Giclee printing is an area that seems to cause a good deal of confusion and the web is actually full of misleading and incorrect information about what a giclee actually is or is not.

To clear this up, the term giclee originates from a French word meaning "to squirt" and was applied to a method of printing that employs a specific kind of printer that reproduces an image by literally squirting ink onto the medium on which the print is being reproduced.

So, the term giclee refers to the printing process. Giclees are not printed exclusively on canvas as I have often read elsewhere. In fact, modern giclee printers can handle a variety of media including, but not limited to, canvas, textured fine art paper, photographic paper, smooth fine art paper etc.

Unlike your inkjet or laser printer that you use at home, modern giclee printers cost thousands of dollars and usually use at least eight ink cartridges filled with special archival quality inks, very different also from the types of inks used in your own home printer's cartridges. They are usually wide format and capable of printing images at least 44 inches in width or more. These printers are not the same as those commonly found in print shops and photographic stores either.

In addition to the actual printing hardware, a whole range of software for color matching and image manipulation is also required if a printer is going to be able to produce a truly high quality giclee. Hooking it up to a laptop is not really going to work. I will talk a little more about the actual process as we continue with this explanatory article.

Why Choose Giclee Printing As An Artist?

This is a common question. My wife is a professional artist and her original work is collected in many countries around the world, both by private and corporate buyers. As such, the cost of an original painting is beyond those of more modest means (ourselves included!) but from the artist's perspective there is a lot more to it than that.

Selling an original piece, even if it is for a very high price tag, is the end of the line for the artist. Unlike a songwriter or author, there are no royalties once that original painting has sold. There is no recurring income even though they still own the rights to that original image. This has always seemed rather a waste to me and it took me some time to convince my wife of the merits of moving into prints.

By doing so, an artist can, in theory generate an unlimited income from each work, long after the original painting has been hung in a home, office or other institution and this is as it should be.

So, the financial benefits for an artist should be obvious. Additionally of course, an original may take some time to sell, and by producing prints which will be far more affordable and accessible to a much wider audience, an artist can start receiving a paycheck for their labors even before the original piece finds a buyer.

Additionally, prints can be made in a variety of sizes, again making them more attractive propositions to more people. Not everyone has the luxury of a space to hang a painting that measures 40 feet by 30 feet for example, but that's not to say that they wouldn't love to have the image displayed somewhere in their home or office. Equally true is that an image can also be increased in size if the original is smaller.

Before deciding to invest in a giclee print there are some things that an artist needs to take into account.

One of the most important of course is whether or not there is a market for your prints, the prices that the market will stand and whether or not you can access that market.

There would be little point in buying a run of 100 prints if you have no place to sell them. This is where, as an artist, you will have to go out and find places to market your work if you do not already have an established outlet for your paintings.

In terms of costs, giclee printing can vary quite wildly depending on who does the work for you and how good they might be. I will talk about this more in the related hubs in this group, but bear in mind that a high quality giclee is normally going to cost more than a few pennies and before making any commitment you must decide on your profit margin and whether you are going to be able to command the prices that you will require.

There is no doubt that quality reproductions can increase your exposure and your earnings as an artist but you need to have a business plan and a sales strategy in place or fall into the trap of having money tied up in stocks of prints that sit around gathering dust.

In the next hub we will look at exactly what you need to produce a true fine art giclee and how to find someone to do the work for you.