What is giclee?

A giclee (prononunced jee-clay) is a type of very high quality print.   Giclee comes from the French word "gicler," which means, to squirt.    It is an individually produced, high fidelity reproduction done on a special large format printer.   Giclee printers use inkjet technology and are far more sophisticated than your desktop printer.    The ink is sprayed onto the page, using lightfast inks and acid free substances.     This method ensures consistency so that the first print and the last print are to exactly the same standard.    This process is believed to be the closest match to the original that is technically possible and giclees are coveted by collectores,  museums and galleries.   Giclee prints are supported by the Fine Art Trade Guild.

Giclee prints can be created on many types of paper, including fine art paper, photo paper or canvas.   They are reputed to last for one hundred years, compared to cheaper prints that have a limited shelf life and fade easily.  

ALL of our our prints are produced as giclee, regardless of size.   We do not produce prints by other inferior, cheaper  methods.

If you are buying a print elsewhere that is a giclee print, the retailer will want to advertise that fact.   If it doesn't say "giclee," then it's probably not!

How do we produce our prints?

We start by scanning our original pictures on our high resolution industrial scanner.  This gives us the best possible, high resolution copy of our image from which to work.   That image is then printed out on our professional printer, giving us the best quality giclee prints.   After printing, the giclee prints are hung up to dry for at least 8 hours before being varnished in a semi gloss finish.   They are then hung up again whilst the  varnish drys.    

What are Gallery Wraps   

All of our gallery canvas prints are wrapped around the highest quality gallery style stretcher bars. These stretcher bars are used to maintain the picture, as wedges in the joints can be driven to re-square or re-tension the picture over time (if needed). We believe our prints should be made to last! We pay a little more for our gallery stretcher bars than we could do, but we believe that the quality we get justifies the extra expense. Our stretcher bars are winter-cut, finger jointed, laminated pine, the very best available! The timber is very strong and very straight.

We use gallery style stretcher bars with a depth of 4.4cm (this being the distance that the picture protrudes from the wall). This provides a really modern and sophisticated 3D effect.  It's a minimalistic way of presenting the pictures and gives them that lovely  "floating" feel.   

What are Canvas Stretcher Bars?

The stretcher bars we use have a  2cm depth.   Again, pictures presented in this way are ready to hang.    However, there is also the option for the buyer to frame them as the  wrap will  fit within the rebate of a picture frame.   There are some beautiful frames on the market that accomodate these stretcher wrapped pictures really beautifully, again, giving a very contemporary feel.  

Copyright

All images on this website are subject to copyright, Lizzie Hall.     Artwork is protected by international copyright law and no images on this website can be used or copied for any commercial or non commercial purposes without written permission from the artist.    When an original picture is sold, the copyright remains with the artist.

Fellow Artists

 Fellow artists and galleries, - please note that we have a high resolution industrial flatbed scanner.   This is the ultimate way to capture your original picture and because it is flatbed, it can scan oil paintings too!   We offer this service to other artists. Please contact us for more information.