The Definition : Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French word "Giclee is a feminine noun that means to spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt".
The Term : "Giclee print" connotes an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans or digital files and printed with archival quality inks onto various archival substrates including canvas, fine art and photo-base paper. The Giclee printing process provides extremely accurate color replication at a much higher resolution than other means of reproduction.
The Process : Giclee prints are created typically using professional 8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Among the manufacturers of these printers are vanguards such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, & Hewlett-Packard. Our modern technology printers utilize a 12-color ink set and are capable of producing incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets.
The Advantages : Giclee prints are advantageous to fine artists, digital artists and photographers who do not find it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce their art as needed, at an extremely high quality level. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort. 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 advantage of Giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced at virtually any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client or market.
Digital Pigment Print Definition:
The term "pigment print" is used generally for any type of printed image that uses strictly pigments. Pigment printing processes have been utilized since the middle of the 19th century. The image stability of pigment printing is superior to that of any other method of printing, including traditional silver-halide or metal-based. Digital inkjet printing has seen a surge in the use of pigmented ink as ink sets have been refined to be compatible with the latest in high-resolution inkjet technology. Today's pigmented inks have been tested and are known to last up to 200 years. Because pigmented inks excel in permanence and detail, these archival prints are now commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
Our Giclee printing process :
All of our Giclee prints are produced on archival paper or canvas that have been made specifically for the Giclee printing process. All of these substrates are manufactured with archival materials giving your Giclee prints the longest lasting quality in the industry.
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