A Giclée Print is a fine art print, not to be confused with a print made by an artist-printmaker.
A Giclée Print is a print, from a digital image of the original artwork. Giclée printing companies use highest quality pigment based inks, specialised fine art print paper, and a high range ink jet printer. This gives a quality print-reproduction of the original artwork, with vibrant colours, on beautiful paper. Both paper and inks have longevity.
So, why use Giclée prints? For the customer - a Giclée print is more affordable than the original artwork. For the artist – a Giclée print, in effect, makes a single work go further.
Giclée prints come in open editions (no limit on how many are printed) and limited/numbered editions. The latter will be more expensive than the former.
This is when the artist makes an image from an inked up “plate”, and in effect presses the paper to the plate, via a press or using hand-pressure, so that the image transfers from the plate to the paper. There are multitudinous methods within this, for example, the plate might be a linocut, or an etching, or a collage surface (collagraph).
As with the Giclée, this print may be produced as a single print, or as part of an edition, when the plate allows the printmaker to print repeatedly from it. It is at this point, that the language for Giclée and Printmakers' prints crosses over and causes confusion. And to make things really confusing, an artist printmaker may get a Giclée print made of their own print.
Unique print - only one print has been made (this may be numbered 1/1 at the bottom of the print)
Limited edition - limited to the number specified
Open edition - unlimited edition
Varied edition - a limited edition where there are noticeable variations in the prints, for example, where chine collé is being used. It might be notated at the bottom of the print as follows: V/E 2/10
SOME PRINTMAKING METHODS…
This is a way of adding colour to your plate, without having to create another plate for a second colour. You add delicate inked-paper to the “printing moment”, glued-up, which then glues itself to your image-paper as it all goes through the press. Meanwhile the plate may also be leaving marks of ink on the coloured surface of the paper.
This is where you make your plate as a kind of collage - the base of the plate might be stiff card, and you glue different textured materials onto this. You then ink up this plate, put your paper (normally damp) over it, and put it through the press. The shape and texture of the materials you use, and the amount of ink you apply/rub away, will create your tones and the nature of your image.
This is a printmaking method which involves scratching an image onto the plate (eg perspex sheet) with a sharp point. It can be a simple process, as in, you can trace over a drawing you have already made. Ink is then applied to the plate, and much of it wiped off again. The ink that stays within the scratched out marks, will be your print, plus any residue that is left on the rest of your plate. It works best with damp paper, and can be applied on top of another print eg over a collagraph.
A method using a linoleum surface as a plate, where the printmaker carves shape and line into the lino, and then uses a roller to apply the ink. The ink will sit on the non-carved surface of the lino plate. This is then put through the press with the image-paper, or hand-printed.
This is also referred to as a “relief” printing method - as the ink sits on the surface of the plate.
As the name suggests, this is a print which you can not repeat - it doesn’t come from any kind of matrix/established plate. I find it hard to explain this method, so I’ll just explain what I do. I liken it to a multi-layered drawing. I create my image by making shapes, with colour and texture on an inked perspex plate, and put it through the press with the image-paper. I then make the next plate of shape and colour, and so on. Sometimes I wipe the plate clean before the next layer, and other times I keep the historic and faded marks. It find it a beautiful print method, as it feels simple and free, and can take you to all sorts of places, including working well with other media.
This is where you have one lino plate, and yet print, for example, in 3 colours. It’s hard to give a simple description, so here is a step by step:
An example of a three colour linocut process:
Ink up the uncarved lino in the lightest colour (eg yellow) you are going to use - print several. You will have sheets of yellow paper.
Carve out all areas you want to stay yellow - now print in your next lightest colour eg green (use your sheets of yellow paper). You will now have green on all of the image except the carved areas which will remain yellow.
Now carve out all new areas which you want to stay green - print in your dark colour eg black (use your sheets of yellow/green). Your image will now show yellow, green and black shapes/lines. And your plate will only have the black areas remaining (ie it is very reduced).
This a way of drawing, via a wet plate of ink. You place your paper/drawing-to-be, face into the ink plate, and draw onto the back of the paper. This will then transfer ink from the plate to the paper where you have drawn or pressed down, giving you a particular kind of drawing. There may be many other elements on your paper, either before of after you do this printing stage e.g. you make your trace monotype over collaged materials, which can add more line and form to your image.