FAQ
• What is a Giclee and Giclee Printing?
• Why is Giclee printing an attractive alternative for artists and photographers?
• When should I choose Giclee over photographic printing?
• What is the expected life of our Giclee prints?
• Are the colors accurate or similar to the original colors?
• Are Giclee prints extremely fragile?
• Do I have to send you my original artwork?
• Do I have control over the way my painting or drawing looks on the final print?
• What are the copyright issues?
• Should I print on paper or canvas?
• What types of paper and ink do you use?
• What Equipment do you use?
• Is Giclee printmaking expensive?
• How do I get started?
• How long does it take to get my order back?
• What about the proofing process?
• What do I do when I need a reprint?
• How many prints do I have to order?
• How do I market my art to collectors?
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What is a Giclee and Giclee Printing?
Giclee (pronounced zhee-clay) refers to both a category of collectible fine art, as well as a type of digitally created fine art print. Not any digital print is a Giclee. Only digital prints that are created using special high-resolution printers, archival inks, media and strict printmaking standards can be truly marketed as Giclee prints. These fine art reproductions are laboratory rated to provide several decades, if not a century or more of lasting print quality. Giclee fine art can be found on display in the world's finest museums and art galleries.
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Why is Giclee printing an attractive alternative for artists and photographers?
The opportunity to do limited runs, the variety of final print media, and the quality of the final prints are a few good reasons to try the Giclee process. Galleries and museums have recognized the Giclee print as a superior method for obtaining the detail and richness of original artwork. Digital printmaking is fast becoming popular with artists and professional photographers alike. Giclee printing offers high quality, affordable reproduction of fine artwork and photos in various sizes and mediums. This allows the artist the opportunity to produce high quality, limited runs of selected pieces, thus reducing costs and eliminating expensive large inventories.
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When should I choose Giclee over photographic printing?
Giclee images will provide an artistic look to your images that would be unattainable with photo printing.
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What is the expected life of our Giclee prints?
Remember that all colors will fade when exposed to light and Giclee reproductions often vary. Independent tests are performed, under controlled conditions, using our papers, canvas and inks simulating lighting typical of the common home display. These third party tests have shown Giclee prints stand the test of time for atleast 50-75 years and often longer. Extreme environmental factors such as moisture, heat, ozone, and intense lights may alter these tests, and produce different results.
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Are the colors accurate or similar to the original colors?
Giclee colors are brilliant, and far surpass the old methods of art reproduction. The printing equipment used at The Printmaker. Net produce results as close to the original as you have ever seen. Occasionally the color range used in watercolors, acrylic paints, photography and computer graphics may be different from the colors available in the printing inks and outside the color spectrum of the ink. During the proofing process we will fine tune the color spectrum as we work together to produce your final prints.
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Are Giclee prints extremely fragile?
Giclee prints should be given the same care as any other piece of fine art. Protect the art from moisture and water. Display it in a location away from direct sunlight.
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Do I have to send you my original artwork?
We prefer to work from an original whenever possible so we can produce the closest match. Viewing the original when doing color correction is the most accurate way to get the best results. We can accept your work on CD if you prefer-just have your artwork professionally scanned and send us the digital file on CD as an RGB TIFF @ 300 dpi. The file size should be a minimum of 50 Megs. If you are not sending us your original artwork, please include a good color photograph to assist us in final color matching.
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Do I have control over the way my painting or drawing looks on the final print?
Yes, Unlike the offset-lithographic process, Giclee printing gives you, the artist, and your color technician more options as you work toward final printing. There is little in your images, in their digital state, that cannot be changed or fine-tuned to your satisfaction.
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What are the copyright issues?
The Printmaker.Net keeps your images strictly confidential and refuses to print any images without the artist's explicit authorization. We archive a copy of your image exclusively for the production of your edition, as directed by you. All digital files of an artist's images can be destroyed with his/her written request.
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Should I print on paper or canvas?
It depends on your client base and what you, the artist, prefers. Canvas prints often have a perceived higher value that paper prints. Customers will pay on average 30% more for prints on canvas than on paper. Consider printing the canvas print a bit larger (20%) than the paper print or offer the same image in varying sizes, either on the same and/or different media. Keep your first limited editions small in number. You want to be able to sellout the edition in less than a year.
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What types of paper and ink do you use?
We use archival hybrid (dye -pigment) inks on watercolor paper and fine art matte canvas. We use HP Vivera inks for their brilliant color and consistent color balance.
Our papers and canvas are specific for the ink and printers we utilize.
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What Equipment do you use?
ThePrintmaker.Net is your source for high quality image output. We specialize in reproductive printing of fine art and photographs utilizing the HP 6100 (6 color) and the HP 3100 (12 color) printers.
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Is Giclee printmaking expensive?
True Giclee prints require expensive scanning, computing, and printing hardware and take much more time to produce. Our printing prices are the lowest in the business and are designed to help the artist and The Printmaker.Net cover costs. Giclee printing offers affordable reproduction of fine artwork and photos that allows the artist the opportunity to produce high quality, limited runs of selected pieces and in the long run reduces costs by eliminating expensive large inventories.
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How do I get started?
Call or e-mail for an appointment to bring or send your original artwork or CD to The Printmaker.Net. At that time we can give you a better idea of what your project will take to accomplish and provide firm timelines we all can work with. By doing this we can safely say we will have your work done when it is promised.
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How long does it take to get my order back?
Giclee printing is a craft requiring time to get the proof as close to the original as possible. From set up of the digital shoot, color correction, proofing and printing we recommend allowing 7 working days depending on the complexity and number of digital shoots and prints ordered. We strive to provide the first proof print within 2 working days from the start of the job.
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What about the proofing process?
Images that are color matched for printing on one paper or canvas may look differently on another. We suggest you decide ahead of time what substrate (paper or canvas) you want to use for your finalized print. Our proofs are printed on the same paper or canvas you choose to print your final prints on.
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What do I do when I need a reprint?
You can call or e-mail us. Your images are kept on file and easily accessed. Please specify image name, size, necessary borders and the number of prints requested. We will immediately schedule your print into production. Reorder turnaround time is usually 3
7 working days.
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How many prints do I have to order?
You only have to order one, however, there are discounts available for volume printing. We don't encourage artists to print more then they can sell in a reasonably short period of time. The whole idea is to print what you need when you need it.
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How do I market my art to collectors?
A customer who has purchased two or more of your pieces is a collector of your work. Your goal is to increase the number of collectors of your art. Collecting art is very personal thing. Collectors want a connection to the artist and in turn to their work. Artists who spend time getting to know their customers often develop a core group of collectors faster than those who don't.
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