Giclée? What is Giclée?

"Giclée"  means "spray with ink" in French. Giclée prints are created by scanning original artwork digitally and printing them using a color printer that sprays tiny, precisely controlled drops of ink onto paper or canvas.  The process guarantees a highly faithful reproduction of the original work in nearly continuous tones at a very high resolution.

The Giclée process stands in the forefront of a long line of artistic experimentation into using new media. Albrecht Dürer created some controversy among artists of his time when he used the printing process to produce etchings in the 1500s. Nineteenth-century artists began creating artwork from photographs. In the Twentieth-century, some artists such as Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rosenquist and Rauschenberg returned to screen processes to create their artwork.

Unlike traditional printing media such as stone, wood, metal, and screen, there should be no noticeable difference between the 250th art print and the first one because the digital image and printing process does not degrade with use.

Digital printing is in its infancy. It is rapidly replacing silver based fine art photography in producing the highest quality prints of other media today. The traditional physical darkroom is being replaced by a digital one, one with even greater possibilities of artistic manipulation and expression.

I use Notre Dame Graphics and Fine Art to produce a museum quality archival print using acid free art paper, the finest color inks, and one of the best color printers available. Your Giclée print should last for up to eighty years or longer given proper care.

How to care for your Giclée print

You can extend the life expectancy of a Giclée art prints by not hanging them in direct sunlight or in rooms with excessive moisture. Care for them as you would any fine artwork on paper and they will reward you with many years of pleasure.