For some time, I've been dissatisfied with the quality of the print outs of my images using a standard inkjet printer. The crispness of the image and the colour reproduction are often very disappointing and I'm pretty sure the finished work would fade if hung in strong light, although I have yet to experience that personally.
I've considered many other printing methods and, while each has its appeal, they are not ideal for the digital images I generate from my own photographs. I find the methods at best slow to execute and it's difficult to try out different effects and make changes quickly as I experiment. Some ways of preparing the fabric to improve printing, waterproofing and lasting qualities leave it stiff and unpleasant in the hand for stitching.
One line of thought I've pursued is to send off the images for commercial printing to Laura Kemshall's company Fingerprint, following a recommendation from Olga Norris. Two weeks ago I ordered two fat quarters of fabric to be printed with my own bridge shadow photographs onto plain cotton.
The parcel containing the fabric arrived on Friday and I am delighted with the results. The images have come up crisp and clear and the colours are very true to the original. The cloth is soft in the hand and will be a pleasure to stitch I feel sure.
Fingerprint seems to offer an excellent service. On the website, it is very easy to upload and organise images to make best use of the space allowed.
The charge was extremely reasonable - £6.00 per fat quarter, including postage. I could have ordered long lengths as well as the small fat quarters I chose for my experiment, also very reasonably priced.
My only warning would be that my order took two weeks to arrive. Had I been in a hurry, this could have been a problem. It is certainly necessary to plan ahead when using this service but maybe this is only to be expected. I will surely use Fingerprint again. It was a personal and considerate service producing high quality printing.
Indeed, an extra fat quarter with my images was accidentally printed onto a light weight cotton as well as the plain cotton I'd ordered and this was sent to me free of charge.
What more could I ask?
PS Following this post, Laura Kemshall has kindly sent me details of the turnround times for Fingerprint to help with planning the timing of orders.
She says: 'We usually give a guideline on turnaround for printing of approximately 10-12 working days although this can be a little longer at busy times. The actual custom printing and finishing process takes on average four days depending on quantity. If you’re working to a deadline just let us know and we will always do our best to fit in with your schedule.'
I hope this will be helpful for anyone planning to use this excellent service.
I've considered many other printing methods and, while each has its appeal, they are not ideal for the digital images I generate from my own photographs. I find the methods at best slow to execute and it's difficult to try out different effects and make changes quickly as I experiment. Some ways of preparing the fabric to improve printing, waterproofing and lasting qualities leave it stiff and unpleasant in the hand for stitching.
One line of thought I've pursued is to send off the images for commercial printing to Laura Kemshall's company Fingerprint, following a recommendation from Olga Norris. Two weeks ago I ordered two fat quarters of fabric to be printed with my own bridge shadow photographs onto plain cotton.
The parcel containing the fabric arrived on Friday and I am delighted with the results. The images have come up crisp and clear and the colours are very true to the original. The cloth is soft in the hand and will be a pleasure to stitch I feel sure.
Fingerprint seems to offer an excellent service. On the website, it is very easy to upload and organise images to make best use of the space allowed.
The charge was extremely reasonable - £6.00 per fat quarter, including postage. I could have ordered long lengths as well as the small fat quarters I chose for my experiment, also very reasonably priced.
My only warning would be that my order took two weeks to arrive. Had I been in a hurry, this could have been a problem. It is certainly necessary to plan ahead when using this service but maybe this is only to be expected. I will surely use Fingerprint again. It was a personal and considerate service producing high quality printing.
Indeed, an extra fat quarter with my images was accidentally printed onto a light weight cotton as well as the plain cotton I'd ordered and this was sent to me free of charge.
What more could I ask?
PS Following this post, Laura Kemshall has kindly sent me details of the turnround times for Fingerprint to help with planning the timing of orders.
She says: 'We usually give a guideline on turnaround for printing of approximately 10-12 working days although this can be a little longer at busy times. The actual custom printing and finishing process takes on average four days depending on quantity. If you’re working to a deadline just let us know and we will always do our best to fit in with your schedule.'
I hope this will be helpful for anyone planning to use this excellent service.
I'm delighted that you are pleased with the results. I have never used Fingerprint myself. I use AR Smart in Macclesfield, and generally I send off my disc and just wait for when they can fit me in. Two weeks is not long to wait in my experience.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you enjoy continuing the experiment with these pieces, and that you are happy with the results.
I'm sure you are right about 2 weeks not being long to wait for this sort of service, Olga. I think I am just impatient by nature and when I have an idea I'm always keen to get going with it straight away. I think, however, that this does show me that I will need to get myself an Epson printer so that I can do my own printing on smaller samples. This will give me the immediacy I need when I'm experimenting or needing small pieces of fabric.
DeleteAs you will see above, I've added a PS to my post as Laura has kindly sent me the guidance on turnaround times for Fingerprint. I wanted people to know so that they are not at all disappointed with what is an excellent service.
un magnifique résultat... je reviens pour tout traduire.. très intéressant!
ReplyDeleteMerci, Elfi ... et maintenant la réalisation ... le montage et la broderie ...
DeleteVery exciting development in your 'printing' adventures....and except for the wait time (which you will be prepared for next time), an excellent result!! I imagine you are very excited to get on to the next stage and I can't wait to see where it will take you.
ReplyDeleteP.S. do you think the results would have been as good with an epson printer?? more immediate, of course....
Your PS question about the Epson printer is a very good one - and one I'm afraid I can't answer yet. I have still to go back to see the supplier of the printers and this is certainly one thing I will need to sort out before I commit myself to buy. It will certainly be more immediate and I may well do a combination of the two ... time will tell.
DeleteI'd wait ... 2 weeks doesn't sound too outlandish ... especially when the product is as nice as you have described ... the photo looks fabulous ;) ... anxious to see stitches there !
ReplyDeleteI am anxious - not to say impatient - to see stitches there too! I've been doing stitch trials, some of which I've posted here, as I think how to proceed, but I expect much of it will be intuitive as usual and will evolve as I go along.
DeleteLove that printed fabric! In the States, we have Spoonflower, which also prints your designs on fabric. About $25 to $30 per yard -- consistent with Fingerprint. Look forward to seeing what you do with your own fat quarters!
ReplyDeleteVia a member of our stitch group, I believe it's possible to order printed fabric via Spoonflower in this country too - but at a price of course as the postage costs from the US are high. I think Fingerprint here in the UK is a relative newcomer to the scene.
DeleteGood to hear that you are pleased with the service and now you have two different samples for the price of one. Good customer service.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a very impressive service. Have you ever tried Fingerprint or anything similar?
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