My Giclee Printing Blog

I see these advertised occasionally. Are they printed on a special type of paper?

You can create your own or your loved ones’ portraits on canvas with the help of Giclee printing. This type of printing is done with the help of inkjet printers directly on canvas. The quality of Giclee prints is much better than normal prints on canvas. They give the look of real oil paintings on canvas at a fraction of the cost. You can create your very own prints on canvas by piecing together parts of different pictures. You can create a series of paintings with a single theme like the different phases of your childhood. Your parents’ advancement in age or time spent at your favorite vacation spot. You can then adorn your walls with these immaculately created prints on canvas.

It is very easy to find companies that specialize in Giclee printing. All you have to do is surf the internet and look for the websites of the companies, which specialize in this technique. The websites of these companies are user friendly and allow you to submit your request online. These web sites are self explanatory and guide you regarding the type and size of pictures you should submit in order to get a really good quality printing on canvas. The pictures can then be sent to the company via email or uploaded on the websites itself. Once this is done it takes about a couple of days for the Giclee prints to be readied. These prints are then shipped to your doorstep and sometimes the shipping is also offered free of cost.

These companies also provide you with customized stretching and framing. If you wish to stretch and frame the canvas yourself, they provide you with the raw material and a guide book on how to do it. You then have the liberty to stretch and frame your Giclee print on canvas to suit the décor of your home. These beautiful prints on canvas serve many purposes. They can prove to be excellent gifts to those you love. They can also be the medium to showcase your taste and creativity. To get cost effective canvas prints, you can order rolled canvas prints.

When Jack Duganne coined the term “Giclee” (circa 1990) to define the printing of art on archival paper with the Iris line, very few artists could afford the high costs of
having their work reproduced. The inkjet Iris machines such as the 3047 model easily cost over $100,000 and had very expensive maintenance contracts. Once inkjet technology progressed, namely with Epson introducing the
Pro line of printers, both quality and prices have decreased. As other big name companies like Canon and HP also came to the market with archival printers, the field is now filled with printers vastly superior in all aspects to the now defunct Iris.

When paper and canvas manufacturers realized there was quickly growing demand for giclee printing substrates, a great variety of choices and different quality grades has come to market. The gamut of offerings ranges from the finest papers with archival ratings of more than 100 years to
others with more modest pedigrees.

It is important to make a distinction between what constitutes fine art giclee printing and decor giclee printing.

Fine art giclee printing

Only the finest brand name papers and inks are chosen; very skilled printmakers with decades of experience in the field and an artistic background handle the whole process. The result is a print that will last
tens of years and will have the best color accuracy possible. The market for fine art giclee printing aims at professional artists, collectors and people who want to buy art that will occupy the walls of designer homes and high end offices.

Decor giclee printing

Many purists have an issue with even calling decor printing a form of giclee printmaking. Because decor printing is done with lower grade substrates and inks, archival ratings are much lower; not as skillful people are preparing the digital files and not as much time and care
are put into file preparation. Chinese manufacturers have invaded the market with cheap low grade canvas and papers often costing one third of their European and American counterparts. Although many low cost
printers use these materials, for a few dollars more better papers and canvas specifically designed for the decor market can be used. These substrates are made in the US and Europe and do not carry the uncertainties associated with Chines made goods.

Whether you are looking for inkjet decor or fine art printing make sure to ask questions before proceeding; a skilled printing company should be able to answer any questions in a clear manner, including what materials are being used and how color proofing is done.

For further information please visit our giclee printing site.

Giclee art reproductions should be maintained like any other piece of fine art. Learn how to care for a giclee print with advice from aprofessional artist in this free giclee video. Expert: JK Dooley Bio: An associate member of Women Artists of the West, JK Dooley’s award-winning watercolors can be found in collections across the United States and in Europe. Filmmaker: Dustin Daniels

Identifying your giclee print as authentic is an important part of purchasing artwork. Beware of fake art withexpertise from a professional artist in this free giclee reproduction video. Expert: JK Dooley Bio: An associate member of Women Artists of the West, JK Dooley’s award-winning watercolors can be found in collections across the United States and in Europe. Filmmaker: Dustin Daniels

I have a project where I am altering a few old paintings (last supper.. Ect) I have the pictures printed from a website on canvas and I wanted to know the medium of paint I would need to paint on the surface because I heard oil doesn’t work? Please help this project is due in a week and if it’s not possible I need to know so I can switch directions and no I do not have the prints yet to test paint on them

Giclee reproductions on canvas can be embellished to the artist’s content. Learn ways to embellish a giclee print withexpertise from a professional artist in this free giclee video clip. Expert: JK Dooley Bio: An associate member of Women Artists of the West, JK Dooley’s award-winning watercolors can be found in collections across the United States and in Europe. Filmmaker: Dustin Daniels

www.afremov.com

Need to get some Giclee prints of a painting but haven’t managed to find anywhere local. Any ideas?