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A giclee (zhee-CLAY) is an individually produced, high-resolution, high-fidelity reproduction of the original artwork done on a special large format printer. Unlike other reproduction processes, giclees are produced from digital scans of the actual artwork, not a slide or transparency. The artwork is scanned on a four-foot flatbed scanner, then digitized and saved as a digital image file.
Giclees can be printed on the same watercolor paper used to create the original artwork. They are superior to traditional lithography with colors that are brighter, last longer and are so high-resolution that they are virtually continuous tone, rather than tiny dots. The range or "gamut" of color for giclees is far beyond that of lithography and details are crisper.
The word Giclée is French for "to spray or to spit" - the ink is sprayed onto the media instead of being transferred - as from an offset reproduction.
The pigmented inks are rated 150 years without noticeable fading by Wilhem Imaging Research USA, therefore the conservation has been greatly improved (25 to 200 times) from that of offset lithography.
Giclees use inkjet technology, but far more sophisticated than your desktop printer. The process consists of a very sophisticated printer (with nozzles tinier than a human hair) that sprays millions of micro-droplets a second onto the media (paper or canvas). The Giclée is printed one line at a time and it may take an hour to complete a single reproduction.
Giclees are printed "on demand", rather than 1,000's at a time, so you won't find them in frame shops or discounters. Most artists sell their giclees directly to the art buying public, ensuring the educated collector a unique piece of affordable artwork.
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