What is the Giclee' Reproduction Process?
The Giclee' ( pronounced "ghee-clay" ) Process was born in the early 1990's, when rock musician Graham Nash and his associate Mac Holbert uncovered a new capability of the Iris inkjet printer (model -3047).

Those early machines had been developed for producing digital graphic prints, but it had not occurred to the manufacturer that this equipment would be adopted by artists as a method of reproducing fine art prints. In 1991, thanks to Mr. Nash's vision, the world's first fine art print company opened its doors. Since then technological advances in the equipment, media, inks and craftsmanship have improved immeasurably.

Why Giclee'?
Giclee printing has many advantages over other print making methods. For example, each piece is individually produced so that you can make one reproduction at a time if desired, which means you are not obligated to finish an edition.

You can order prints as needed, without large up-front costs and storage problems associated with offset lithography. This allows you to test a market a new idea or image, without a large investment. Giclee printing gives you, the artist, more control of your career, by giving you the ability to publish fine art reproductions in modest quantities.

Artists can build inventory over a period of time, or in response to the market. Reprints are as simple as picking up the phone, or sending an e-mail. After the initial print is made, turnaround time is as fast as two to three days.   see footnote > (1)

Why choose ColorWorks?
Simply owning a scanner and printer does not make you a printmaker any more than owning a camera makes you a professional photographer. Printmaking is a craft that takes years, even a lifetime, to perfect. Experienced print makers are experts at what they do.

Artist and printmakers work in very different ways. Only by having a thorough understanding of both art and photographic terminology, as well as an in-depth knowledge of computers and color management is one able transform ideals or vague references to color into meaningful works of art.

Take for example references such as " make it more gray" or " it looks muddy" or can you "rosey it up a little". My own training in color and design arts education as well as a training in advertising / illustration Photography, and color technology has prepared me to deal with these challenges.

Over the past 15 years of professional experience I have produced literally thousands of handmade custom prints that were critically balanced for the most pleasing renditions or a match to a specific reference.

I can say firsthand that this is a craft that requires a considerable amount of experience to perfect. Simply doing this occasionally is not enough. Simply owning a scanner or printer is not enough to produce High Quality Results.

The process:
The first step in producing a fine art reproduction, is to transform (or digitize) the artwork into a format that the computer understands. This is done through the use of flatbed scanners, digital cameras and digital scanning backs. Film is still used on occasion, but it needs to be scanned and this adds one extra generation, which only serves to degrade the final product .

We also find that film in general does not provide the color accuracy we require. Scanners and digital scanning backs can be calibrated to a much higher standard (and kept that way) and are not subject you the the variables of film. Bear in mind that it takes a high-end color management software package to calibrate a scanner or digital camera for critical color balance that the Giclee' process demands. ColorWorks has over $10,000 invested in software and hardware that we use for this purpose alone. We take our color accuracy and equipment calibration very seriously!

We can not over emphasize the importance of this first step. Low-end digital cameras or ( even high-end ones that have not been calibrated ) or scanners that are best suited for low-end office type work are simply not suited to the task. Simply put, if this step is not done correctly the output will never be more than mediocre. The expressions garbage in = garbage out holds very true in this case.

ColorWorks uses three different methods of input depending on the size and resolution of the final print. See our section on scanning for specifics of price and what type of scan is needed for your prints. We have three separate methods to suit your specific needs.

Once the initial scan is complete, we then color balance visually to the original artwork. This can involve global color changes, specific changes to hue, value or intensity or overall contrast modifications. Sometimes, a second scan is done to further refine the process. While we try to match the original artwork as accurately as possible, this is also the time where we have the opportunity to change the piece to more closely match the artist of original intentions. We like to think of the final reproduction as a collaboration between artist and printmaker. Once the artist and print maker are satisfied, we then produce a proof on the same type of media that the final print will be produced on. Additional proofs and further refinement are possible depending on the artist requirements. No other process allows for such refinement at such modest cost.

Giclee' Print Pricing:

Watercolor Paper

Canvas Prints

> (1) Technology is not standing still. Every three to six months we experiment with new papers, improved software, and inks etc. Every several years we tend to upgrade printers to stay current with the technology. For this reason, it may be impossible to exactly match a reproduction that was done in the past. While we are confident we can produce a print that is equal or better to a prior reproduction it will be nevertheless different. This is a case were turnaround times will be effected, and will more than likely require a new proofing session and approval. If you need for prints to match 100%, the only way to insure this is to place a larger order from the start.

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