Giclee (pronounced ‘zgee-KLAY’) is a technique for reproducing art using a printing process similar to that used by modern ink-jet printers. It’s become a popular technique for producing limited edition fine art reproductions. The word’squirt’ comes from the French verb gicler, which means’to squirt.’
Lithography was the standard method of reproducing art prior to the introduction of giclee printing. Lithography is a fairly expensive process because it necessitates the creation of a printing plate, which is done by scanning and color-separating the art. Because the majority of the cost is in the setup, it’s important to keep it as low as possible.
To amortize the cost over a larger quantity of prints, large numbers are required. As a result, lithographs are usually produced in batches of 500 to 1000. Printing with lithography is also limited to smooth paper.
Giglee prints are available in a variety of media, including watercolors, which can be reproduced on watercolor paper and are nearly indistinguishable from the original in terms of color. On canvas, oil paintings can be reproduced. Because there is no ‘plate’ as in traditional printing processes, the artwork can be scaled up or down in size, with only the physical limitations of the giclee printing machinery limiting its size.
Artists have flocked to giclee printing as a way to reach a wider audience with their work. Artists can now spend a few hundred dollars to create a few dozen giclee prints in a variety of sizes, where previously they would have spent several thousand dollars to print several hundred copies using traditional methods in the hopes of recouping their investment. The ability to print giclee prints in a variety of sizes and on a variety of media allows artists to experiment to find the size and medium that appeals to the most art buyers. They can quickly reorder prints that sell out because the art imagery is stored digitally, avoiding the cost of printing large quantities at once.
Most specialty art printing establishments offer giclee printing services.