About Giclée Art
Traditional print methods such as lithographs and screen-printing are no match for the latest in digital print technology. Giclée, from French 'gicleur' meaning to spray or spurt, is a relatively new method for printing high quality photographs and artwork, which has gained widespread popularity among artists across Europe and in the United States. In fact, roughly 80% of all new art images being produced in the US today employ the Giclée technique. The name Giclée was coined in 1991 by Jack Duganne who wanted to differentiate this type of digitized four color printing from other inkjet process used for low end reproductions.
The Giclée printing technique was first introduced as a prepress proofing system in the late eighties under various names, but its initial use was mainly limited to high quality books about fine art. Although the technique was always considered high end, the endurance of the ink originally employed could not withstand the test of time. Such inks were borrowed from other printing processes and did not have the staying power that would make the use of this technique interesting for the long-term. Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. first verified the longevity of the ink following research into the advances made by the International Association of Fine Art Digital Printmakers, a professional association formed to study the problems associated with early Giclée. Wilhelm Imaging has stated that new Giclée prints using pigment inks can maintain their original quality for over 30 years (and up to 150 years with some loss of quality).
Not only has the quality of Giclée prints improved, but the production process has become easier. Earlier Giclée prints were produced by affixing a single sheet of paper (or canvas) to a spinning drum while pinpointed spurts of ink, controlled by a digital print program, layered dots of color with every turn. Today's Giclée prints can be fed paper from a flat bed or a roll. Where singular prints can take up to an hour to complete and must be monitored, the use of a flat bed feeder or a roll allows successive prints to created without requiring an attendant.
During the Giclée printing process, ink is sprayed onto watercolor paper or canvas at a rate of more than four million minuscule droplets per second. The end result gives the appearance of a fine airbrushed image, yet with the dynamic color of seriography. What is more, the apparent resolution of Giclée prints is higher that traditional lithography because images are printed directly onto canvas or paper without the use of screens. The droplets are fine-tuned by computer controls and each image can be reproduced exactly, with ease. For this reason, Giclée prints have been colloquially called 'digital originals'.
Since this technology allows for many reproductions of the same quality or individual printing of selected or slightly modified digital art, Giclée gives artists more security in the production and marketing of their work. For example, an artist at virtually any point in his or her career can now afford to create limited edition prints or to test for the popularity of a particular print before attempting to market them en masse. A Giclée print can sell for anywhere between $30 and $4000. Knowing the market potential before production gives artists the advantage of producing only those works that are guaranteed to sell. |
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