About Giclée Printing
Giclée printing, offered by Swanson Images, defines an advancement in printmaking technology that is changing the very nature of fine art reproductions and marketing.

The Definition:
Giclée prints, from the French word meaning a spray of liquid, are created from high resolution digital captures of original artwork, and printed with professional level 7-color to 12-colorwide format ink-jet printers using archival quality inks. At Swanson Images, Epson printers with pigment based "Ultrachrome" © inks or their equivalent are used. The prints can be made on various surfaces matching the original medium, such as canvas, watercolor, and photo-base paper.

The giclée printing process carried out by a master technician provides better color accuracy than any other means of reproduction.

Giclée Advantages:
Giclée prints allow artists to create cost-effective, professional quality reproductions of their artwork, thereby increasing the value of their work and their ability to sell both prints and originals to many different customers.

An additional advantage of giclée printing is an artist's ability to print editions as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost. The prohibitive up-front cost of mass production for a lithographic edition is eliminated. Archived files will not deteriorate in quality as negatives and film inherently do.

Another tremendous advantage of giclée printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various surfaces, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.

The Quality:
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional photographic silver-halide and gelatin printing processes as well as lithographic reproductions. Giclée prints are accepted by museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.