A Giclee fine art print refers to a machine-made reproduction using the latest and most sophisticated ink-jet technology. Giclee pronounced 'zee-KLAY' is a method of reproducing art through a printing process very similar to modern ink-jet printers. A giclee reproduction is becoming the new standard and is widely embraced for its astonishing quality by major museums, galleries, publishers and artists. A Giclee Print is simply the closest replication of an original artwork that is currently possible. An amazingly smooth and consistent image true to the original painting, a superb quality fine art reproduction. The term derives from the French verb gicler, which means 'to spray'.

Are Giclee Prints Durable?

The latest inks offer up to 70 years light-fastness and UV-resistance under museum archival conditions. For even better permanence, giclee canvas prints are coated with a layer of anti-fading UV protective clear satin glaze.

History of Giclee Printing.

Prior to the advent of giclee printing, the standard method of reproducing art was lithography. Because this process requires the creation of a printing plate, made by scanning and color-separating the art, lithography is a fairly expensive process. The bulk of the cost is in set-up, so to make affordable prints, large numbers are required to amortize the cost over a greater quantity. Hence, lithographs are usually made in runs of at least 500-1000. Lithography is also limited to printing on smooth paper.

Giclee prints can be printed on a number of different media. For example, watercolors can be reproduced on watercolor paper and can be so color-true that they are virtually indistinguishable from the original. Oil paintings can be reproduced on canvas. The original artwork can be scaled up or down in dimensions, limited only by the physical limitations of the giclee printing technology.

Today Artists are using giclee printing as the preferred method for making their art available to the masses. Where before an artist would have spent several thousand dollars to print several hundred copies by traditional methods, hoping to sell enough to recoup the investment, artists can now spend a few hundred dollars to create a few dozen giclee prints in a variety of sizes. The ability to create different sizes of giclee prints, and to print on different media, allows artists to experiment to find the size and medium most popular with the art-buying public. Since the art imagery is stored digitally, they can quickly reorder prints that sell out, and avoid the expense of having to print large quantities at one time.