Dived Deep into the Subject of Giclee Printing
Posted by Trae Mundt on
It's been a labor of love for about a month. I've dived deep into the subject of giclee printing. What did I learn? Why are these prints so beautiful and long lasting?
Giclee is pronounced (Zhee-clay). This type of printing began in the 1980's. Giclee printing is a type of inkjet printing. Not every type of inkjet printing is Giclee printing.
What are the basic requirements for making giclee art prints? There are three: high document resolution, archival paper, and type of ink.
The art image needs to have a high resolution of at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) when preparing digital files. Giclee prints have sharp detail.
All of my art files are 300 DPI or higher. Good beginning!
With Giclees, the paper choice is very important. I ordered different types of paper from a few well know paper manufacturers. I learned about OBA's - Optical Brightening Agents. Paper Manufacturers add OBA's to enhance the paper's brightness and whiteness. There's a wide range of opinion about choosing fine art paper that contains OBA's. For me, I wanted to find the brightest and whitest fine art paper that did not contain OBA's.
When I came across Canson Infinity Arches 88 paper, I knew I found my paper for my limited edition giclee art prints. 😊 This paper is ultra smooth and soft to the touch. It's made of 100% cotton. It's acid-free. It has a beautiful white tone and is free of OBA's. Yeah!
Giclee printing uses pigment-based inks. After researching printers, I decided to purchase a Canon imagePrograf Pro-300. I was amazed when I printed my first giclee print. The colors were breathtaking. This Canon printer uses Lucia Pro pigment inks. The ink system produces beautiful, vibrant colors and deep blacks. What a great printer!
This is my first giclee art print. How do you like it? 😊
Did you find this information helpful? Please leave your comments below. I love hearing from you.
~Trae
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