About Giclee Printing
The Definition : Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French word "giclée"
is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word
may have been derived from the French verb "gicler"
meaning "to squirt".
The Term : The term "giclee print" connotes 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.
The Process : Giclee prints are created typically using professional
8-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.
The 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.
The Market : Numerous examples of giclee prints can be found in New
York City at the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and
the Chelsea Galleries. Recent auctions of giclee prints have fetched
$10,800 for Annie Leibovitz, $9,600 for Chuck Close, and $22,800 for
Wolfgang Tillmans (April 23/24 2004, Photographs, New York, Phillips
de Pury & Company.)
©1997-2006 Giclée
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