Giclee Printing
Definition : Giclee (pronounced zhee-klay) - The French word "giclée" means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt".
About : The term "giclee print" describes an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction.
Printing Process : Giclee prints are created typically using professional 7-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Among the manufacturers of these printers are vanguards such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, & Hewlett-Packard. These modern technology printers are capable of producing incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets. Giclee prints are sometimes mistakenly referred to as Iris prints, which are 4-Color ink-jet prints from a printer pioneered in the late 1970s by Iris Graphics.
Advantages : Giclee prints are advantageous to artists who do not find it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce their art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost. The prohibitive up-front cost of mass production for an edition is eliminated. Archived files will not deteriorate in quality as negatives and film inherently does. Another tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.
Quality : The quality of the giclee print rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries
Paper Types
Somerset Enhanced Velvet - The paper for artists / photographers who demand crisp “photo quality” reproduction without sacrificing the luxurious feel of fine art paper. This radiant white paper yields spectacular results. It provides exceptional depth of color normally associated with glossy photo paper and rich, vivid colors that grab the eye and command attention. 100% cotton mould made paper.
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 188 and 308 - White, 100% rag, age resistant, printable on one side, smooth surface. The smooth surface structure of Photo Rag can be used for many different applications. This quality – 100% cotton rag - is especially ideal for archival printing of black and white and colour photographs.
Hahnemuhle FineArt Pearl 285 - In response to the growing demand for a superior fiber-based digital FineArt media with the look and feel of a traditional darkroom photo paper, the Hahnemühle mill is introducing the newest member of its digital FineArt media collection: FineArt Pearl. As with all Hahnemühle papers, FineArt Pearl has been developed to meet the highest standards of FineArt photographers using only the finest raw materials and manufacturing techniques. FineArt Pearl 285gsm is a triple coated, lignin free, 100% alpha-cellulose paper. The result is an age resistant paper with a surface that is remarkably similar to a traditional silver gelatin double-weight photo paper. Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl proved to be significantly superior in D-Max, white point and surface structure.
Hahnemuhle Torchon 285 - Bright white, 100 % TCF pulp, age resistant, printable on one side, coarse structure. The French word “torchon” characterizes a very coarse linen structure. So is the surface of this board. The original beauty and three dimensionality of a print can be captured with this bright white paper.
Watercolour - A thick, heavyweight paper with the look and feel of traditional watercolour paper.
Hahnemuhle FineArt Canvas 350 - “FineArt Canvas” is a natural white canvas with a matt surface made of pure high quality cotton with a matt inkjet coating. The surface has a perceptibly slightly finer linen structure than “Canvas Artist” that makes it ideal for printing portraits. The inkjet coating ensures outstanding definition and colour gradation. “FineArt Canvas” is also suitable for art reproductions with 3D effects.