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Giclee - What is a giclee print?

Giclée (French for "a spurt") is an inkjet process for making prints, or a print made using this method. Originally the term applied to Iris prints created on Scitex Corp. Iris model drum piezo-head inkjet proofers.

Proofers are specialized commercial printing machines designed to proof or show what the final multi-color process printing will look like before mass production begins.

Now the term giclée is used for any high-resolution, large-format inkjet digital printer with fade-resistant inks or dyes.

Though originally intended for proofing, many artists and photographers use giclée printers as an alternative to lithography for limited editions or reproductions.

The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Giclee".

Limited Edition Giclee Prints on Canvas by California Artist Jeane Coutts

Giclee Prints on Canvas or Paper from our Artists

Giclee prints are high quality reproductions created from digital images. They can be printed on a variety of surfaces, including canvas and paper.

A giclee printer is a wide printer that is sometimes nicknamed a "knitting machine" because of its appearance.  The inks used for giclee printing are specially adapted water-based inks with high light-fastness. However, giclee prints should be treated in the same fashion as watercolor paintings, and protected from moisture and direct daylight. The best quality giclee prints will have a UV treatment applied to them after printing.  Ariki Art UV treats all its giclee prints as standard.

Giclee prints are becoming popular among artists as a means of reproduction far superior to traditional lithograph and poster reproductions.  If properly prepared and proofed, the giclee print closely resembles the color of the original.

Because of the ability to print them on canvas and for the artist to touch them up, they closely resemble the original artwork, but usually for a much lower price. If you are considering buying a giclee print, you should determine whether or not the prints are limited edition or open series.  Limited edition giclee prints are obviously more valuable than an open series which has no limit in the number of reproductions that may be produced. At Ariki Art, all giclee prints are issued in limited series only.

Giclee prints are very rarely reproduced in a size larger than the original so as to maintain resolution quality. At Ariki Art we can offer giclee prints in a range of sizes smaller than the originals. If you like one of our artists paintings but the original is too large for your setting, then request us to make the print smaller.

A limited edition giclee print is a good alternative to buying the original artwork if your art budget is limited or if you require a large number of artworks, for example, in an office setting. Currently Juan Coronado and Jeane Coutts are offering limited editions of 95 on most of their artworks exhibited at ArikiArt.com online galleries.  If you don't see a link to order a giclee print of a particular artwork that you like, please contact us to inquire as to whether or not giclee prints are available.

Because giclee prints are made to order up to the edition limit, please allow us 3 to 4 weeks for delivery. We require this amount of time to receive proofs from our printer, have the giclee printed, sent for stretching and UV treatment, and finally shipping.

If you live outside of the United States and are concerned about shipping costs, you can request that we do not stretch the canvas, which will enable us to ship the artwork in a mailing tube at much reduced cost.  However, you will need to have the canvas stretched by your framer. Since the UV treatment can only be applied to a stretched canvas, we also recommend that you have your print UV treated or framed under UV (museum) glass for protection from light and moisture.

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