Giclée
Encyclopedia
Giclée is a neologism coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne for fine art
digital prints
made on ink-jet printers
. The name originally applied to fine art prints created on IRIS printers
in a process invented in the late 1980s but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used by artist, galleries, and print shops to denote such prints.
ink-jet printer they had adapted for fine art printing. He was specifically looking for a word that would not have the negative connotations of "ink-jet" or "computer generated". To make the word descriptive of ink-jet technologies he based it on the French language word "le gicleur" meaning "nozzle", or more specifically "gicler" meaning "to squirt, spurt, or spray".
based inks), and archival substrates primarily produced on Epson and some other types of large format printers. These printers use the CMYK color process but may have multiple cartridges for variations of each color based on the CcMmYK color model
(e.g. light magenta and light cyan inks in addition to regular magenta and cyan); this increases the apparent resolution and color gamut
and allows smoother gradient transitions. A wide variety of substrates are available including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolor paper, cotton canvas, or artist textured vinyl.
process traditionally used for such reproductions (a large-format inkjet print can cost more than $50, not including scanning and color correction, versus $5 for a four-color offset litho print of the same image in a run of 1000). Four-color offset lithographic presses have the disadvantage of the full job having to be set up and produced all at once in a mass edition. With inkjet printing the artist does not have to pay for the expensive printing plate setup or the marketing and storage needed for large four-color offset print runs. This allows the artist to follow a just-in-time business model, and since he or she can print and sell each print individually in accordance with demand, inkjet printing can be an economical alternative. Inkjet printing has the added advantage of allowing artists total control of the production of their images, including the colors and the substrates on which they are printed, and it is even feasible for individual artists to own and operate their own printers.
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
digital prints
Digital printing
Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large format and/or high volume laser or inkjet printers...
made on ink-jet printers
Inkjet printer
An inkjet printer is a type of computer printer that creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines that can cost up to thousands of...
. The name originally applied to fine art prints created on IRIS printers
Iris printer
An IRIS printer is a large-format color inkjet printer introduced in 1987 by IRIS Graphics of Bedford, Massachusetts and currently manufactured by the Graphic Communications Group of Eastman Kodak, designed for prepress proofing...
in a process invented in the late 1980s but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used by artist, galleries, and print shops to denote such prints.
Origins
The word "giclée" was created by Jack Duganne, a print maker working at Nash Editions. He wanted a name for the new type of prints they were producing on the IRIS printer, a large format high resolution industrial prepress proofingPrepress proofing
A Contract Proof usually serves as an agreement between customer and printer and as a color reference guide for adjusting the press before the final press run. Most contract proofs are a Prepress Proof....
ink-jet printer they had adapted for fine art printing. He was specifically looking for a word that would not have the negative connotations of "ink-jet" or "computer generated". To make the word descriptive of ink-jet technologies he based it on the French language word "le gicleur" meaning "nozzle", or more specifically "gicler" meaning "to squirt, spurt, or spray".
Current usage
Beside its association with IRIS prints, in the past few years, the word “giclée,” as a fine art term, has come to be associated with prints using fade-resistant, archival inks (pigment based, as well as newer solventSolvent
A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
based inks), and archival substrates primarily produced on Epson and some other types of large format printers. These printers use the CMYK color process but may have multiple cartridges for variations of each color based on the CcMmYK color model
CcMmYK color model
CcMmYK, sometimes referred to as CMYKLcLm, is a six color printing process used in some inkjet printers optimized for photo printing. It extends the customary four color CMYK process, which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key , by adding light cyan and light magenta...
(e.g. light magenta and light cyan inks in addition to regular magenta and cyan); this increases the apparent resolution and color gamut
Gamut
In color reproduction, including computer graphics and photography, the gamut, or color gamut , is a certain complete subset of colors. The most common usage refers to the subset of colors which can be accurately represented in a given circumstance, such as within a given color space or by a...
and allows smoother gradient transitions. A wide variety of substrates are available including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolor paper, cotton canvas, or artist textured vinyl.
Applications
Artists generally use inkjet printing to make reproductions of their original two-dimensional artwork, photographs or computer-generated art. Professionally-produced inkjet prints are much more expensive on a per-print basis than the four-color offset lithographyOffset printing
Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface...
process traditionally used for such reproductions (a large-format inkjet print can cost more than $50, not including scanning and color correction, versus $5 for a four-color offset litho print of the same image in a run of 1000). Four-color offset lithographic presses have the disadvantage of the full job having to be set up and produced all at once in a mass edition. With inkjet printing the artist does not have to pay for the expensive printing plate setup or the marketing and storage needed for large four-color offset print runs. This allows the artist to follow a just-in-time business model, and since he or she can print and sell each print individually in accordance with demand, inkjet printing can be an economical alternative. Inkjet printing has the added advantage of allowing artists total control of the production of their images, including the colors and the substrates on which they are printed, and it is even feasible for individual artists to own and operate their own printers.
See also
- Canvas printCanvas printA canvas print, also known as a stretched canvas or canvas art, is the result of an image printed onto canvas which is stretched, or gallery-wrapped, onto a frame and displayed...
- CcMmYK color modelCcMmYK color modelCcMmYK, sometimes referred to as CMYKLcLm, is a six color printing process used in some inkjet printers optimized for photo printing. It extends the customary four color CMYK process, which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key , by adding light cyan and light magenta...
- PrintmakingPrintmakingPrintmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
- Archival Pigment Prints