EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GICLÉE PRINTING

What is a Giclée Print?
The term “Giclée” is derived from a French term meaning “to spray ink” and is commonly used to refer to an inkjet printed fine art reproduction on canvas or watercolor paper. The term itself is rather generic and used to describe a wide range of products in the industry.

Are All Giclée Prints created equal?
Though one might think the term “Giclee” implies a certain level of quality or longevity this is not the case – in fact a wide range of products that vary greatly in quality and lifespan are passed off under this label. I have seen everything from 4-color sign printers to color photocopy output marketed as a Giclee. Then of course there is the care taken in producing the print, which has an enormous impact on the end result

Ink & Printing Technology
The original “Giclée” printer, the Iris, used dye based inks that even under the best viewing conditions were rated for only 25years. Today in many cases commercial grade 4-color sign shop printers (such as UV cure or eco-solvent) are generically labeled “Giclée” – though some of these machines produce stable prints, the resolution is poor, color is inconsistent, and the grey balance can shift dramatically when viewed under different light sources. A good giclee print will use water-based archival pigment inks and have a minimum 8-color inkset.

Loupe Imaging Giclée Prints
Our prints are made using an archival 9-color pigment inkset on the highest quality acid free papers and canvas. Most materials are estimated for typical indoor display in the 100-200 year range, and in some cases this number is estimated at over 400years (in the case of B&W prints on some select art papers)

Should Giclée Prints be spray coated?
Canvas prints absolutely need to be coated for any kind of long-term life expectancy. Without the top-coat the emulsion that absorbs the ink is extremely fragile, will absorb dirt and contaminants, and cannot be cleaned. We finish every canvas print that we produce with 2-3 coats of a protective UV coating that seals the surface and provides a scratch and scuff-resistant, cleanable, UV protected finish.

Any shop that tells you their canvas doesn’t need coating isn’t telling you the whole story – commonly used waterproof canvas prints, and some sign shop materials won’t run if accidentally wet, but they will stain, can hardly be considered archival, and have to be handled with extreme care to prevent damage – not something I’d want my reputation relying on.
Watercolor prints should be framed behind glass and as such do not need coating.