Giclée (pronounced zhee-clay) is a standard for fine art reproduction. For an art reproduction to meet the standards to be able to use the name giclée there are four characteristics that it must abide by:
- Printing material: The printing material must be 100% archival. That said there are many different types of materials that are available for giclée printing e.g. canvas, matte paper, gloss paper, velvet paper, watercolour textured paper and specialty artisan paper.
- Ink: The ink used for printing must be pigment ink (not dye) and there must also be at least 8 different colored pigment inks used in the printer.
- Resolution: The original artwork has to be professionally scanned at a minimum resolution of 300dpi to maintain image sharpness in the final print.
- Printer: The printer used must be a wide format ink jet printer.
Fine art giclée prints have become the print method of choice for artists, professional photographers, publishers of fine art, and museums who demand high quality fine art reproductions. Prominent art museums such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Guggenheim, Smithsonian Institute, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art have hosted exhibitions featuring fine art giclée prints.
