What is a Giclee ( zhee-CLAY)

A giclee (zhee-CLAY) is an individually produced, high-resolution, high-fidelity reproduction done on a
special large format printer. Giclees are produced from digital scans of existing artwork. Also, since
many artists now produce only digital art, there is no "original" that can be hung on a wall. Giclees solve
that problem, while creating a whole new vibrant medium for art. 

Giclees can be printed on any number of media, from canvas to watercolor paper to transparent
acetates. Giclees are superior to traditional lithography in several ways. The colors are brighter, last
longer, and are so high-resolution that they are virtually continuous tone, rather than tiny dots. The range,
or "gamut" of color for giclees is far beyond that of lithography. 

Lithography uses tiny dots of four colors--cyan, magenta, yellow and black--to fool the eye into seeing
various hues and shades. Giclees use inkjet technology, but far more sophisticated than your desktop
printer, with lightfast inks and finer, more numerous, replaceable printheads, a wider color gamut, and
the ability to use various media to print on. 

They are priced midway between original art and regular limited edition lithographs. Limited edition litho
prints are usually produced in editions of 500-1000 or more, but giclees rarely exceed 50-100
reproductions.

Giclees were originally developed as a proofing system for lithograph printing presses, but it became
apparent that the presses were having a hard time matching the quality and color of the giclee proofs.
They evolved into the new darlings of the art world. They are coveted by collectors, and desired by
galleries because they don't have to be produced in huge quantities with their large layout of capital and
storage.

In addition, Giclees are produced directly from a digital file, saving generations of detail-robbing
negatives and printing plates, as with traditional printing. NOVASPACE has our own giclee printer and
operator, allowing for more flexibility, experimentation, custom work, quick turnaround and lower costs
to you.