Mixed Media Artist
Giclée fine art printing is the gold standard when it comes to producing museum-level quality prints. But what exactly is Giclée? It is superior print technology for reproducing prints on demand.
Giclée derived from a blend of French words; gicleur, which is a technical term for a nozzle or jet, and gicler, to spray out. The term Giclée — pronounced gee-klay — was initially coined by printmaker Jack Duganne in 1991. Today, it’s used to describe fine art printing using pigment based, archival quality inks, manufactured for advanced inkjet printers.
What’s the main difference between Giclée and other print technologies? Lithography uses the classic cmyk 4-color combination (in some instances with the addition of a pantone referenced spot color) Giclée printers can use up to 12 individual colors. This gives much smoother gradient transitions and a wider color gamut. In other words, more depth and richness to the final print, which helps to create stunning vibrant artwork with amazing reproduction. The end result is almost indistinguishable from the original.
Giclée print technology is for the discerning artists who wants top quality reproduction of their art that can last in the hundreds of years. This longevity is a key differentiator, because the type of archival inks used on Giclée printers won’t fade when displayed in normal conditions indoors; colors will retain their brilliance for a lifetime.
Giclée print technology also lends itself to almost any type of artwork. From computer generated design or photographs through to original illustrations, oil or watercolor works. Giclée 12-color print offers truly outstanding quality reproductions. The speed benefit probably shouldn’t be underestimated. The turnaround time for inkjet printers is invariably always quicker than the common alternatives, minutes instead of hours if you
are choosing between inkjet or lithography.
The printing equipment used has 24 ink wells and prints at 2440 dpi (dots per inch). And the inks are pigment based rather than dye based. Sunlight can fade dye-based inks. They also use only archival grade papers. Thus assured of giving the most accurate and longest lasting print that today’s technology can provide. By using this technology and museum glass in the framing process, these giclées have a lifetime in the hundreds of years.
