Giclee Print. What is it?

22/11/2016 4,188 views

Although “giclee prints” entered the market long ago, there are still questions “Giclee? What is it?” Let’s clear it up.

giclee print on canvas of painting

painting print of the original painting | Night Dance

When the new technologies break into traditional fields of industry, we may witness the formation of the new words and terms. The obscure meanings of those, that often stand for the new and better qualities have to be cleared out.

Giclee art prints are printed reproductions of original paintings, drawings or photography. The term “giclee” derived from the French word that means “spray”. Although the word “spray” may refer to any kind of printers and it actually describes how the paints come onto the surface there is a different type of a printer with the special ink that is used for giclee printing.

Giclee printers have several advantages over the traditional printers.

1. Color rendering

Printers like Epson Stylus 9890 that I use for my giclee prints is very sensitive to colors and sophisticated hues. It can precisely reproduce the original color and it makes the print very much alike almost identic to the original artwork. There are not only 4 colors that are usually provided in widely spread office printers but 9. It improves the color mixing and makes it possible to render the original color.

giclee art print of the original paintings on canvas

Giclee art prints on fine art paper

2. Longevity

Giclee prints may live up to 100-150 years if you treat them well, that’s to say your giclee prints don’t face the direct sunlight, which is harmful to any kind of art.

modern giclee canvas prints of oil paintings

giclee prints on canvas

GICLEE PRINTS from BALLET Series

3. Price

Giclee prints are less expensive than their “relatives” originals. So you won’t spend more than your budget allows for your favorite art. They are absolutely affordable. If talking about other kinds of prints, like ordinary digital prints, they are cheaper than the giclee ones. It’s quite understandable – the quality has its price.

pink canvas print, a beautiful wall art print for bedroom

wall art canvas print of the original painting | Dream of the Pink Day |

Browse my GICLEE PRINTS from the NUDE collection 

4. Quality

The way the archival inks mix together determines the quality of the color. And the material the color lies down should, of course, support the rendering of colors.

painting print giclee on canvas by Epson Stylus 9890

giclee art print by EPSON Stylus 9890

For the best possible quality of the giclee prints made with EPSON printer, EPSON recommends using the fine art paper and premium canvas that  were exclusively made for Epson. As my intention is to provide you with the great quality prints, I follow Epson’s advice.

Speaking of the prints on paper, there are several kinds of paper that Epson advises. My choice fell on professional paper for digital fine art and photography – Somerset Velvet for EPSON. Why I use exactly this kind of fine art paper?

It has the following benefits 

 ◉  100 % cotton ensures long term durability

 ◉  the ‘look and feel’ of high-quality watercolor paper

 ◉  radiant white base and velvet texture ensure rich details and vivid color reproduction

 ◉  acid-free which ensures achievability 

 As for the giclee prints on canvas, I use the premium canvas satin and there are reasons why exactly that kind of canvas.

Benefits of the premium canvas satin

giclee print of the original ballerina painting | Waiting

giclee print of the original ballerina painting | Waiting

◉ gives the appearance of a true fine art piece

◉ water resistant and allows an extreme durability

◉ “the look and feel” of the original canvas painting through the subtle texture of canvas

◉ provides a high gloss finish that is characteristic to the original painting created with oil

Giclee prints both on paper and canvas are the ones that you can see in famous art galleries, museums, and renowned auctions. The majority of them are made with Epson printers which preserve the leading role on the market of giclee printing.

As an artist, who also offers giclee prints, I want my reproductions to look as good as it’s only possible. I’m the one who is responsible for my art. And Epson Stylus 9890 is my great companion in this field. It completely meets all my expectations.

Giclee art prints can’t completely substitute the original painting, but they make it possible to get the favorite image without stressing your bank account. 🙂 And when a few fresh brushstrokes of mine appear on a giclee print and add the smell of the oils than it’s almost a real original painting.

ballerina giclee canvas art print

canvas print of the original painting | Symphony of Flight

My giclee prints are looking forward to the pleasant rendezvous with you, so welcome to their cosy place 🙂

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