- Are all digitally produced prints giclee prints?
- If not, what is the difference between an "ordinary" inkjet print and a giclee print?
- How should artists describe prints that are not printed using off-set photo-lithography so the purchaser knows exactly what they are getting?
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
What is a giclee print?
A lot of art print publishers and distributors (and many of our artists and customers) use the term giclee to describe all [non original] prints not printed off-set (ie for all prints printed on demand using sophisticated digital printers). We are interested in our readers views on the following questions:
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Giclee use archival waterbased ink, archive quality media, are usually signed by artist and often are limited edition with a certificate. Non archival printing using an inkjet with solvent based inks on non-archival paper is not a giclee. These non-archival prints shouldn't be described as anything different from an offset long run photo-lithographic prints.
ReplyDeleteJack Duganne, a master fine art print maker of Santa Monica, California, coined the term `Giclee (pronounced GEE 'CLAY) in 1991 to describe something new - the making of fine art limited edition prints by digital ink jet printing.
ReplyDeleteGiclee prints offer you the very best technology currently available. Original artwork is scanned on a high resolution wide format scanner. The images are then processed through computers and printed by a very fine ink jet printer using pigment based long life inks onto watercolour, acid-free paper. The superiority of the Giclee process ensures that the end product is the closest match to the original work as is technically possible.
Quote from Art Business Today: "The impact of digital technology on the fine art industry is as important a breakthrough as photography was in the 19th century."
Answers to:
Question 1: No
Question 2: The difference is Giclee Prints are Limited Editions, printed with "pigment based long life inks", on "acid free watercolour paper“ as per the above "extract"
Question 3: "Digitally printed prints" as opposed to "Offset printed prints"/ Giclee Limited Edition Prints (as described above)
With further research………on the `giclee’ issue…………I am not quite correct……………`giclee’ prints are not necessarily `limited editions’ .
ReplyDeleteI `Google’d – giclee – and there was no mention of a `giclee’ being a `limited edition’ but a true `giclee’ uses archival ink and :
“The paper or canvas that is used is specially prepared to accept this type of printing mechanism and ink-set. Hahnemuhle, St Cuthberts, Epson and Lyson produce tested papers and canvas” …….. (ex Fine Art Guild)