History

• According to acclaimed painter Harry Adamson, the giclee art printing process was created by Jack Duganne in 1981.
  
  

Process

• According to the University of Rochester, a giclee Iris print is created by scanning an artwork and then recreating it in a large drum-based inkjet printer that squirts one million small droplets of ink from four colored nozzles (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) every second at a speed of 85 miles per hour. The Iris printer is known for yielding the best giclee prints.
  
  

Benefits

• Giclee prints are created with archival inks, which means they are able to stand up to the elements and survive for many years. The image can be re-created multiple times with no decrease in quality. Giclee prints are also reasonably priced, allowing just about any art lover to purchase them.
  
  

Considerations

• According to Adamson, some artists are reluctant to accept the giclee term for art prints and prefer to call their art reproductions "digital" or "computer" prints. Giclee has become synonymous for an artwork reproduced using the highest-quality Iris inkjet printer.
  
  

Fun fact

• The name "giclee," pronounced "zhee-CLAY," is based on the French word meaning "to spray."