Shop FAQ

Fine Art Prints

What is a Giclee print?

The word Giclée (“g-clay”) is a neologism derived from the French verb gicler meaning “to squirt or spray”. Although it is essentially an unregulated label, we mean it here to indicate a high-quality fine art digital print made by combining pigment-based archival inks with heavyweight archival quality paper. The result is a “museum quality” print which won’t fade in sunlight like cheaper prints can and which, in the right conditions, will last 100+ years.

What paper do you use?

All our prints use premium fine art paper — 100% cotton, finely textured, and acid-free archival substrates purposefully chosen for optimal historical art reproduction. Orders for US and Canada will be printed on Epson’s Somerset Velvet (255gsm); Australian orders on Hahnemühle’s Photo Rag (188gsm); and all other orders on St Cuthbert Mill’s Somerset Enhanced Velvet (255gsm).

Why do you not glaze the framed prints with glass?

Although more expensive than glass, like most art-sellers and galleries we’ve chosen acrylic for its superior UV protection, and because it is also lighter and much less breakable — not only does this ensure it gets to you safely, but also handy for when you might want to move house in the future! This is far from that plasticy flexible stuff you sometimes see in cheap readymade frames — it is an industry standard robust glazing of the highest quality.

Do your prints come ready to hang?

Yes! (For orders going to the US, we’ll even provide the nail).

How do I care for my framed print?

To clean your framed piece, follow these dos and don’ts:
DO remove dust by blowing on it
DO NOT use your hand or a dry cloth to remove dust
DO clean by using a small amount of mixture of mild soap or detergent and lukewarm water. Use a clean, soft cloth or sponge. Dry by blotting gently with a lint-free cloth. Instead of soap, you can also use a cleaner designed for acrylic surfaces.
DO NOT use a household cleaner like Windex or products that contain ammonia.
DO NOT use any abrasive material while cleaning your acrylic, it can scratch the surface.

I’ve bought a framed print. Is it going to be OK in the post?

All our partner companies (who produce and ship the prints) use industry leading techniques to ensure the frame is packed securely. As mentioned above, we also use high quality acrylic instead of glass, so this helps immeasurably to limit breakages to an absolute minimum. In the rare instance that damage does occur in transit, we’ll be able to refund or replace (see Returns section below).

Does The Public Domain Review do the actual printing and frame-making?

No. We’ve left that to the professionals. After a lot of research we’ve teamed up with a select bunch of quality print partners based in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia — meaning that if you are from those countries (and the EU), your products won’t have far to travel and you also save on a rare though possible customs charge.

PDR Press

I have an idea for something to publish through the PDR Press, can I get in touch?

Yes, please do. If you’d like to talk about possibilities for collaboration then please contact Adam at pdrpress@publicdomainreview.org.

Further Reading

Why are these books linking through to Amazon?

We are part of Amazon’s affiliates programme, which means that for every book (or any other item for that matter) sold on the back of clicking through one of the links we provide, then Amazon will give us a small percentage of the sale price (about 6%). It wasn’t an easy decision to get involved with Amazon’s affiliates programme and I know some may be disappointed to learn of us doing so. In creating this “Further Reading” section we first and foremost wanted to create a space to showcase some of the best, recently published books out there on PDR related topics, including the promotion of those books written by our very own essay contributors. We felt it would be irresponsible not to take the opportunity for a revenue stream offered by incorporating the affiliates program into this new section. Although the income from this will be small (expected to form about 3% of the total we need each year to keep the project running) every little really does help, and if we want to keep the site going then we need to take all the opportunities that come our way. Many of the issues, and our standing on them, has been very well echoed in this post by C. Max Magee on The Millions site.

Yes, exactly. Say you buy a big expensive washing machine with them on a visit that started by going through one of our links, then we’d get a nice little donation at no extra cost to yourself!

Payment

Will payment be secure on the site?

