About  Giclees

Giclee prints on canvas are a wonderful and affordable option when buying artwork.

A giclee print on canvas is your closest option to an original. Giclees can be printed directly onto canvas and use a wide spectrum of color. Some of the most common questions about giclees:

What is a Giclee?

A giclee (zhee-CLAY) is a produced to order, high-resolution reproduction done on a special large format printer. Giclees are produced from digital images (scans or high resolution photographs) of existing artwork.

The process employs seven or more colors--light cyan, cyan, light magenta, magenta, yellow, black and light black--of lightfast, pigmented inks and finer and more numerous printheads resulting in both a wider array of color and the ability to use various media to print on. The ink is sprayed onto the page, actually mixing the color on the page to create true shades and hues.

The colors are brighter, last longer, and are so high-resolution that they are virtually continuous tone, rather than tiny dots. Details are also much crisper and exactly resemble the original artwork minus the brush strokes!

The final step is a U.V. protective finish. This protects your canvas print from water damage and helps filter out harmful ultraviolet rays.

Giclee prints are a high quality and affordable artwork purchase.

How do I hang my giclee?

Giclees can be printed on archival printmaking paper or on artist canvas. Giclees on canvas can be stretched on wooden bars and hung, with or without a frame, just like an original painting.

How do I take care of my giclee on canvas?

Never lean the front or back surface of a stretched canvas on a pointed or sharp object, no matter how small. This will leave a dent that will disfigure your work. If you must lean it against something, lean it on the wood of its stretcher bars so that nothing presses against the canvas.

Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will fade the colors in your acrylic painting or giclee on canvas. Please be aware of this when choosing a location for your work.

You might want to dust your canvas print regularly. Do not spray anything (like pledge) on the work. Dust with a soft, dry cloth.

If you must transport the work, lay a flat piece of cardboard, mat board or similar firm material over the front and back surfaces, and then wrap it in bubble wrap or styrofoam wrap. Try not to keep it wrapped up for too long as to avoid moisture buildup which might cause damage to the work.

Canvas giclees have a UV protective coating which makes them water resistant. Care must be taken to avoid getting them wet. Prolonged exposure to moisture will damage your artwork.