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From the French verb
"to spray", the word Giclée (zhee-clay) is used to describe a
digital fine art printmaking process. Giclée prints are created
using a high-resolution inkjet printer. Images or paintings are
carefully scanned and reproduced using stable pigment-based inks.
Giclée are printed on
a variety of substrates or mediums, the most common being
watercolour paper or canvas. Image permanence is a concern to
artists and collectors, the Giclée process gives fade & color shift
resistance of better than 125 years.
Fine art reproduction
has been revolutionized with the Giclée printing process. Giclée are
digital reproductions of original artwork. Paper or canvas is
individually mounted onto a drum which rotates during printing. As
the drum spins a fine stream of ink droplets spray onto the chosen
archival substrate. Since no screens are used in Giclée printing,
the prints have a higher resolution than lithographs and the dynamic
color range is greater than serigraphy.
What
is digital printmaking?
Digital printmaking
utilizes computers to precisely control specialized digital
printers. Most fine art printmakers use ink jet printers that apply
ink to a variety of media, primarily high-quality watercolor papers
and canvas. The digital printmaking process is capable of producing
exceptional results for both original printmakers and for the
reproduction of original works of art; because of its extended color
gamut and continuous tone characteristics, digital printmaking is
considered a superior technology for printing all forms of art
including photography.
How
long will my prints last?
Under normal lighting
conditions, EnduraChrome archival inks last at least 75 years on
watercolor paper. Although pigmented inks last longer, they cannot
be used with the high resolution ink jet heads which provide greater
detail in prints, nor do they offer the wide color gamut of the
EnduraChrome inks. Endurachrome archival ink, 25 year fade
resistance on Canvas, 75 year on Watercolor paper.
How
do I care for my Giclée print?
You can extend the
life expectancy of a Giclée art prints by not hanging them in direct
sunlight or in rooms with excessive moisture. Care for them as you
would any fine artwork on paper and they will reward you with many
years of pleasure. Inks are water-soluble - for protection and
increased ink stability, you may wish to coat prints with a UV
lacquer spray which is readily available at arts and crafts supply
stores.
How
does a Giclée print differ from an Iris print?
Giclée prints are
sometimes referred to as Iris prints, but the piggybacking of terms
can be confusing - and misleading. Iris prints usually refer to an
earlier process developed for posters and proofs. Iris and Roland
Giclée represent the evolution of the process used for making Iris
prints to the level of fine art, with a more refined system for
fine-tuning colors and inks that, on average, resist fading 10 times
longer than those used in Iris prints. A good analogy: Giclée is to
Iris prints what serigraphs are to screen prints.
How
do Giclée prints differ from lithographs and serigraphs?
Offset lithographs are
created by taking a continuous tone image and processing it through
a screen. The result is an image created with a series of dots, each
one proportional in size to the density of the original at the
location of that dot. The human eye is consequently "tricked" into
seeing something that approximates a continuous tone image. Most
printed material such as newspapers and magazines are printed with
this process.
Serigraphs are really
screen prints. These prints are made by creating a set of screens,
each representing one color. Ink is then squeegeed through the
screen and onto the media. For fine art reproduction purposes, the
number of screens required to approximate the tonal qualities of the
original are typically from 20 to more than 100. The larger the
number of screens, the closer a serigraph can appear to be
continuous tone and the more expensive it is to produce.
Giclée prints have
many advantages over both the offset lithograph and the serigraph.
The color available for Giclée processing is limited only by the
color gamut of the inks themselves. Therefore, literally millions of
colors are available and the limitation imposed by the screening
process does not exist.
The Giclée process
uses such small dots and so many of them that they are not
discernible to the eye. A Giclée print is essentially a continuous
tone print showing every color and tonal nuance.
Giclée are printed on
beautiful fine art papers, and the result is a print befitting the
definition of fine art in every way.
Commonly
used Giclée terms:
Edition Size: The total number of
Giclée printed, or pulled, of one particular image. Separate edition
sizes are recorded for the signed and numbered Giclée, artist's
proofs and printer's proofs.
Limited-Edition: A reproduction of
an original work of art that is signed and sequentially numbered by
the artist. The total number of Giclée is fixed or limited by the
artist or the publisher.
Open-Edition: A reproduction of an
original work of art that is sometimes signed by the artist. The
number of Giclée published is not predetermined.
Signed
and Numbered: Limited-edition
Giclée that have been signed and sequentially numbered by the
artist. The artist's signature is usually found in one of the lower
corners of the Giclée and is accompanied by a number that looks like
a fraction; the top number indicates the number of the Giclée and
the bottom number indicates the total number of Giclée in the
edition.
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