What
is a Giclée print?
The
term giclée (pronounced zheeCLAY) means to squirt or spray and refers to
the action of the inkjets applying ink to paper.
Inkjet printers have
been around for quite a while and one in particular, generally known as the Iris,
although it is no longer produced, was the first capable of doing fine art quality
printing of digital files, including scans of film. Originally, this printer was
used for proofing in the offset printing world because it was so good at mimicing
press conditons. As a proof printer, quality was important but longevity wasn't.
Giclée Is Coined
When
the fine art world became interested in using such a high quality printer, a drive
was made to develop more archival inks. When that happened, the term giclée
was coined to represent the fine art level of printing as opposed to the equally
beautiful but less permanent proof printing the machine was originally designed
for. Today the term is used
by a number of manufacturers of machines as good as or better than the Iris and
is usually indicative of printers using more archival inks and papers and capable
of printing images that appear continuous tone to the unaided eye.
More
Giclée Information Information
on the keeping properties of some inks and papers can be found on the Wilhelm
Imaging Research, Inc. web site. Archival testing is a constantly changing
field. Any figures supplied by a tester are approximations only.
Keep
in mind that is not just inkjet printing that is subject to fading issues. All
photographic papers as well as traditional artists papers and materials can also
fade over time from exposure to bright light, airborn contaminants, heat, etc. |
