappropriate. All our prints are to the highest standard, and we always recommend that the print option you choose should depend on the product you’re buying.

Remember, these are all to quite a degree marketing words, and everyone plays the game. For example, silver halide prints means nothing to most people. Instead we often call them true photographic prints.  Yep, inkjet prints are imposters!

Choose the words that, in good conscience, speak to and support your brand.

Further information

Our conservation quality prints, pages and mats: Here you’ll find general notes related to conservation, sustainability and product care that apply to all Queensberry print stocks and print technologies, and also to our mats and pages. Also included, suggested language for your own retail website.

Are your albums museum/archival quality? “The true test of an album, and the images in it, is two-fold. Is it an object of great desire and value in the eyes of your customers? And will it be a safe place for your images — an heirloom to be treasured by future generations?”