What is a giclée print?
A giclée print is an extremely high-quality fine art print, which accurately reproduces all aspects of the original artwork, down to the finest detail. The level of detail and accuracy of colour reproduction is obtained by taking a high resolution digital scan of the original artwork, and then transferring the image to archival quality paper. The end result is a light-fast, non-water-soluble image, which is hard to distinguish from the original artwork.
Giclée prints are produced using a high-end ink-jet printer, which delivers a variety of sizes of tiny dots of ink to the paper surface in an extremely fine spray. The dots overlap each other, mix to form different colour combinations and are absorbed by the paper. The fineness of the spray and the fact that the colours mix on the paper means that there are no droplets or dots visible on the finished print. The end result has a resemblance to the original that cannot be achieved by ordinary ink-jet printing techniques.
Why should I buy a giclée print rather than a cheaper alternative?
When you buy a giclée print, you are buying a quality item. The image reproduction is totally faithful to the original – there is no trace of a dot pattern or the fuzzy edges sometimes observed in lower quality prints. Once you get your print under glass, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a giclée print and an original artwork.
Giclée prints are durable, and when printed on archival quality paper, the colours will not fade if exposed to light, and the ink will not run no matter what the atmospheric conditions.
Some facts about giclée prints:
The term ‘giclée’ (pronounced zhee-klay) is said to derive from the French word ‘gicler’ which means ‘to squirt’. This describes the method of direct application of the ink to the paper by means of a fine spray.
Giclée prints were first produced in America in the 1990s.
Professional ink-jet printers are used to produce these fine art prints, and they range from 8 colour to 12 colour variants.
The surface of a giclée print does not display the dot pattern usually seen where screen printing or other mechanical ink transfer techniques have been used. The image is reproduced faithfully with no visible surface texture other than that observed in the original.
David Wildblood
30th June 2018
