Empire is able to digitize any size and any media, from small
watercolors to massive painting, we can do it all. The digital
images are then color matched to your original. To ensure the
highest quality color replication, all of our monitors and scanning
equipment is color corrected weekly.
The image is then printed on a variety of media using
a process
referred
to as Giclée art printing. Click
here to request more information on Giclée art prints
or give us a call at 360.734.1803
Giclée art prints FAQ
What does Giclée mean?
Giclée (zhee-klay)
- The French word "giclée" is
a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word
may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to
squirt".
The term "Giclée print" connotes an elevation
in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution
digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various
substrates including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The
giclée printing process provides better color accuracy than
other means of reproduction.
How are Giclée art prints made?
In Giclée printing,
no screen or other mechanical devices are used and therefore there
is no visible dot screen pattern. The image has all the tonalities
and hues of the original painting. Prints are much different from
those from a standard desktop inkjet printer, and
can be printed much larger.
What are the advantages of Giclée prints?
Giclée prints are advantageous to artists who do not find
it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce
their art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally
archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort
and reasonable cost. The prohibitive up-front cost of mass production
for an edition is eliminated. Archived files will not deteriorate in quality
as negatives and film inherently do. Another tremendous advantage of Giclée printing
is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various
media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.
Do Giclée printers use ordinary printers inks?
No.
They use special light-fast inks, which, if kept out of direct
sunlight, will remain true for up to 25 years or longer. We use
Epson Ultracrome inks. The ink set we uses includes 8 separate
inks. Typical desktop printers use 4 inks included in one cartridge.
What kind of printing paper is used for Giclée prints?
Giclée prints can be produced on any paper as you wish,
and printers generally have several specific ones to choose from.
We typically print on:
- Epson Premium Luster
- Epson Enhanced Matte
- Epson Watercolor
- Epson Canvas
Canvas prints are much
more durable than paper as they do not crease when rolled for mailing.
Is there a minimum order size for Giclée prints?
No, an advantage of Giclée printing is that once the
scan is made, you can order one or one thousand. We, however,
do give quantity discounts. So, the more you order, the cheaper
each print it.
What size/resolution do you work in?
All
work is done at the artworks original size at 300dpi. Files
are saved as .TIF files to ensure no loss in quality due to compression.
Print output ranges from 1440dpi to 2880dpi depending on the
specifications of the media on which it is printed.
|
