What is a Giclee or gicleé? part 2

The gicleé printer is not the same as a desktop laser or inkjet printer. The gicleé printer looks in appearance like it should be in an engineering office as a printer or plotter for large scale maps. The gicleé printer is different in that it sprays ink onto the paper or canvas in a fine mist. The desktop printers and engineering plotters lay down the ink; that is how lines can appear from these printers. The gicleé ink is also different from the other printers.

When the gicleés were first introduced to the market the only problem was that the reproduction prints would begin to fade. This is a serious issue for artists and collectors who value the longevity of art. The ink was changed to a pigment ink and rigorously tested. The results of the testing; the new pigment ink will last for 250 years. Pigment ink is very concentrated and intense ink.

The type of paper or canvas also makes a difference on the quality of the gicleé reproduction print. The canvas and paper in Kentee’s gicleés are printed on are archival safe, acid free and lignin free. This helps preserve the fine art from discoloration and deterioration. The paper is the highest quality artist paper. The canvas is thick and brilliant white allowing the truest colors to show. The canvas is then stretched around artist stretcher bars.

The best way to insure longevity of the gicleé is to finish it with a clear coat which will protect it from the elements. This clear coat is a final layer of special formulated water based sealant. This helps filter out UV damaging light as well as sealing the gicleé from humidity and moisture in the air. The canvas gicleés work well in humid rooms such as a bathroom because of this top coat. Just remember to keep the fan on after a shower to insure that most of the moisture is out of the room. Remember that canvas is a material so if towels are moist your paintings will be also.

Gicleés are now an accepted form of reproductions. Art Museums, galleries and professional artists embrace this computer age printing system. Gicleés can now be found in the most noted collections around the world.