What is Giclee?
There are many definitions of giclee, none of which are truly accurate. The
important thing is the process by which archival inks adhere to paper, or
canvas. This process is simply ink jet printing.
The difference in a professional giclee printer, and the ink jet printer you
might use on your home computer, is archival inks. Now, a word about
archival inks. Our Epson UltraChrome Inks have been tested to last 100
years on acid free paper,out of direct sunlight. Keep in mind however,
giclee technology has not been around that 100 or even 35 years. So will it
stand the test of time? Most likely, yes. In truth, we can only go by
laboratory testing. Will you, the artist, be here in 35 years to see if your
work is still vibrant, or in 100 years?
So, why would the artist want to spend his or her money on giclee prints, without knowing how long the prints will last? For their customers who, though they may want to buy originals, they perhaps can't quite afford the cost, but love the work. These patrons buy as a serious art collector would, if they only could. Giclee is a relatively inexpensive route for the artist who wishes to reproduce their work for the general public.
Also consider, with giclee, your results will be far closer to your original work than would a laser printer. Yes, you can spend a pretty penny with lithographs, and buy several hundred, and store them, and hope they all sell. Or you can use giclee, purchase one print, or many prints, keep your work archived on a CD, and keep your work archived in our files, so you only have to call us, and order any number of copies, at a far more reasonable price.