What is a Giclée?
February 15th, 2011
By: Douglas E. Taylor
A giclée (pronounced zhee-klay) is a high quality digital reproduction print. Giclée is a French term meaning to spray ink. The contemporary inks or dyes used in resolution ink spray printers today are extremely durable and highly resistant to fading from ultraviolet light. The giclées are printed on various archival materials such as heavy rag paper, watercolor papers, heavy archival photography paper and primed archival painting canvas. This allows for superior reproduction quality because of the heavy duty archival materials (paper or canvas) that are used create textural surfaces that are similar to the original surfaces.
Previously, artists had to use offset lithographic printing processes which required them to print hundreds or thousands of copies all at once of each image in order to produce a limited edition reproduction print. The digital giclee process allows artists to print a few images at a time so that they have even more control over the product with a much smaller upfront investment. The results are consistent, high quality reproductions of the original works of art. Each image is signed and numbered by the artists. The limited edition creates a more affordable image for collectors who sometimes do not have the option of purchasing the original.
The original image or a high quality large-format photograph is usually scanned through a high resolution scanner. Because the print can be printed on the most appropriate surface, such as a watercolor painting printed on watercolor paper, the results are extraordinary and highly representative of the original piece.
