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GICLEE PRINTING
The Definition : Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French
word "giclée" is a feminine noun that means a
spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have
been derived from the French verb "gicler"
meaning "to squirt".
The Term : The term "giclee print" connotes an
elevation in printmaking technology. Images are
generated from high resolution digital scans and
printed with archival quality inks onto various
substrates including canvas, fine art, and
photo-base paper. The giclee printing process
provides better colour accuracy than other means
of reproduction.
The Process : Giclee prints are created
typically using professional 8-Colour to
12-Colour ink-jet printers. Among the
manufacturers of these printers are vanguards
such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, &
Hewlett-Packard. These modern technology
printers are capable of producing incredibly
detailed prints for both the fine art and
photographic markets. Giclee prints are
sometimes mistakenly referred to as Iris prints,
which are 4-Colour ink-jet prints from a printer
pioneered in the late 1970s by Iris Graphics.
The Media : Prints are typically done using
either archival quality 100% acid free paper or
canvas.
The Advantages : Giclee prints are advantageous
to artists who do not find it feasible to mass
produce their work, but want to reproduce their
art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is
digitally archived, additional reproductions can
be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost.
The prohibitive up-front cost of mass production
for an edition is eliminated. Archived files
will not deteriorate in quality as negatives and
film inherently do. Another tremendous advantage
of giclee printing is that digital images can be
reproduced to almost any size and onto various
media, giving the artist the ability to
customize prints for a specific client.
The Quality : The quality of the giclee print
rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin
printing processes and is commonly found in
museums, art galleries, and photographic
galleries.
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