What is a giclee print?
A giclee print (pronounced zhee-KLAY) is a fine art print created by using a high-quality inkjet printer and, ideally, archival inks and fine archival paper or canvas. In the hands of skilled craftsmen, the artwork is first digitally captured, then proofed for corrections, and finally, printed digitally. Only the finest and most advanced equipment is used for both the capture and the actual printing. When done well, the proofing for corrections is an intensive process that demands exact color-matching and attention to fine details in the artwork while eliminating soft focus, pixelization, smudges of ink on the borders or backs of the print, etc. When done to these exacting standards, giclees or digital fine art prints are recognized by museums and fine galleries worldwide as the finest, most accurate art reproductions available today.
Unfortunately, the term “giclee” is used widely today to include any and all art reproductions regardless of the quality of the equipment and materials used or the skill of the technician who proofs and corrects. But more about this later . . . .