In the early 1990s Jack Duganne introduced the word "giclée" as a new term describing digital prints used as fine art versa commercial digital prints. Since then giclee technology rapidly developed and became number one choice for fine art reproduction by publishers, galleries, artists, and photographers.
Some artists like to add a 'personal' touch to their giclee prints using paints, pastels, pens, beads, swarovski crystals, glitter, gold leaf, etc. Such prints are called 'embellished' prints or 'mixed mediums'. Embellishing is mostly done on canvas giclees. In rare cases artists embellish their paper prints. Note: these mixed mediums are based on giclee prints unlike original mixed mediums created without involving printing technology.
Long before the word Giclee was first used there were artists who begun using ink-jet technology for their reproduction purposes as an alternative to lithography and serigraphy. Then in the mid 1980's Graham Nash and Jon Cone noticed the high quality of the Iris ink-jet printers output. They developed inks that gave fine art reproductions the longevity and color gamut they deserve. Iris printer became the first one associated with museum quality fine art.
In the early 1990's Jack Duganne introduced the word "giclée" as a new term describing digital prints used as fine art versa commercial digital prints.
Since then giclee technology rapidly developed and became number one choice for fine art reproduction by publishers, galleries, artists, and photographers.
Different manufacturers of printers and print media working very hard on improving their product contributing tremendously into the rapid increase of Giclee prints quality.
In 2001 the Giclee Printers Association (GPA) was formed. It came up with certain standards that distinct highest quality giclee print from lower quality ink-jet print. The term: 'Tru Giclee' created by GPA means highest quality. The GPA is approved a pretty short list of printing materials and equipment that qualifies to bear its logo.
Giclée printing technique has become very popular in the past decade among artists, galleries, and publishers. The major advantage of this technique is that it's not going to cost you a fortune just to reproduce your own artwork. It is on-demand printing.
A Giclée, is individually produced so there is no need to manufacture a huge edition of prints like in lithography or silkscreen techniques. You can order one print at a time and enjoy much better quality!
Our Giclée printers use high end archival inks which make the archival properties of Giclée's much higher than lithography prints. The pigmented inks of Giclée's have a light fastness rating up to 200 years. Museum quality Giclée reproductions are difficult to distinct from the original.
The dot-pattern of these prints is invisible to the naked eye. Under extreme magnification the print quality can be seen to be the equivalent of the very finest printing. And the artist responsible for achieving perfect tonal balance and color fidelity in these fine-art reproductions is the same artist who created these delicate qualities in the first place. These are among the most accurate, most archival prints available anywhere.
