What are giclée prints?
Fundamentally, giclée printing is a type of fine art reproduction and refers to a high-quality printing process by using ink-jet printers.
The word giclée itself originates from the French language and can be loosely translated as “to spray”, which describes the basic process of an ink-jet printer.
Long-lasting | Great details | Wide rage of colors
Highest quality with giclée printing
Giclée prints are more expensive than regular prints because their technique and the required materials are more expensive. But by investing in a giclée print you will get a very high-quality product, which not only has the sharpest details and faithfully reproduced color palette, but which could also last over 100 years (under ideal circumstances).
However not all ink-jet printings are giclee prints! Specific requirements regarding the resolution of the scan of the original artwork, the medium used for the prints, ink and printer must be met for a print to be considered a giclée print.
Almost no difference between the original painting (left) and the giclée print reproduction (right)
Requirements for giclée printing
Printer
Usually, giclee printers are larger than normal ink-jet printers and can hold between 8 and 12 color ink cartridges. The rule is – the more inks are being used the more diverse the color range will be.
Inks
The ink has to be pigment based instead of dye based, which is often used in lower-cost printers. Pigment based ink produces long-lasting prints, which retain their colors without fading for a long period of time.
Resolution
Resolution of the scan must be at least 300dpi. This is important to maintain all the little details and specific colors of the original work.
Medium
The paper of the printing has to have archival qualities to ensure a long lifespan of the print. For my fine art prints high-quality Hahnemühle German Etching acid-free paper is being used.