Yes, your payment will be processed safely and securely. Our payment pages are secured using secure socket layer technology (SSL) to ensure that your card information is kept safe. For more info see our Privacy Policy.

Are their any discounts available?

Yes indeed. “Friends of The Public Domain Review” (who pledge $30 or more per year) get 10% off all our Fine Art Print products. We’ve sent all our eligible Friends an email containing the discount code which can be applied at checkout. Not yet a Friend? Learn more about becoming one, including the other perks you get such as our lovely postcard packs, here.

Shipping

Do you ship to P.O. boxes?

Unfortunately we do not ship to PO or APO/BFPO boxes due to item size restrictions.

How much will shipping cost?

Shipping costs are given on on each product page (under the “shipping” tab) and also on the checkout page. To summarise: for unframed prints it’s $12 for most countries around the world, $20 for framed. T-Shirts, Mugs, and Tote Bags it’s $6 the world over. Books it’s between $5 or $6.

If I buy different items will they all be shipped together?

We’ve partnered up with different suppliers for different products so Fine Art Prints, T-shirts, Mugs, Essay Books and New Edition Books, will actually all ship separately, and as a result have different delivery estimates (see below). Apart from framed prints, multiples within these product types will ship together.

When will my order arrive?

As most of our products are custom made to order, there is normally a little bit of a wait to get your items. Estimated wait in business days from ordering is given on on each product page (under the “shipping” tab) and also on the checkout page.

Is my delivery tracked?

We currently only offer tracking on the Fine Art Prints (framed or unframed). For all other items tracking is not offered. (Though on some occasions, for our own purposes, we do ship some large orders of Books tracked).

If my delivery is tracked, how do I get the tracking information?

The tracking information will be sent to you by email upon dispatch of your order. As our items are custom made to order, our leads times are quite long, so it could be up to 2 weeks after ordering. In addition to this email, in some cases you will also get a notification direct from the courier, though please note this will state the delivery as coming from one of our suppliers (SimplyFramed in US; PrintPartner in Canada, FrameShop in Australia, and DStudio everywhere else).

What about customs duty and taxes?

Customers ordering products from our Fine Art Prints section to addresses in the US, UK, Canada or Australia don’t have to worry about this. Customers receiving Fine Art Print orders to addresses outside of the US, UK, Canada or Australia may be required to pay duties and taxes to claim your package, depending on your local customs office. We don’t have any control over this, and have no way of determining what your duties and taxes may amount to. We encourage you to contact your local postal service or customs bureau for more specific information. The same goes for T-Shirts and Mugs ordered to addresses outside the UK. Books generally do not incur any duty charges.

What if I change my mind after ordering?

For most goods you buy online there is a 14-day cooling-off cancellation period, starting from when you receive your goods. This applies to our Mugs, Bags, and Books, but not our T-Shirts or Fine Art Print products. Given that the products bought in our T-Shirts and Fine Art Prints section are custom (made specifically for the image, size, and frame colour you have chosen) they are classed as bespoke goods and so exempt from the 14 days cancellation policy. All these orders are final as soon as they are placed, and for these orders we can only accept returns or refunds in the case of incorrect or damaged goods (see below). For returnable items you will get a full refund, though will have to pay for return postage costs to the UK — please email shop@publicdomainreview.org for more information.

What if my order is incorrect, faulty, or damaged in delivery?

We really hope you are impressed with the quality of what you purchase from us, and great care is taken to get your order to you safely — though we are aware that sadly mistakes and accidents do sometimes happen. In such rare instances simply email us a digital photo of the damaged or incorrect item and the shipping container to shop@publicdomainreview.org. Please include in the body of the email: your order number, the shipping ID or item number, a brief description of the reason for the return, and tell us whether you are seeking a replacement or a refund. Please send your request within 4 days of receipt. If you select a refund, you will be refunded the full cost you paid for the item and the cost of delivery.

For more info see our Returns Policy