Giclee Printing

Giclee printing is a sophisticated form of inkjet printing or wide format printing, which offers an affordable way of reproducing artwork. Taking your first steps into the world of Fine Art reproduction can be a little daunting - here are some answers to frequent questions about the giclee printing process. We recommend you learn more about the Canon ipf9000, Epson 11880, Epson 9880, Epson 7880, Epson 4880.


Should I scan or photograph the artwork myself?

Yes and no. A good professional printer will have a drum scanner, which produces the best results for fine art reproduction. The sensor system in drum scanners is less prone to electronic noise, and more sensitive to density variation, producing more detail in shadows with less visible grain than flatbed scans. For best results have your work professionally photographed, providing positive transparencies - 35mm is acceptable, but choose a larger format if available - to the printer for scanning. Very good results can also be obtained with professional standard flatbed scanning of your artwork, with the print shop's scanner being callibrated for their specific requirements.

For small prints, where high resolution is not so critical, or if you just want a few copies and need to keep costs down, you can create a print from your own digital file using your desktop scanner.

What size can I use giclee printing for my artwork?

Paper sheets are available in various sizes from 17 x 22 inches, up to 50 x 72 inches. The giclee print (canvas prints, photos on canvas, and other printing on canvas options to be included in this discussion) sizes offered by individual companies will depend on the make and model of the giclee printer they use. Many printers do work in small standard sizes, from around 6x8 inches, through 8x10 up to very large sizes. Maximum sizes can be very large, with some printers taking 44 inch wide paper, and some even up to 71 inches, with rolls many yards in length. Keep in mind that if you want a large print, your source file will need to be correspondingly large and high resolution. If producing multiple prints, you could arrange combinations of large and small drawings to make best use of the page. If printing on canvas, allow at least a 2-inch border for stretching.


Which paper should I use for Giclee printing?


Different giclée printers will favor different papers, depening on their inks and the stock sizes that are available. There are a wide range of choices available in digital papers. One problem to be aware of when selecting a paper is dot gain. Dot gain is the spread of an ink droplet when it hits the paper. Photobase paper has a very small dot gain but is not archival, so is unsuitable for fine art printing. Arches and Somerset Enhanced watercolor papers have a slightly higher dot gain but still offer good resolution. Somerset Velvet has a relatively high dot gain, though the lovely matte surface may be worth the compromise, depending on the art. Hahnemuhle rag paper is another popular choice, offering a clean crisp white and excellent archival qualities.

How good is the resolution on Giclee prints?

Some printers offer exceptionally high resolution, 1800 dpi in the case of the Iris 3047 and MacDermid Colorspan printers, 2880 from some Epson models. Comparing the claims of different printers can be tricky, with 'actual' and 'aparrent' DPI giving different figures. DPI isn't the only factor to consider, however: to create the appearance of a continuous tonal range, a printer must be able to produce graduated values for each color. Some printers, such as the 300 DPI IRIS 3047G, can produces 512 shades by varying the size of the ink drops. To be sure you'll be happy with your print, ask the printer to show you examples of their work, reproductions of artwork which is similar to yours, and judge the end results for yourself. Resolution will also depend on the substrate (fine art inkjet paper or fine art inkjet canvas) used for the giclee print.

While the latest Giclee printers use 6 or more colors, traditional printing is 4 colors: a lot of the pigments artists choose simply cannot be reproduced. The gamut (Range of colors reproduced) is higher with giclees. Manufacturers added extra pigments such as light cyan, light magenta, to increase chromatic rendition. Regarding pigments, make sure that your giclee provider uses pigments and not dyes for printing. This is an essential component to insure lasting reproductions. Every printer has different characteristics: A measure of DPI (dots per inch) is often overrated as to the only measure of quality. There are 300 DPI professional machines capable of rendering artwork of a much higher quality than a consumer level printer rated at 720 or 1,440 DPI. Ultimately, even with all the math and gamut graphs available, the true test is to observe a giclee next to the original. Use a lupe if one is available to discern any dot pattern.

Typically it is very hard for printers to reproduce all colors as saturation increases. As we go toward the edges saturation and brilliance increase and mechanical reproduction fails. Giclee printing can capture more colors. Even a 4 color Giclee printer has a better gamut than lithographs due to the brilliance of the pigments used. Our 7 and 8 color printers go beyond by adding up to 3 levels of black, light magenta and light cyan to the mix. Keep in mind that there is a limit to the gamut of giclees as well; through careful scanning and precise color correction we can produce prints with great depth.

For more information, see this Giclee printing Blog.