What is an archival pigment print?

Every print on this site is described as an archival pigment print, sometimes called a giclée. The words are common in the art market and rarely explained. Here is what they mean.

Pigment, not dye

Most home and office printers use dye-based inks: colour dissolved in liquid. Dyes are vivid, but they soak into the paper and fade comparatively quickly in light.

A pigment ink carries its colour as microscopic solid particles suspended in the liquid. The particles sit on and just within the paper's surface rather than dissolving into it, and they are far more resistant to light and air. That resistance is what "archival" refers to.

Cotton paper, not wood pulp

Ordinary paper is made from wood pulp, which contains acids that yellow and weaken the sheet over time. Fine-art papers are made from cotton — "rag" — and are acid-free. They stay white, stay supple, and hold the pigment steadily.

The prints here are offered on three such papers: Canson Edition Etching Rag, Hahnemühle German Etching and Takeo Kakita, with two more on request. Our note on three papers describes how they differ under the hand.

What "giclée" means

Giclée comes from the French for a spray, and simply names the process: fine droplets of pigment ink placed by a large-format inkjet printer. The word on its own guarantees nothing about quality. What matters is the combination: pigment inks, archival paper, and a laboratory that calibrates its printers and knows how to reproduce a photographer's intent.

Each print here is made to order by a fine-art laboratory in Tokyo, from Ikki Mitsuhashi's own master files.

How long does it last?

Pigment on acid-free cotton, kept out of direct sunlight, is expected to last for many decades, and in independent display tests often well beyond a century. The single largest threat to any print is light — especially direct sun — followed by humidity and handling. Our note on living with a print covers the practical side.

Why it matters for a limited edition

A limited edition is a promise about scarcity. An archival print is a promise about time. Together they mean that the print you receive — numbered, and accompanied by a bilingual certificate of authenticity — is intended to outlast the frame it hangs in.

The collection shows every work currently available, and the questions page answers the rest.