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(503) 598-9418
Tigard, Oregon 97223
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Fine Art Giclée Printing
As artists, former gallery owners, and as fine art Giclée printmakers, we understand the confusion and frustration many artists face when trying to comprehend the complete Giclée printing process. Based on questions we receive on a daily basis, we realize many artists do not understand the process and do not know if having prints made is worth the time and expense. Hopefully, this information will answer questions and create a better understanding about what Giclée prints are, what it takes to make a Giclée print, and whether or not to have Giclée prints made of original artwork.
We have included topics providing general information about Giclée printmaking and below each topic in italics is related information about Creative Heartworks' practices, policies and procedures. Other frequently asked questions are answered here. If you find this information helpful and would like to comment, or if you still have questions, please feel free to contact us here.
Below are the topics mentioned above. Just click on one of the topics below to be taken to the info desired.
Open Edition or Limited Edition
Gallery-Wrapped Prints on Canvas
Hand Enhanced or Hand Embellished Prints
About Giclée
The French word "Giclée" (pronounced zhee-clay) translates in English to "spraying of ink". Giclée prints are high-resolution digital reproductions of original artwork using sophisticated printers that spray tiny droplets of ink onto photographic papers, fine art papers, canvas and other media. The Giclée printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction and the quality rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes. If done properly, Giclée prints are often hard to distinguish from original artwork. Because high quality archival inks and paper are used in the process, Giclée prints have light fastness ratings of 100 to 200 years. Highly collectable, Giclée prints are an established medium in the fine arts community and are well accepted in museums and galleries around the world.
The Advantages
Giclée prints are advantageous to artists who want to reproduce their art but cannot afford to have it mass-produced. Once an image is digitally captured and archived, Giclée prints can be made as needed and at a reasonable cost. Another tremendous advantage of Giclée printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, which gives the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.
The Giclée Printing Process
Digital Image Capture
A digital image of the original artwork is always required to create a Giclée print. Image capture is accomplished by having the original work of art scanned or professionally photographed. The better the digital capture of the original, the better the print. A proof of the digital image, along with a CD containing the digital files are provided - normally for an additional charge. It is important to know that for an exact match to the original, color correcting is always required (see Prepress below). However, the digital image without color correcting, even though not an exact match, may be close enough to meet the expectations and budget restrictions for some artists. Not all printmakers offer artists the option of choosing. (Creative Heartworks does offer this option and we strive to make the Giclée printing process as affordable as possible.)
Creative Heartworks performs digital image capture using both scanning and photography. For scanning, we use the Epson Expression 10000 XL, a high-resolution flatbed scanner that scans images up to 12x17 inches. Original art larger than 12x17 will require more than one scan with the total cost determined by the number of scans required for complete image capture. It is obviously more cost effective to photograph large works of art, and again, the number of photos required to produce a high-resolution print determines the total cost. (Please see our price list.)
Prepress - Setup - Proofing
Even the best digital image requires some fine-tuning and color correcting. Using the original artwork for comparison, the digital image is adjusted to match the original’s color and balance as closely as possible. This is done using an image-editing program and can be challenging since artists use a large variety of colors and often create new ones by mixing on the palette or canvas. Fine art print makers refer to this step as Prepress, Setup or Proofing and fees are varied and can range between $0 and $150 or more. An Artist Proof (often 8x10) is provided for approval before printing and this is often included in the setup or proofing fee; however, some printmakers do charge extra for Artist Proofs.
Using Adobe PhotoShop CS5 to crop, color balance and color correct the digital image, Creative Heartworks offers a variety of options at different price levels to meet the needs of its clients. Please see our price list to view the options and services available. (Please see our price list.)
NOTE: Creative Heartworks has NO setup or proofing fee for digital files professionally prepared and submitted by the artist. For best results, digital files should be submitted in one of the following formats: psd, tif, pdf, or jpg. Profile color space should be set to Adobe RGB 1998 at 240-360 dpi at final print size.
Photographs and digital files submitted by the artists can be uploaded to our site using your FTP Client. Just email us at info@creativeheartworks.com for directions. If you do not have an FTP Client, you can find free FTP client software easily on the web.
Giclée Printers
Giclée prints are created using professional 8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Some of the manufacturers of these printers are Epson, Canon, & Hewlett-Packard. These printers can produce incredibly detailed prints on canvas, fine art and photo paper.
Creative Heartworks uses the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 - the 44-inch professional wide-format printer with 8-color ink technology, which produces archival prints with amazing color fidelity, gloss-level, and scratch resistance, while providing consistently stable colors that significantly outperform lesser ink technologies.
Media Used For Printing
There are many and varied types of media used in printing and each printmaker will favor different fine art papers and canvases.
Creative Heartworks can print up to 44 inches wide on a variety of professional and wide-format photographic and fine art media and samples are provided upon request. The following media is in stock, but other media is available and can be ordered and used if preferred (same pricing applies).
