Rock Archive FAQ's

What is an art inkjet print?

The breakthrough in archival inkjet printing technology is one of the great revolutions in photography. A digital file is made from a negative, transparency or illustration. These high resolution scans are sent from the computer to the printer which sprays a stream of very fine, virtually invisible, ink droplets directly onto specially coated art papers. (In the USA these are also known as 'Giclée' prints). Edition 100 A3 size inkjet prints are made on Hahnemühler paper using Epson printers and archival inks (or equivalent). Current data predicts these to have an archival life of 70 years or more in ideal conditions.

What is an Iris print?

This is an older inkjet process from the late 1990's. Very few Iris machines are now in use. Although they are less archival than current papers, Iris prints do have a special quality with magnificent and vibrant colour saturation.

What is Edition 100?

Edition 100 is unique to Rockarchive because it is printed, supervised and logged in-house. Each Rockarchive photographer has contributed a selection of their work to be made into an edition of 100 fine-art inkjet prints. Every print is made on 308gsm stock art paper using UV inks and the best archival processes available. Prints are numbered and embossed with the Rock Archive logo, and signed by the photographer or embossed with the photographer's estate marking.

What sizes can I order?

Unless it states otherwise on the product page, each Edition 100 print is available in A3 (11.7 x 16.5"), A2 (16.5 x 23.4"), A1 (23.4 x 33.1") and A0 (33.1 x 46.8") sizes.

Are the prints enhanced from the original?

Images that originate from film are made by scanning at high resolution from the original transparency or negative. The digital files are then cleaned and dusted and  may be colour balanced or retouched according to the photographer/art director's instruction. Images taken on digital cameras skip the scanning process but the rest is the same. See the caption for further details.

How limited is Edition 100?

Sizes within Edition 100 vary, but the full edition is a genuine 100.

Most Edition 100 images are totally exclusive to Rockarchive, however a few photographers who joined Rock Archive at the beginning, retained the right to print the same images as silver gelatin prints or using other print processes.

Rockarchive will always provide customers with as much information as we have on each image. Please email info@rockarchive.com.

Once all 100 prints in Edition 100 are sold - and a few are almost there now - they can only be bought through auction houses or similar.

Rockarchive hopes to add a 'sold out prints' page and a 'bulletin board' to the website, so that you can advertise for one you missed or sell one of your own.

How can I see more of a photographer's work?

Most of Rock Archive photographers have substantial archives and their own websites.

How should I care for my art inkjet print?

Keep your print out of direct sunlight and away from unusually hot cold or damp conditions. All Rock Archive inkjets have been specifically developed to afford the highest possible archival quality by means of archival, acid-free papers and archival inks.

How should I display my Edition 100 print?

Rock Archive recommend a white acid-free matt, at least 3 inches (8cm) all around the print, with an extra 20% at the bottom. Some people like to show the edges of the print and embossed logo, especially if the edge is part of the image. Others choose to have the matt right up to the image itself. Rock Archive prefer to use thin black aluminum frames for exhibition prints.

What is a Fibre Print?

A fibre print is usually hand-made made from the original B&W negative using techniques that are over 100 years old. The negative is projected on to the silver bromide coated emulsion, resting on a fibre base, and then developed in chemical solutions. The resulting print has an archival life of 100 years or more in optimum conditions.

What is Edition 30/30/30?

.Jill Furmanovsky's founding edition for Rockarchive was conceived in 1997 and published in 1998 to celebrate her 30 Years as a rock photographer. Edition 30/30/30 consists of 30 b&w images, mainly printed on museum quality, silver gelatin fibre paper from the original negative* in an edition of just 30.
Edition 30/30/30 is a finite body of work in its own right.  Collectors and institutions may choose to acquire the collection in its entirety, but they can also be bought one at a time until the individual editions run out - one or two are very close.

30/30/30 prints were conceived as 20 x 16 inches size, but in a few specific cases, custom size silver gelatin prints have been made as part of the edition or as artist proofs.

To celebrate a further 10 years of working in rock and the 10th anniversary of Rockarchive in 2008, Jill added 10 digital fine art prints to 30/30/30. This enables customers to order extra large prints from this classic collection.

Prints are numbered 1-10.

No further prints will be made to purchase of these classic images and the negatives will be donated to the Rockarchive Print Bank.

*N.B.
 Pink Floyd's The Wall, is an archival C-type due to complications in printing.
 Jeff Buckley at Bunjees is a fibre lith print on Seagull paper (making it extra collectable as the paper has been discontinued).
Roger Daltry of the Who in Tommy,  is printed from a 5x4 duplicate negative made from a vintage print, because the original negative was lost.

Why is a 30/30/30 print so special?

30/30/30 is exclusive to Rockarchive. Every detail, from print production to packaging has been personally supervised in-house by Jill Furmanovsky, who completes the order by numbering, signing and double embossing each approved print and accompanying certificate of authenticity. Edition 30/30/30 prints come in a specially designed, foam padded cardboard box, topped with a collectable Charlie Watts 'postage stamp'.

Why do Edition 30/30/30 vary in price?

The number of prints left within an edition is a crucial factor in the pricing of a print. 30/30/30 consists of 30 darkroom prints and 10 fine-art custom prints. Being so finite, the price goes up at various stages as fewer of the prints remain in that edition.

What happens to the negative once these are sold out?

In the case of Jill Furmanovsky's Edition 30/30/30, once the edition is sold out the fragile negatives will be put into the Rockarchive Print Bank. 

Only museum and exhibitions prints will be made after this time. These  will be unsigned, un-editioned and not for sale.

Have the fibre prints been enhanced from the original?

Unless specified, fibre prints come from the original negatives and are therefore not retouched except by old-fashioned darkroom techniques such as burning in or spotting dust and scratches by hand. This is a rare chance for you to own a piece of the original moment, warts and all.

How should I care for my fibre print?

Keep your print out of direct sunlight and away from unusually hot, cold or damp conditions.

How should I display my fibre print?

Rock Archive recommend a white acid free matt, at least 3 inches (8 cm) all around the print, with an extra 20% at the bottom. Some people like to show the edges of the print and embossed logo, especially if the edge is part of the image. Others chose to have the matt right up to the image itself. Rock Archive prefer to use thin black aluminum frames for exhibition prints.

What kind of print will I be getting?

Black and white prints will be on Ilford Warm Tone archival fibre-based, glossy unglazed paper (or equivalent). Details of print stock is displayed along side the image on the product page. Provided instructions are followed, all prints have an archival span of 100 years or longer.

Why is a rockarchive edition special?

Rockarchive editions are true editions. Here is why:

Some photographers make editions in various sizes using the same image. For example a well-known image by a  well-known photographer may start out as an edition of 50 20”x16” fibre prints numbered 1-50, but when the edition starts to sell out, more of the same image are made, e.g. 50 x 20”x24” fibre prints. These will also be numbered 1-50 when in fact the fibre edition is now up to 100! Add to that open edition prints that are not numbered, and the true edition may be several hundred.
In the Fine Art world most artists and their galleries restrict the image itself to editions of anything from 5-200 in total to include all sizes and formats. Rockarchive works on this basis with all their editions.

Rockarchive also states when an edition is exclusive to them, making it even more valuable. That is why RA embossed prints have become standard bearers in the genre of rock photography. True editions are much rarer from a collector’s point of view and so the price of each print goes up incrementally as the edition sells out.

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