Giclee is an exciting and dynamic addition to the fine art and framed arts communities. This new method of printing was introduced in the early 1990’s as an adaptation of digital ink jet printing. Artists and professional printers quickly recognized the versatility and utility of this emerging art form, and true to the digital age, it has been advancing and improving at a dizzying pace ever since. Today’s giclee printing bares little resemblance to your desk top printer and the fine art it produces is displayed at many world class institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston).

                The term Giclee is adapted from the French verb gicler, meaning to squirt. The original artwork is digitally scanned and the image is archived on a computer hard drive. The ink jet printers are precisely controlled using the archived data and work by spraying microscopic droplets of ink, at millions of droplets per second, onto the surface to create the fine art image. In the earlier days of giclee, the printers used a 4 color ink combination to create the artist’s images. Today, a 12 color combination is commonly employed to produce the most colorful and exact recreations of the artist’s original work. In fact, Giclee is quite simply the closest replication of an original artwork that is currently possible.

                Giclee printing offers several advantages to traditional plate printing and lithography. Giclee prints can be produced on nearly all manner of paper, canvas, vinyl and transparencies. The colors are brighter, last longer, and the superior resolution offers a virtually 'continuous tone', rather than tiny dots. Since no mechanical devices make contact with the printing surface, the range of color for giclees is far beyond that of lithography and the detail is unmatched. Since giclee printers can use paper in rolls, the size of the print is limited only by the length and width of the roll. For the artist, the cost of scanning a new work of art is a fraction of that associated with preparing an original printing plate. Since the initial production costs are significantly reduced, the artist is more encouraged to share their work with us, the art enthusiasts. Framed-Arts.com offers the highest quality gilcees printed from the finest inks and on acid free paper designed specifically to compliment the entire giclee process. Custom framing your giclee follows the same process as a traditional print. All our display options are delivered with the appropriate hardware to simplify the hanging process.