Giclée is a French word that means “to spray or spread”. In this case it refers to a way in which ink is deposited on the surface of paper, cloth, or other support as preferred by the artist. A giclée is a work of art that has been reproduced with digital ink jet technology using specialized, high resolution machinery so that it can be considered as true to the original piece of artwork as is currently possible to achieve. Even so, we cannot consider that all digital inkjet prints are giclées.

This printing technology produces images by depositing tiny droplets of varying sizes, controlled with extreme precision, onto the surface of the support. The result is an image of exceptional quality that has the same characteristics of an image of continuous tones. Our printers produce an image with a perceived resolution of 2800dpi. This means that a fixed screen printing system would need 2800 droplets per inch printed. In actuality, no other system can reproduce images with this level of quality.

Are Giclées stable? Will they fade?

Giclées have been exhaustively studied by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc., a leading authority in the care and preservation of Fine Art prints, photographs and films. The analyses that Wilhelm has carried out show that the life of a Giclée print depends on the interaction of a variety of factors: the inks used in the printing, the surface printed upon, and the display conditions. The standardized conditions in which Wilhelm does his testing equal 450 lux for 12 hours per day. That amount of light is considered the average for a home or office. Under these conditions, a Giclée printed by us using UltraChrome inks, an Epson Smooth Fine Art support, and displayed under UV glass will have a longevity of 150 years before any significant alteration in the color balance can be detected.

How long do Giclées last compared to other types of reproductions like lithographs or serigraphs?

To date, we do not know of any testing that has been done by independent laboratories on this topic. However, it is important to point out that all color is subject to fading. Depending on the composition of the paints, many watercolors will fade long before the more stable Giclées. The same can be applied to copies made using Ilfochrome Classic, which Wilhelm estimates has a permanency of 29 years.

If I am going to do a Limited Edition of prints, should I print the whole run?

No. At GraficArtPrints we understand that you will need your reproductions as the demand for them grows. We don’t expect you to spend money storing a supply of prints that as yet have no final destination. We can continue printing out the entire edition on a one by one basis, or according to whatever your needs may be.

Should I send my original work of art?

Not necessarily. You can send us a photographic transparency (slide), preferably 10x12 cm, taken by a competent professional photographer, or a digitalized image via FTP, email or CD-ROM. If these services are not available to you, you can send us the original and with great pleasure we will take care of its photographic or digital reproduction.

Do I have to order a minimum number of prints?

No. We will reproduce your artwork one by one if that is what you need. The digital file of your work will either be stored at GraficArtPrints if you so authorize it. Just notice there is a minimum charge per order, which can be found in pricing.

Does a Giclée print need any special care?

Yes. All artwork should be handled with the greatest of care. It is advisable to use gloves whenever you must handle your prints. For mounting and framing, we recommend using only the finest materials, 100% cotton, and neutral Ph (acid free) products. When the piece is exhibited, it is preferable that it be under glass or plexiglass, ideally the kind that provides UV protection. The print should never be exposed to direct sunlight, and, although the inks are water resistant, for obvious reasons contact with moisture should be avoided.

Are museums showing any interest in Giclée reproductions?

Yes. Many museums in the United States and other countries have exhibited Giclées or have acquired them for their permanent collections. A few of these museums are:

Metropolitan Museum (New York)
Guggenheim (New York)
Museum of Fine Arts (Boston)
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston)
Philadelphia Museum
Butler Institute (Youngstown, OH)
Corcoran (DC)
National Gallery for Women in the Arts (DC)
Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (DC)
Walker Art Center
Smithsonian Institution Libraries
New York Public Library Print Collection
High Museum (Atlanta)
California Museum of Photography
National Museum of Mexico
San Jose Museum

What is our delivery schedule ?

For printing color proofs or final prints on materials of our permanent stock, we have a delivery schedule less than two days.

The same deadline, or lower, is applicable for delivery of ICC profiles.

In case you request special materials or out of our permanent stock, we will inform on the schedule when receiving your order.

For reproducing or scanning originals, the time may vary due to the nature of each process. We also will inform on the schedule when receiving your order.

Which is the maximum printing size?

We can print on any size. The only limit is our machinery wide: 44 inches (111 centimetres).

Does GraficArtPrints provides ICC profiles for softproofing?

No,

...and we have our reasons:

We have not found yet, someone who is not satisfied with the color fidelity of our giclées. GraficArtPrints provides a test print, free of charge, for the artist who wants to check out before final printing. Is there any better than a real print to check out?

Giclée printing, although based on CMYK, works on RGB. Gamma and saturation provided by pigmented inks, is far beyond traditional CMYK printing. The colors out of gamut or unprintable, by definition SO THEY ARE, so no corrections can be applied when softproofed.

ICC profiles used by GraficArtPrints are custom made, periodically renewed and for exclusive use to print exquisite giclées in GAP facilities. We believe that softproofing makes little sense in giclée printing and can create confusion between GraficArtPrints and their customers.