Metropolitan Museum, New York
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Corcoran Gallery
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The British Museum
What is the quality of the Giclee reproduction method?
Giclees are one of the finest reproduction methods available today. The depth of color far surpasses that of; lithographs. Lithographs use the same process as printing a magazine. Print based inks are superior in archival qaulity than dye based inks(dye fades quickly) Genesis Giclee uses pigment based archival inks printed on Roland HiFi six-color printer. Lithographs generally printed on paper made from a mix of rag and pulp. Also, litho inks have dyes in them that are subject fading. When a lithograph is printed on rag paper the colors are lifeless and dull because much of the ink is absorbed into the paper. The dot gain causes the printed dot to expand into the adjoining dot, this muddies the color. A water color artist fights this when an opposite color will contaminate a color he is laying on his paper. To counter this problem printersmay print on pulp made papers that may have a coating. The coating minimizes the dot gain but the acid in the paper yellows and attacks the in over time. The 310 gram Giclee paper is much more substantial than lithograph prints. Digital Scanning and proofing allows for better color fidelity on a Giclee than lithographs. A proof can be printed in minutes on a Giclee printer but a color proof on a litho takes a day and hundreds of dollars for one proof. With digital proofing you can isolate an object in the print, color correct and run a smallin minutes. The artist can see the results of the corrections almost immediately.
What are the advatages of the Giclee over an Lithograph?
1. Museum quality prints.
2. Long lasting pigment based archival inks.
3. Acid free 100% cotton all rag paper, not wood pulp based paper that yellows.
4. Heavier paper than lithograph.
5. Wider color range and deeper colors than offset litho prints.
6. More accurate to original art.
7. Allows for enhancements by the artist.
8. Can be printed on Canvas and sealed witha UV inhibitor varnish.
9. More long term value because of archival printing.
By Kim Dean
