In 1995 I attended the New York Art Expo where I first discovered giclees. A printer was set up in a booth rolling out exact replica canvas reproductions of an original, producing beautiful giclee canvas prints. It was a buzzing jam packed booth of fascinated onlookers, including myself. The IRIS printer being used was the original proto-type from which many more printers would eventually evolve. Giclee printers today are 4-5 times the size of the first IRIS printer capable of producing exceptionally large prints on a variety of materials. The IRIS printer was favored by watercolor artists as it could produce original prints on the high end French watercolor paper with remarkable watercolor quality results. But at this moment, it was demonstrating its superb giclee printing quality on canvas.
So what is a giclee exactly? The word giclee is French, and it means “spray of ink.” The correct spelling is actually giclée, but for the sake of simplicity and ease of spelling, I am omitting the accent. The giclee printing process involves a digital printer connected to a computer where it reads a high resolution image of the original artwork, then reproduces the image as it sprays the ink, up to a million micro droplets per second, while while moving back and forth across the paper or canvas. The manner in which these tiny droplets are delivered allows for a full spectrum of color that creates the finest detail and vibrancy. The final image can be sealed for protection and long lasting life.
Giclee art prints are exceptional over standard color printing such as for posters. Giclee printing is capable of reproducing prints with all the subtlety of washes, layers and brushstrokes found in the original painting. This can result in the artist being able to produce more substantial prints that closely match the original. In fact, it is often difficult to discern the original from the print. The difficulty in this determination is a sure sign that you are getting a quality fine art giclee print. The sophisticated digital techniques used to create giclees is able to capture all the fine details found in an original.
There are many giclee printing companies now across the country as well as individual giclee printers. Small individual printers tend to focus on limited edition prints for artists while the larger printers focus on bulk printing. The quality of giclee art prints are subject to variation depending on the kind of printer as well as the printers expertise. It is very helpful to know the expertise and focus of a printer when you are looking to buy giclee art prints. If the artist collaborates in the print reproduction, you can be certain of getting very high quality giclee canvas prints with which to fill your home or office.
