Questions and Answers
What is a Giclée print?
Giclée comes from the French word meaning literally 'to squirt' referring to the process in which the ink is laid down on the paper. The print heads on an inkjet printer spray out a pattern of very small dots that make up the final image. Giclée is the name commonly given to an inkjet limited edition reproduction of an artwork, photograph or digitally created work. It will be printed on archival grade artist's quality coated paper, with pigment (UV stable) inks.
Why do the colours I see on my screen not always match my print?
The type of ink, printer setting and base colour of the paper will all effect the results of the final print. When looking on a screen you are also seeing a backlit colour. The only accurate way to avoid this is to work with colour profiles created specifically for your monitor and printer. Although with a little patience and proofing, similar results can be achieved, even on a desktop printer.
How do I ensure copyright of work, if scanners can reproduce at such a high resolution?
With the increased quality of camera and scanning technology now available, artist copyright and authenticity of a print are becoming an ever-important issue.
Therefore when you are creating a limited edition print run it is advisable to hand sign and date the edition. Also by using a Hologram system you will have added security. This is a set of 2 holograms per pint in the edition, one for the back of the print and the other for the certificate of authenticity. Each pair of holograms will have the same alphanumeric.
Which is the best file format to use when saving my work?
When working with files that have been scanned the most commonly used format will be a Tiff file. A tiff won't compress the file as much as a jpeg but it will take up more storage space. Jpeg's are more compressed files and are generally used to e-mail images or to keep digital camera files, and can be used for the web along with gif format. Pdf is portable document format which can be used for text and images files, but is a universal format. EPS, Psd etc are formats that refer to the application program they were created in. Therefore, tiff for print, jpeg's and gifs for email and web.
Why use an ICC profile?
An ICC profile will ensure you get the most accurate colour match on our paper in a large production environment. This is because it's job is to tell the printer being used the correct colours to put down for that particular colour or texture of paper. Remember that as each paper is slightly different in base colour, you will need a separate profile for each paper you use.