What is giclée printmaking?

Major advances in digital technology over the past 15-20 years have given rise to a new 4+ color printmaking process known as “giclée” printmaking. A giclée print is characterized by rich, glowing color, exquisite detail, subtle tone separation in even the lightest and darkest hues and an ink coverage so smooth no trace of the printing process can be detected. This is achieved by applying the inks to the paper or canvas in an ultra-fine mist or spray through computer-controlled inkjet nozzles. Most giclée presses now use pigmented inks to combine dynamic color with enhanced lightfastness and moisture resistance, creating beautiful and fully archival prints rated in independent testing to last 75-100+ years.

One of the major advantages of giclée printmaking for artists and photographers is that it is a “print-on-demand” system. Editions no longer have to be printed in a single run. Instead, all the information needed to generate a print is stored in the form of a digital file which we can call up at any time to make additional prints, exactly as and when needed and in the quantities needed.  And in a studio with fully color-managed systems, such as ours, the prints will remain consistent from run to run and even from one medium to another.