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Four Winds Art Giclee Printing: Questions and Answers
Why are
these prints scalled "giclee prints"?
Aren't all prints created the same way, that is, on a printing
press?
It
is in its production that a
giclee print differs from the "printing press" version
many of us are familiar with. The giclee process takes place
completely digitally. First, the original image is scanned; then
each print is created using a special high-resolution printer
that sprays millions, sometimes billions, of tiny droplets of
archival ink onto watercolor paper to form the image. Because
these microscopic droplets vary in size and density, they can
produce a remarkable degree of detail, color quality, and longevity.
While more time consuming and more costly to produce (and, thus,
to purchase) than those created using the offset-lithography
process, giclee prints provide excellent value.
Who makes
the Four Winds Art prints?
Each acid-free
giclee print is created individually by a skilled Pacific Northwest
(USA) professional, an artist himself, who specializes in short
runs of fine art printing. Using archival pigment inks, Brett
prints the images on 120-pound Somerset enhanced watercolor paper.
These prints look great "in person" ... hardly distinguishable
from the originals, really.
How well
do the prints hold up?
For
longevity, the combination
of archival ink and Somerset paper is rated at 50 to 65 years
[per Henry Wilhelm, image-permanence tester]. That is,
noticeable fading would be not be expected before that period
of time had passed provided the image is behind glass and out
of direct sunlight.