What is a Giclée Print?

A Giclée Print is an art image on paper or canvas that has been produced on a computer-driven ink-jet printer that sprays the ink onto the canvas or water colour paper such that the dots of colour overlap one-another, providing more coverage and greater intensity and purity of colour.     
Giclée (pronounced "zhee-clay" or "gee-clay", a french word meaning "sprayed" onto the paper from many tiny ink jets) describes the most advanced process for fine-art digital printmaking.   The newer giclée printers have the ability to resist fading about 10 times longer than earlier printers.  Using highly saturated, water-based archival inks with the potential for making 512 chromatic changes, newer giclée printers can print more than three million colours.  The prints can be produced on a variety of absorbent surfaces ranging from fine-art papers to canvas, silk, and even leather.  Prints on canvas are protected with a coating that makes them water resistant and allows them to be displayed without glass.
Competition has not only forced the evolution of longer-lasting inks with broader and more saturated colour ranges but also brought forward the growing importance of the role of  craftsmanship.  To get the best reproduction possible, to minimise compromises, and to determine the compatibility of media and the permanence of inks, it is necessary to discuss the process and practices involved with the individual printer.   The ability to use the latest methods, materials, and tools makes the difference in the outcome and longevity of the print.  The collaboration between the artist and the printer - the skills and materials of the printer and the the goals of the artist - will ultimately determine the quality of the print. At Fine Art Print Centre, you can be assured of our printers' skills and the quality of our materials.

Printing Terminology

Canvas Prints
Owning a canvas print or canvas transfer may be the next best thing to owning an original work of art. Many of the canvas prints on the market today qualify as true reproductions because they were produced directly on canvas either with offset lithography or digital printing.
Canvas transfers are the result of technology that has been around for about three decades, but only became commercially acceptable in the 1990's. In a nutshell, through the use of several chemicals, the ink on a limited-edition offset reproduction is literally transferred to the canvas. The result is a reproduction with a lustrous finish like oil on canvas.
Canvas images score other bonus points with collectors as well. For one thing, artists can hand-embellish by adding oil or acrylic paint highlights. Another factor is that canvas prints and transfers can be framed like originals because they don’t need to be covered with protective glazing.

Digital Prints

Fine-art digital printmaking most often begins with an original painting that is photographed by a digital camera and input into a computer or directly scanned on a flatbed scanner. All the manipulation, colour corrections and other necessary procedures are done in the computer with specially designed software. The reproduction is then printed out on a six or eight colour Iris or ink jet drum printer. At Fine Art Print Centre our large format printers use six and eight colour processes.
Although the digital print is made on a six or eight colour printer, the process can achieve millions of colours, most of which appear brighter than the colours of offset reproductions. The reproduction of delicate pastel colours is particularly outstanding and, when done properly, a digital reproduction of a transparent water colour original can rival the original.
That’s the bottom line for the art consumer. The bottom line for the artist is that digital prints are a less expensive, quality way of test marketing the reproduction without having to invest in an entire edition. Although digital prints have a higher per-print cost, they can be reproduced on demand, reducing the need for extra inventory if prints aren’t sold. The artist can have one made, then another and more later - and they’ll all look exactly alike.

Prints and Quality

What type of quality can I expect from your prints?

At Fine Art Print Centre we take great pride in the quality of all our prints and customer satisfaction is our number one priority. Every print that we produce has been professionally colour proofed to ensure that it is as close to the original piece as is technically possible.

What type of paper do you print on?

Canvas Paper - Made from the highest quality 100% cotton duck fabric, this unique heavyweight, quality canvas utilises a tight weave that is ideal for photographic and fine art reproductions. With a high resolution coating that is pliable enough to withstand stretching, Canvas displays a subtle texture for a true artistic look and feel. Combined with incredible colour reproduction, a medium gloss finish, and acid free archival quality base and our canvas prints will not fade for over 75 years.*

Museum Quality Archival Paper - Produces images with vivid colour reproduction and high contrast. This paper will be fade resistant for 50 - 75 years and acid free. Choose from cool or hot press surfaces, various paper weights and colours to create the medium best suited for prints of your artwork.

Photo Grade Paper - Choose from gloss to satin finishes for your exhibition quality photographs. Our photo grade paper options retain the archival paper qualities as listed above and also provide the perfect weight for displaying your finished work with or without mounting.