What does ‘Giclée’ mean?

Giclée (pronounced zhee-clay) is a method of printing used to create high quality reproductions of fine artworks. For a print to be truly giclée there are three basic requirements that must be met.

1. Resolution

   The artwork must be photographed or scanned at no less than 300 DPI (dots per inch). This ensures that the reproduction has the sharpest detail and captures even the tiniest elements of an artwork. For me, this means the print is able to replicate every mark and capture the way the watercolour has bled or interacted with the paper in the original artwork.

2. Paper

   For a print to be giclée, the paper must be of archival quality, i.e last a loooooong time. The paper has to be museum-grade (the same paper used by museums and galleries), and acid and lignin-free, which makes it resistant to ageing. These things help stop paper yellowing over time, and help the colours in the reproduction to remain the same for 75+ years.

3. Ink

   The biggest difference between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is the ink. Giclée prints use pigment-based inks rather than dye-based inks that you find in lower-cost printers. Pigment-based inks not only have a longer lifespan but the specialty printers hold up to 12 different colours, meaning the reproductions are able to have a more sophisticated colour range. Perfect for capturing all the colours I mix and use in my artworks. This is the number one reason it’s so difficult to tell the difference between an original and giclée reproduction.