Giclée is a high quality digital printing technique, in which the design stems from a digital file. A high-end inkjet printer is used, using a pigment based ink. Giclée prints are high resolution and of archival quality.

Giclée printing technique

When making giclée prints, the design is pre-made and the end result becomes a print based on an original artwork. To make a giclée, the original has been either photographed or scanned in a very high resolution, to make the print as detailed and precise as possible. A giclée print is based on the quality of four elements: resolution, ink, paper and printer type. To obtain archival quality, the inkjet printer uses pigment-based ink rather than dye-based ink, and a type of paper which is designated archival. Printers that print giclée prints are usually larger and hold up to 12 cartridges, producing a higher range of colors for duplicating the scanned or photographed artwork. These large format printers contain tiny spraying devices which match color and apply them very precisely, to make a result as close to the original as possible. 

Artists working with giclée

Limited Works present giclée prints by artists such as Jakob Martin Strid, Anne Werner, Søren Arildsen, and Hvass & Hannibal. 

Click here to see other printing techniques and all other types of artworks.