Giclee, pronounced "zhee-clay", is a sophisticated inkjet printing method. It merges the use of professional grade large format printers with archival pigmented inks, archival watercolor papers and canvas. By using custom profiles, these printers can render subtle gradations and many colors that would be out of range with other technologies.
The Definition: Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French word "giclée" is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt".
The Term: The term "giclee print" connotes an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction.
HOW THE PROCESS WORKS
The original painting is scanned into a high-grade computer system using an $80,000 high tech resolution digital camera. This equipment has only been available for a year or so. Rather than taking a single photograph of the original painting, the painting is scanned in tiny sections using a grid pattern, which captures minute detail. Once in the computer, size, color, and many other options are available to the computer technician to reproduce the most accurate reproduction possible. The image is then programmed into a $20,000 high tech specialty art ink-jet printer. The ink-jet reproduces the image by delivering a fine spray of ink, up to a million micro-droplets per second. Each droplet is only one quarter of the diameter of a human hair. The incredible process allows for the display of the complete color spectrum with maximum resolution of color and density.