canvas prints

[maddy]

I would like to know the difference of quality between a print on canvas and a giclee? How about the archival quality?

Thanks, Mark Addy

[Dennis_Vied]

My understanding of what constitutes a giclee print involves fine art paper, (or media, I presume), and archival inks. If the canvas is regarded as a fine art media, and the inks are archival quality inks, then it would be considered a giclee print. AFAIK.

[michaelnotar]

a canvas print is a print, usually silver halide based to handle the effects of the process.
its mounted to canvas under a much pressure, like thousands of pounds letting the weave come through the paper.

[ChrisPerry]

From my research and observation, giclee is some process thought up in france. I have no idea how it compares to what is being sold as giclee canvas prints by many labs.

Realistically, I've seen 2 processes - one is to take a regular print and remove the back part of the paper to thin it. It is then glued and pressed onto canvas (or some synthetic equivalent, or canvas textured masonite). It is the same as a print as far as UV and what not. You can't get a 'gallery wrap' where the image wraps around the stretcher bars as it will damage the print.

The second is inkjet on canvas (or some synthetic canvas textured material). This is often sold as 'giclee' but some places also call it inkjet...give it a french name and charge more I suppose

These folks Go To Canvas - Photos or Art Professionally printed onto Canvas at reasonable prices! admit to using inkjet, but then the cost/seal the final print - and it's pretty damned durable based on the sample I got that I've abused. I've not tried the sun fade test, but I suppose since they claim its UV coated it is. It's some of the best I've seen and they offer a variety of options - canvas 'loose', stretched for framing, gallery wrap and some framed sizes. They have a commercial/pro photog division.

[ChrisPurves]

Hi All:- " Giclee" in french means to spray. The original giclee prints where archival inkjets of artwork scans. Giclees were supposed to be a new way of making multiple prints of artwork.
Photographers picked up the process and started printing giclees supposedly with giclee certified printers. Today with readily available archival inks from standard printers just about every inkjet now meets that giclee standard.
So at one time it was a standard of printing that met archival standards. Remember the original inkjet prints that faded in a couple of months. Today most printers have archival ink available therefore most inkjet prints are archival and their ink has been sprayed on the paper so they are all giclee prints.

My take right now is that giclee is a 10 dollar word for inkjet. We all know that perception is reality. We produce high quality prints from high quality inkjets or from a printing lab. The general public perceives an inkjet print as the same that they print at home with a low resoulution camera on plain paper. Enter the term giclee. It sounds better than inkjet so we can get more money for a giclee than we can for an inkjet print.

I send all my stuff to a lab that still uses a wet process. My competitors use inkjets, albeit good ones but I have used that as a benefit to me. I don't mention the fact that my competitors use inkjet. When I do a presentation to potential shows I tell them that we use high quality digital and print from a lab the supplies actual wet process photographic prints not inkjets. By casting that little bit of information I hope they ask my competitors what they use. Until they start using the term giclee I think I have a leg up on them.

Cheers
Chris.

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