Giclee print process

Giclee refers to the French term for literally spraying millions of tiny droplets of ink onto a surface. To qualify as a giclee print, an image needs to be highly detailed, a minimum of 300dpi (dots per inch). The substrate (usually paper or canvas) must be of archival quality, typically 100% cotton or rag and acid free. Giclee differs from other ink jet prints because it uses high quality pigment based inks designed for longevity (from 80 years upwards) as opposed to dye-based inks. Large format purpose designed printers are used for printing, and hold a greater range of colour ink cartridges than conventional printers. When purchasing a giclee, always check that the ink, paper and printer are listed. A giclee print should last a lifetime if properly cared for. All our giclees are produced by print specialists using large format giclee Epson printers, pigment based inks and archival quality canvas conforming to international standard ISO 9706.