Fine Art Prints
The Giclée Print:
What is it?
With the advent of the giclée (Zhee-clay) the art of fine art printing has become very precise, with a more dynamic colour range than ever before. During the giclée process, a fine stream of ink – more than four million droplets per second – are sprayed onto archival paper or canvas. The effect is similar to an airbrush technique but much finer. Exact circulation of hue, value and density simultaneously direct the multiple ink nozzles, producing many millions of highly saturated colours of water-based ink.
Displaying a full-colour spectrum, the pints are lush, velvety, and appear to be textured where relevant. They have the feel and luminosity of a watercolor. Quality giclée prints capture every nuance of an original painting-be it watercolour, oil or acrylic.
Proper Handling of a Giclée Print
Giclée’s are museum quality fine art prints and therefore need to be handled accordingly. The inks used to produce a giclée are water-soluble dyes. Even with the addition of UV (ultraviolet) coatings, these prints will never be waterproof or water resistant. They will always need the same care and protection as an original water colour.
As with any original or limited-edition artwork, the prints should never be hung where direct sunlight or moisture can affect the quality. Museum quality framing techniques are essential to care for the integrity of the piece. Use a reputable framer that is familiar with “museum” or “archival” framing and stretching for canvas’, acid-free corners or hinge mounts and UV filtering glass.
When stretching a giclée’s canvas for framing, never spray any liquid on the back of the prints. This will cause the ink printed on the front of the canvas to bleed and therefore ruin the piece. Rounded corner stretcher bars are more suitable for this type of reproduction.
It is very important not to fold any portion of the actual printed image over the stretcher bars. This will eliminate the chances of cracking gelatin coatings on the canvas, damaging the varnish coating and or tearing the canvas. A space of 1/8-inch is suggested before the crease or fold.
Cindy Parsley Art will not be responsible for any damage caused by improper handling, framing or lack of proper care of prints.
