Giclee print definition - what is giclee?
What is giclee? A concise giclee print definition relates to the meaning of the word 'giclee', which is French for 'spurt'. In the giclee printmaking process, a high quality scan of an original artwork is made, or the artwork may be developed digitally. Whichever method is used, the resultant image is then digitally printed on paper or canvas, using special inks which are painted in tiny spurts by a giclee fine art printer using special equipment. In this discussion of a giclee print definition it should be explained that a giclee print is usually a reproduction of an original artwork but may also be the artwork itself if the artist has developed the work digitally with a giclee painting artwork as his/her intended end result. In that case, as for original prints, there is no original, except a digital one.
How to pronounce giclee
You may be looking for information to explain giclee or even for guidance about how to pronounce giclee.The closest that I can get to the pronunciation would be 'gee-clay', with the 'g' being a soft sound as 'geriatric' or 'genetic'. In French the 'g' sound is even softer, being made by relaxing the tip of the tongue - a cross between the English 'sh' and 'j'. Try it?
Advantages of giclee prints - do giclees last?
If you are purchasing a giclee artwork you may have questions such as "What are some advantages of giclee prints?" or "Do giclees last?"Advantages of giclees relate mostly to price, with a giclee painting often costing just a small fraction of the original. Also, an original artwork may be a collage, watercolour, mixed media, oil or acrylic work which, in the translation to a giclee painting appears to retain its properties of transparency, fluidity, lustre or depth. Other advantages are the ability to custom design or adapt an image and to choose its size, so that, dependent on the resolution and quality of the original, a work could be enlarged many times or reduced in size, the end product being limited only by the size of the canvas or paper available.
Multiples of the same image may be customised in a limited edition - eg to commemorate a special occasion for a corporate event or as mementos for the incentive travel market etc. If high quality inks are used, if the scan is saved at a high resolution and if the printer is skilled and experienced, a durable and high integrity artwork results.
Caution
However, please realise that the layer of ink applied during fine giclee printing is very thin (compared with actual oil, acrylic etc paint). So make sure that the surface of the artwork is protected by a high quality giclee coating or varnish.Reasonable care needs to be taken, for example with transport and storage, to ensure that the artwork is not abraded and that the protective coating or even the ink itself is not worn off by friction.
For a more in-depth giclee print definition and technical background please see
this page.
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