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Information
What Does “Giclee”
Mean?
The
word Giclee (pronounced Zhee-clay) itself is a French
word, meaning “to spray or to squirt”. And
in the case of a reproduction, it means “the spraying
of ink onto an appropriate substrate.”
Giclee printing has come
to mean, in its best sense, a fine digital art reproduction
process that is printed on archival paper or canvas,
using archival pigmented inks. The Giclee printing process
is capable of producing prints with the highest resolution
available today.
Our printmaker uses an Epson printer capable of spraying variable ink drop sizes as small as 2 Picoliters
(size of a hair), using Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta pigmented
inks. These inks offer higher gamut (more brilliant and vibrant
colors), and lower metamerism (colors looking different
under different lighting), than earlier pigmented inks. They also provide better reds and oranges.
Hundreds of ink jets spray more than a million droplets
per second on the archival paper in order to reproduce
an image. One completed print could have between 10
to 20 billion droplets of ink.
A giclee print is simply
the closest duplicate of an original work, which is
mechanically; technically, and humanly possible to reproduce
with today’s printing technology.
This innovation
is quickly becoming the new standard in the art world.
Many museums (such as The Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan
Museum in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Art,
the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, art galleries,
art dealers, publishers, and artists are embracing the
“Giclee” printing process because of its
high quality, ability to reproduce fine details, and
for its vibrant colors.
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| What
Do the Terms “Archival” and “Acid
Free” Mean?
They both apply to paper, canvas, or
other substrates that are chemically treated to neutralize
their natural acidity, insuring that the artworks printed
on them will not become discolored or deteriorate over
a long period of time.
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What
Paper and Inks Are Used?
The paper used for most prints is Hewlett-Packard
acid free Premium+ Satin.
The inks are
Hewlett-Packard archival Vivara 70+ inks, rated at 200
years or more without fading, providing they are displayed
indoors under controlled atmosphere and lighting conditions
and out of direct sunlight.
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What Is the Expected Display Life of a
Print?
It depends on different factors, such
as ultraviolet exposure (sunlight, etc.), moisture,
humidity, framing, ink pigments, and paper quality.
Various laboratories in the world test the longevity
of digital prints. The recognized leader in testing
these new digital printing technologies is Wilhelm Research.
Their ratings are based on the number of years of display
before noticeable fading.
In their laboratories they
are able to accelerate the intensity of simulated light
conditions to achieve effects in a matter of weeks that
would take many years under natural conditions. The
results are the same. So they are able to simulate hundreds
of years in a very short time, resulting in accurate
predictions of the expected display life of papers and
inks under different lighting conditions.
The display life of my
original giclee prints is 200+ years, providing they
are correctly cared for. See below: “How To Care
For Giclee Prints.”
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| What
Is a Certificate of Authenticity?
A Certificate of Authenticity is an important
document, a written statement by the artist declaring
that all details regarding the prints are accurate,
specifically that the artwork is original and limited
to a certain number of unique hand-signed prints, or,
if based on other work (in the case of modified photographs,
for instance), that appropriate permission has been
granted for the use and modification of said work. This
certificate becomes very valuable when reselling the
print in a secondary art market.
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| What
Does “Museum Quality” Mean?
It means that the print in question is
an archival quality fine art print with a long life
span, fit to be shown in a museum. All my giclee prints
are museum quality and are the equal of anything now
on display in the world's greatest museums.
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| What
Does “Limited Edition” Mean?
A limited edition is a series
of identical prints, all of which are individually signed,
approved, and numbered by the artist. The total number
of prints is limited and fixed, which is decided in
advance by the artist and/or the publisher. Each print
in a limited edition always comes with a Certificate
of Authenticity.
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| How
many prints comprise a Limited Edition?
The prints on this site are
limited to runs of 500 in each of the sizes offered.
All files for a given artwork are retired after the
last one is printed, and no more prints will be made
except for special-order custom size prints, which are
limited to one to a customer. The name of the purchaser
and the date the print is made will be written in below
my signature when I sign the print.
If you are interested in purchasing a custom size print,
please call or email
me directly to arrange terms. The same
for commissions.
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| Why
Are Limited Edition Prints So Expensive?
Because they are limited,
numbered and signed by the artist. The premium price
of a limited edition is a function of supply & demand.
They must be exceptionally high quality archival giclee
prints (museum quality). A certificate of authenticity
is provided in order to certify all the information
is accurate and authentic.
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| How
To Care For Giclee Prints
It has been found that the best way to
ensure the greatest longevity of archival quality giclee
prints is to place them behind UV protective glass or
plexiglass and hang them out of direct sunlight. Humidity
should be kept as low as possible and temperatures between
60 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Displaying your prints
in this way will result in the longest life and best
color accuracy -- up to 200 years. Always wear white
gloves when handling unframed prints and have them framed
behind ultraviolet protective glass as soon as you can
after receiving them. The glass should not touch the
surface of the print. Mats must be acid free. 100% rag
content is recommended for best results and longest
life.
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| What
Is An Artist Proof? (A/P On a Print)
A few prints set aside for the artist
or printer’s use. They are actually some of the first
prints pulled in a limited edition, which are normally
approved by the artist. The artist marks them A/P, in
order to indicate their status.
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| What
Does “S/N” Mean On a Print?
“S/N” shows that the print
in question is part of a limited edition that has been
signed and numbered by the artist. In a limited edition,
the artist’s signature is in the lower right corner
and a number is in the lower left corner. This number
resembles a fraction in that the top number (above the
line) is the number of the print itself while the bottom
number (below the line) is the total number of prints
in the edition).For print number 114 in a limited edition
totaling 500 the S/N would look like this: 114/500.
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| Who
Owns the Copyright On a Giclee Print?
All copyrights are owned by the artist,
and all rights are reserved worldwide. Artwork represented
herein may not be reproduced or used in any form or
by any means without the written permission of the artist.
Please use my Contact form to ask for permission to
reproduce anything on this site. Thank you.
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