What Is It?

Pronounced "zhee-clay," prints were originally developed in 1989 as a method of fine art printing. The word is French for "to spray on" and has become synonymous with the "Iris" print process. The images can be printed on a variety of materials in various weights and surfaces including fine hand-made acid-free watercolors paper in addition to canvas.

The Process

Original artwork is scanned by a highly sensitive professional fine art scanner. The image is then color-corrected and cleaned of any imperfections. It may take several proofs to match the original exactly to be approved by the artist. The material to be printed is affixed to a drum. As the drum rotates at high speed, individual droplets of colors are sprayed onto the surface at a rate of 1.4 million per second. Once completed, a 34" x 46" image will be comprised of almost 20 billion droplets of ink. The prints are then treated with a UV light retardant and light stabilizer.

The result is a museum quality print. They are accepted in galleries and museum stores throughout the world.

A few are:

     Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown)
     The Metropolitan Museum (New York)
     The Los Angeles County Museum
     The British Art Museum
 

Lightfastness

Some original watercolors will fade faster than a Giclee. Unlike lithographs & serigraphs, Giclees have undergone extensive fade testing and predicted display life on many variables.  Under typical home or office lighting, and depending on the papers and inks used they are estimated to last over 90 years without noticeable change.

Giclee prints should be treated the same as an original and protected under glass if printed on paper and are treated with a finish varnish if on canvas.