Coated Papers
Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte any size up to 44 inches wide.
Fine Art Papers
Breathing Color Elegance™ Velvet Platinum Edition - 310g 100% cotton rag with a vellum surface (lightly textured).
Breathing Color Optica One - 300 gsm 100% cotton rag with a bright white, luxuriously smooth surface.
Breathing Color Allure™ Rag - 285 gsm 100% cotton rag with an utterly perfect semi-gloss, lightly textured finish.
Hahnemühle – German Etching - 310 gsm 100% TCF pulp with a velvety surface.
Canvas
Breathing Color Chromata
White Canvas - 19 mil, 450gsm
matte poly-cotton inkjet canvas. Archival Certified, OBA-free
Breathing Color Lyve™ Canvas 19 mil, 450gsm matte poly-cotton
inkjet canvas. Archival Certified, OBA-free
Cost of Prints
Printmakers have numerous methods for determining their prices for printing. Usually prices per media type are based on sheet size or per square foot or square inch of printed material.
Creative Heartworks Prices are based on square inch of printed material by media type making it easy to calculate the costs related to producing a print. (Please see our price list for prices and media used.)
Open Edition or Limited Edition
Having Open Edition or Limited Edition prints made is a decision made by the artist or the artist's agent or publisher. A limited edition print is one that is limited to a preset print quantity. The artist often signs the print and each individual print is numbered. The numbers on the print indicate the individual number in the edition over the total edition series. For example, a print numbered 5/100 would be the 5th print in a series of 100. The artist is often responsible for keeping track of this, but some printmakers do keep track of this for the artist. It is important for the artist to understand, that once the decision has been made to create limited edition or open edition prints, it cannot be changed.
Creative Heartworks does keep track of limited edition prints for the artist and provides a Certificate of Authenticity for all prints on paper or canvas. Each certificate provides the artist’s name, title of the print, year released, edition type (open or limited with the number in the series), ink type, media type and dimensions. However, the responsibility falls to the artist if a change in printmaker is made.
Finishing
Most printmakers add a protective coating that increases fade resistance and water fastness of Ink Jet generated or water-soluble images. There is often an additional charge for this coating.
Creative Heartworks sprays all fine art prints with a UV Water Resistant Lacquer. This clear polymer-based lacquer greatly enhances UV light resistance and increases water resistance. NOTE: For Giclée Prints on canvas, a Satin, Gloss or Matte Varnish is applied. (Please see our price list.)
Delivery of Prints
Printmakers prepare prints for pickup and/or delivery using various methods, but often Giclée prints on paper mediums are unmounted and are often rolled. When shipped, rolled prints are usually inserted into a cardboard tube with a protective sheet to help prevent surface damage. Canvas prints are usually unstretched and delivered and/or shipped in the same manner.
Creative Heartworks places prints on fine art paper and canvas in an acid-free bag with a cardboard insert for support. Prints to be shipped are rolled and inserted in a cardboard tube.
Gallery-Wrapped Prints on
Canvas
A gallery-wrap canvas print is stretched over a wooden stretcher frame and attached in the back leaving no staples or nails on the sides and can be hung without framing. Printmakers can extend or add to the image for a continuous or mirrored effect or print a solid color to cover the sides of the stretched canvas. (There may be an extra fee for this service.) Also, many printmakers offer to stretch the canvas on stretcher bars for an additional fee.
Creative Heartworks uses a gallery wrap system specifically designed for Giclée Prints. (See photos to right.)
For prints that are to be stretched on stretcher bars, we do add the extra 2 inches to the canvas borders for wrapping purposes. We do not charge an additional fee to create this border, but it does add to the square inch price. (Please see our price list.)
Creative Heartworks also offers other options for prints on canvas.
(1) The print on canvas can be mounted to a wood panel using an archival media. The mounted print will then fit in the frame of your choice.
(2) The Canvox Method - A creative way to mount your prints on canvas. Creative Heartworks can mount and wrap your canvas print to an adhesive board, and attach it to a ready-made frame using archival glue. Frame Color Options are Black & White. For Prices and Available Sizes please see our price list.
Hand Enhanced or Hand Embellished Prints
A hand enhanced or hand embellished print is a print (usually on canvas) that has been retouched by the artist using brushstrokes of paint or clear acrylic gel to add texture and depth. By doing this, the artist creates a unique work of art, which adds value and marketability. In some cases, artists and/or printmakers employ others to perform the hand enhancement. Therefore, “hand enhanced or embellished” does not always mean “artist enhanced or embellished”. Since this fact is not always revealed or acknowledged, art dealers and customers should ask.
Creative Heartworks does not offer to enhance or embellish prints. We do apply a protective water-based veneer to protect the print so that it can be hand enhanced by the artist.
Still have questions? Go to FAQ for additional information.