Giclée (pronounced “zhee-clay”) is an invented name for the process of making Fine Art Prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. The word “giclée” is derived from the French word “le gicleur,” meaning “nozzle,” or more specifically “gicler,” meaning “to squirt, or spray.” It was coined in 1991 by Jack Duganne, a printmaker, to represent any ink-jet-based digital print used as Fine Art.

The word Giclée is synonymous with the term Fine Art Print. The word has come to be associated with prints made with archival, meaning stable, fade-resistant inks, and is often used in galleries to denote such prints.

Dramatic improvements have been made in recent years to inks used and the paper or canvas upon which the images are printed. Recent tests show that Giclée, quality ink-jet prints, can have a light-fast life expectancy of 100-200 years if kept out of direct sunlight.

When prints are produced on high-quality (acid-free) paper or canvas, the print should possess archival standards of permanence comparable to or better than other collectible artwork.

The visual quality of the image is extremely high, and the color saturation and definition are excellent.

The paper/canvas/inks are given a display permanence rating by the Wilhelm Imaging Research company. According to WIR, archival quality means: “Displayed under glass with care for no direct sunlight, in normal lighting conditions; the image can be expected to maintain quality for 62 years. If displayed with UV glass, over 100 years. (The prints on canvas have UV protective coating applied.) Unframed, (unprotected from UV) in a bright room, 37 years. In dark storage, with 50% – 75% humidity, for 200 years.”

Since canvas is not displayed under glass, the key point here is no direct sunlight and normal lighting.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.