All About Giclee Printing

 I wanted to tackle this subject because it is an important part of the printing industry. And no, giclee printing is not in my repertoire currently; I just understand that it is a top-notch trade and wanted to provide good info on it. Giclee, a form of high quality inkjet printing that can be either outsourced or performed in-house. There are technical, time and financial considerations in choosing the best route to take.

Photographers as well as painters have realized the earning potential of printing on the variety of papers available for giclee. Giclee is the use of high quality inkjet machines to produce prints that will stand the test of time and quality requirements.

Also…while I have not worked in the medium of giclee, I received a lovely gift last Christmas of a small canvas painting reproduction of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (don’t know the artist’s name) It’s really cool in that it lights up in various places via a switch on the side- the printed repro is highly authentic in that I suspect that this is a giclee print – but don’t quote me on it for certain.

Here's a really cool piece of art that's Christmas themed and it lights up with twinkles with a flip of the side switch:

Pros and Cons of In-Home Giclee Printing

Depending on the number of anticipated output as well as financial, technical and time assets, a decision to purchase a machine or outsource needs to be considered. The positive aspect of going in-home is obvious: you can print whenever you wish. Also, aside from the time spent, the cost of producing a giclee work is limited to the materials and a service contract after the warranty expires.

On the other hand, there are caveats: the obvious investment of purchasing the hardware such as a digital camera, scanner, computer, printer, etc. To produce large format giclees, this can translate into tens of thousands of dollars. What is more important is the learning curve, which is steep. Lastly, giclee production is time-consuming both with file preparation as well as the printing itself.. Don’t be quick to buy into the hard-sell of salespeople or manufacturers who tell you that color matching software and profiling have made color work easy. It’s not; exact color corrections require skill such as expert use of color layers and Photoshop masking techniques.

Pantone color matching is the gold standard.

Giclee is a Specialized Trade that Takes Time to Master

If you are striving for precise color matching, expect to invest years learning how to. Of course someone can be hired in-home. Skilled color technicians come at a price and are not easy to come by. Another consideration is frequency of use regarding the machine. These printers do not like to sit idle for days. The nozzles will clog and it will cost $$$ in inks to flush them. An extreme example is the Iris, which will clog severely even overnight and the nozzles will need to be manually flushed with water.

If you are an artist or photographer with a lot of spare time, willing to invest money and long hours you might be a candidate. When I attended class the CIE and Pantone color systems were discussed in great depth so I can assure you that color matching precision isn’t something that can be learned in a fortnight-it’s a whole different ball game than going to the paint section of your local home improvement store and looking at “paint chips” (various shades and tints of interior house paint.colors.)

Outsourcing Giclee Work

If you decide to outsource, there are basically two options. You can go with a full service giclee printing company that will scan, color correct and proof your work. It is the most expensive road to take because you will pay not only for the printing but the time involved in the color correction and proofing. Set up fees and extras are commonplace with this option.

If you have ready to print files because you are soft proofing and have good color management skills, there are express services that cater to skilled customers, who will produce prints with the same equipment and materials available from the full service companies.

If you are willing to do some research, there are lots of websites that offer a lot of information about the giclee printing process. Take the time to do your homework and decide which avenue to take. Good luck!