THE GICLÉE STORY

Many artists are not familiar with the giclee pronounced (zhee-klay) process. The term giclee derives from a French word meaning to throw ink.

The modern process of giclee originated with the introduction of the Iris printer in 1987. Pioneers David Coons and Graham Nash founded Nash Editions to exploit the new ink jet technology, and an industry was born. By 1994, Epson entered the giclee printer market, and over the years other printer makers joined into the revolution.

Software to drive the digital print making revolution was first introduced in 1900 with Adobe Systems release of Photoshop 1.0. Over the years, the printers, digital photographic equipment and software has made astronomical advances to get us where we are today.

However, in today's world, a quality giclee reproduction consists of considerably more than merely printing with an ink throwing printer.

What to ask for in a giclee print

How is the image digitized?

Without a high quality digital image, no one can produce a high quality print. All digital reproductions, no matter how skilled the photographer, will require some "tweaking".

How does your print maker accomplish this?

Is the printing ink and media the highest quality available?

Do you need an archival quality print or a decor quality print?

Is the print coated to reduce ultra violet and chemical fading?

Or preferably, is the ink a pigment based ink which is highly resistant to fading (all prints will eventually fade), but the usable lifetime estimates range from weeks for uncoated dye based inks to over 100 years based on the materials selected and the display conditions.

Perceived color varies with display conditions. All giclee prints should be produced in a fully color managed workflow, ensuring that your original artwork is reproduced to your standards.

In summary, the preparation of high quality giclee prints requires skills and equipment to digitize, process, print and preserve the artwork. These are only a few of the considerations required to select your art reproduction partner.