We get lots of questions each day about printing and there are a few printing buzzwords that come up frequently that unfortunately don\u2019t have short definitive answers. \u00a0Let\u2019s call them \u201cloaded buzzwords\u201d since the terms can open up a lengthy discussion and create confusion rather than definitive answers particularly if you peruse the subjects in printing forums. \u00a0One such topic of discussion is giclee printing and what constitutes a \u201cgiclee print\u201d. \u00a0There are some critical key components to look out for which we\u2019ll get into later.<\/p>\n
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\nThe term giclee printing has become more ubiquitous over the years and is often used as a marketing term to refer to any high quality inkjet print. It\u2019s often used interchangeably with fine art printing, but it\u2019s thrown around more than it should be (such as in cases where pigment inks and archival papers aren\u2019t even used!).<\/p>\n
\u201cGiclee\u201d (pronounced zhee-klay and derived from the French word meaning to spray or squirt) was first coined by printmaker Jack Duganne in the early 90\u2019s (hard to believe that was over 25 years ago!) to describe his advanced method of inkjet printing. \u00a0At the time, inkjet printing was associated with inferior quality prints so marketing his higher quality inkjets with a fancy name made sense and it stuck! \u00a0Nearly three decades later, the inkjet process has improved dramatically. \u00a0So much so that pigment based inkjet prints are often preferred over any other method due to better longevity and color accuracy. \u00a0Inkjet is no longer the dirty word in the printing industry that needs to be masked by the fancy French term giclee!<\/p>\n
You can think of the giclee process as two parts. \u00a0Giclee typically refers to the entire process of capturing an original artwork such as an oil painting on canvas in digital format and producing a print, but more recently it\u2019s often used to describe a high quality print from any source including a digital camera. \u00a0Heck, the term giclee is even used in conjunction with dye infused metal prints and other direct to substrate printing methods which really can\u2019t be considered archival at this time. \u00a0The point is, don\u2019t take the marketing jargon giclee at face value. \u00a0Know exactly what goes into making that product to determine the overall quality – the printer, the ink and the paper or material type. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n STEP 1 – CAPTURE ORIGINAL ARTWORK IN DIGITAL FORM. <\/b>\u00a0The original artwork is captured digitally using a high end, high resolution scanner (drumroll or flatbed) or for larger framed artwork and canvas, a relatively sophisticated camera capture system. \u00a0For artists, creating a digital copy of their original work before it sells is a no brainer which could lead to many additional sales as a print (typically limited edition, but not always).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n STEP 2 – PRINT. \u00a0<\/b>Once you have the high quality digital file of your original artwork, a whole new world of printing options opens up to you including ceramic tiles, shower curtains, mugs, etc. \u00a0For the purposes of this article, we\u2019ll focus on creating that archival giclee fine art print. \u00a0Did I just say archival? \u00a0Ah oh, there\u2019s another loaded printing buzzword that creates all kind of confusion and debate across printing forums. \u00a0We\u2019ll have to save a thorough discussion of this topic for another article, but for our purposes here we\u2019ll focus on the components of what most consider to be required to be considered archival. \u00a0Often times what is considered archival is also based on imperfect simulations, so saying a particular paper and ink combo will last 75 years is a very rough estimate. \u00a0The truth is we don\u2019t know for sure, but using high quality inks and acid free components along with some UV protection should keep the print looking great for a lifetime. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Key Components Of A Giclee Fine Art Print<\/b><\/p>\n With archival pigment inks, acid free papers\/adhesives and additional UV protection, you can be assured Bumblejax products will last a lifetime. \u00a0Check out our popular acrylic prints<\/a> along with our prints on bamboo<\/a>, raw aluminum<\/a>, dibond<\/a> and gatorfoam<\/a>! \u00a0If you’d like to order a test print of our satin or metallic paper you can do that here<\/a>. \u00a0Let us know what kind of project you are considering and we can typically credit back the cost of the proof once you place your full order.<\/p>\n If you need a service to create high quality high resolution digital images from your original artwork, photos or negatives let us know and we can help you find a local provider.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We get lots of questions each day about printing and there are a few printing buzzwords that come up frequently that unfortunately don\u2019t have short definitive answers. \u00a0Let\u2019s call them \u201cloaded buzzwords\u201d since the terms can open up a lengthy discussion and create confusion rather than definitive answers particularly if you peruse the subjects in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[92,90,89,91,93],"class_list":["post-4167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-printing","tag-archival","tag-fine-art-printing","tag-giclee-printing","tag-inkjet","tag-scanning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4167\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n<\/b>Most decent photo papers now are going to be buffered and acid free, but it\u2019s worth checking with your printer to make sure. \u00a0We offer satin and metallic acid free papers here at Bumblejax that when combined with the UV protection of acrylic or laminates are expected to last greater than 100 years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>In terms of permanence (and color accuracy too!), pigment inkjet inks are superior to any other method. \u00a0Superior to C-prints, superior to any of the new UV prints and certainly more permanent and longer lasting than direct to substrate printing such as metal prints. \u00a0That’s not to say that metal prints can’t last a long time. \u00a0If the metal print is done using a high quality substrate such as Chromaluxe with high quality ink they are rated to last 50+ years. \u00a0Use a lab that cuts corners and pinches pennies and you might find that metal print fading in mere months. \u00a0Like everything else, you typically get what you pay for so know what you’re paying for especially if you’re an artist reselling your work! \u00a0Here at Bumbleajax, we use HP Vivera pigment inkjet inks rated to last 100+ years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>Any professional print lab offering large pigment inkjet prints will be using a high end large format inkjet printer consisting of 8-12 inks. \u00a0We’ve been using the HP Designjet series of printers for years and feel it’s the best fit for us after testing the various large format inkjet printers. \u00a0We currently use the 6800 Series<\/a>\u00a0to produce beautiful giclee quality prints.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>All the love that goes into a great print – from optimizing the image (color enhancement, sharpening, denoising, etc), to making sure everything is calibrated professionally will lead to a superior giclee print. Costco apparently sells \u201cGiclee Canvas Prints\u201d. \u00a0I love Costco as much as the next guy, but are you going to get the same consistent quality of print or canvas at a Costco that you would at a fine art print lab? \u00a0Are you going to be able to speak with someone experienced with whom you can have a long term relationship with to make sure your prints are the best they can be? \u00a0Not so much. \u00a0Regardless of where you get your giclee print\u00a0done, it’s a good idea to see a paper print proof first to make sure the color is what you’re looking for. \u00a0It should come close to the original artwork, but if you’re viewing a digital image on your monitor you must have a color calibrated monitor or the print could differ quite a bit from the monitor. \u00a0Here at Bumblejax, everything is professionally calibrated to ensure accurate color.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n