How to judge a high-quality Edna Andrade print

Resolution and paper grain decide most of what you see. A cheap reproduction of Andrade's precise lines will fail before the frame ever arrives.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

Open the file at full size on a screen set to 100 percent. A high-quality Edna Andrade print keeps hard edges sharp and shows no pixel blocks in the darkest passages. The image should be at least 300 dots per inch at the size you plan to hang. Anything below 150 dpi will read soft on a wall, even if it looks fine on a phone.

What resolution actually means on a wall

Dots per inch is the number that matters, not the pixel count on a listing page. A file that is 300 dpi at 24 inches wide is roughly 7200 pixels across. That is the kind of source a good reproduction starts from. A seller who only quotes total pixels is usually hiding a smaller print size. Ask for the dpi at the size you intend to buy. If the answer is vague, treat the print as a poster, not a reproduction.

Andrade's work often carries fine linear structure and hard edges. Those details forgive nothing. A soft reproduction turns a clear line into a blur at arm's length. View the image on your screen at the exact size it will print. Zoom to 100 percent. If the edges look muddy there, they will look muddy on the wall. This is the single fastest check you can make before paying anything.

Paper, ink, and what they do to the image

Paper weight and coating change how the image reads more than most buyers expect. A thin coated paper can make a sharp image look brittle and glare under room light. A heavier matte stock holds tone more evenly and hides fingerprints. For Andrade's high contrast work, a matte surface usually keeps the darks from blowing out. Glossy paper can deepen color, but it also shows every scuff and every light source in the room.

Ink matters less than the source file, but it still decides whether the print ages. Dye-based inks look vivid at first and fade faster. Pigment-based inks run cooler at first and hold up longer. You will not always get a straight answer about which a seller uses. Ask anyway. A seller who knows the difference will tell you. A seller who does not is selling a poster and calling it a reproduction.

Four quick checks

Request the dpi at the size you plan to hang, not just the file dimensions.
View the image at 100 percent on screen and look for pixel blocks in the darks.
Ask whether the ink is pigment-based or dye-based and how the seller expects it to age.
Confirm the paper weight and whether the surface is matte or glossy before you pay.

How to spot a good reproduction before you buy

A good reproduction keeps the proportion of the original and does not crop the frame to fit a preset size. Cropping is the quiet giveaway of a seller working from a low-resolution file. Check the aspect ratio against a known image of the painting. If the print is a different shape, something was cut or stretched. Stretching shows up as distorted lines, which Andrade's linear work exposes quickly.

Ask to see a close-up crop before you commit. A seller confident in the file will show you the edge of a brush mark or the corner of a hard line. If the closest image is a thumbnail of the whole piece, you are being asked to guess. That is fine for a poster on a budget. It is not fine if you are paying for a reproduction you expect to hold up on a wall.

A soft reproduction turns a clear line into a blur at arm's length. View the image at the exact size it will print.

Criterion	High-quality reproduction	Budget poster
Resolution at size	300 dpi or close at the printed size	Often 150 dpi or less, sized up
Edge detail	Hard lines stay sharp at arm's length	Edges soften or break into blocks
Paper and ink	Heavier stock, often pigment ink	Thin coated paper, dye ink common
Aspect ratio	Matches the original painting	May be cropped or stretched to fit
Close-up proof	Seller shows a cropped detail	Only a thumbnail of the whole image

Comparing reproduction options by the criteria that matter

Key takeaways

Ask for the dpi at the size you plan to hang, not just the file dimensions.
View the image at 100 percent on screen and look for pixel blocks in the darks.
Confirm the paper weight and whether the surface is matte or glossy before you pay.
A cropped or stretched aspect ratio usually means the seller is working from a weak file.

Related questions

What dpi should I look for in an Edna Andrade print?

Aim for 300 dpi at the size you plan to hang. That keeps hard edges and fine linear detail sharp on the wall. A print at 150 dpi can look acceptable on a screen and still read soft in a room. If a seller cannot tell you the dpi at a specific size, treat the file as a poster source rather than a reproduction source.

Does paper type change how an Andrade print looks?

Yes. A matte heavier stock usually keeps darks from blowing out and hides glare in a lit room. Glossy paper can deepen color but shows every scuff and every light source. For Andrade's high contrast work, a matte surface is often the safer choice unless you specifically want the shine.

How can I tell if a reproduction has been cropped or stretched?

Compare the aspect ratio of the print to a known image of the painting. If the shapes do not match, the image was cropped or stretched to fit a preset size. Stretching distorts lines, which Andrade's linear work exposes quickly. A seller who keeps the original proportion is usually working from a better source file.

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