Art from your art...‍

Giclee printing is a process for making fine art reproduction prints. Artists commonly use this printing process to make high end reproductions of their original artwork for resale. Giclee prints are generally more expensive than traditional print, as the process is more time consuming, uses higher quality paper, and requires more pigment. Although the actual cost per print is more, this process can be an economical alternative to limited edition prints, as the artist can print and sell each print to match demand. At Robi's we are proud to offer this service to our local artist community. Our Giclee printing process is widely used to make high quality, superior reproductions. Bring us your one of a kind artwork and we do the rest. We will photograph it, save a digital file to disk for your continued use, and create a giclee reproduction closely matching your original. If you choose to have your image printed to canvas, we can also stretch your canvas, and apply a protective glaze. This glaze can be applied following your original brush strokes in order to mimic the feel of your art work. It not only gives a "painted" feel to your reproduction, it also acts as a protectant against dust, scratches, moisture and fading caused by sunlight.‍

How are Giclee art prints made?‍

In giclee 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. Giclee (pronounced Gee’clay) is a French term meaning to spray or squirt, which is how an inkjet printer works. However, it is not the same as a standard desktop inkjet printer, and is much larger. Giclee prints can be over five feet wide and are often affectionately referred to as a “knitting machine” as they look very similar.‍

Do Giclee printers use ordinary printers inks?‍

No. They use special pigment-based inks, which, if kept out of the sun, will remain true for up to 200 years. Our Giclee prints are rendered by special rasterizing software to maximize print quality.‍

What kind of printing paper is used for Giclee prints?‍

Giclee prints can be produced on any paper as you wish, and printers generally have several specific ones to choose from. In order to make a giclee print as close to the original as possible, chose a paper similar to the original. A glaze can also be applied following the original brush strokes in order to give that "painted" feel. We offer several varieties of paper such as: canvas, fine art textured, smooth, linen, and lustre.

Information courtesy of About.com.