"What is a giclée print?"
“How much will it cost?”
“What’s the truth about gicleé’s colour fastness?”
“What are the advantages of giclée prints?”
“Can you scan transparencies and negs?”
“I use a digital camera; are there any guidelines if I want giclées?”
“Tell me about your papers and canvas stock.”
“Do you stretch canvas onto ‘blocks’? What about varnishing?
“Do you also print giclée cards?”

“What is a ‘giclée’ print?”

The word ‘giclée’ is pronounced ‘zhee-clay” and comes from the French ‘gicleur’, meaning nozzle. In essence, giclée is a computer-controlled fine art print method that applies a microscopic jet-stream spray of specially formulated, long-life inks to ‘substrates’ – i.e. fine art or photo papers and canvas, which are all custom made, acid-free and micro-porous coated to enhance the longevity of your final print.

Giclée represents the very best quality fine art technique available today; it can capture even tiny lines, brushstrokes and an amazing range of colours.

Beware: Accept no substitutes. Fine art giclées must meet stringent standards. “Digital print” is NOT the same thing and can’t provide the same quality unless the supplier uses fully calibrated and correctly profiled giclée technology and materials. And please – avoid “laser prints”, which are made with dry plastic powder mixed with colour agents (three colours only); this is a “cheap and cheerful”, quick-to-fade print method that’s fine for flyers or throwaway items – but definitely NOT for fine art reproduction!

“How much will it cost?” Three ways to find out:

Request our current rate card. This contains all the giclée prices depending on size and type of paper or canvas you choose. Check our size charts - in centimeters or inches. If you tell us what media you work in, we will enclose a sample of relevant papers or canvas, too!

Phone us for a chat on +44 (0)1873 851669. That way, you can ask us questions, and we can get an idea of your special challenges – like a tight deadline, large works to be scanned, etc.

Email us: enquiries@salt-of-the-earth.biz and tell us about the work you’d like us to scan and/or print. Let us have your phone number, too. That way, if we can’t give you an immediate estimate, we can reach you to ask questions that will allow us to do so.

Payment: We accept payment worldwide by Paypal or by cheque drawn on a U.K. bank account. To learn about secure Paypal payments go to: www.paypal.co.uk

“I’ve heard wildly varying claims about gicleé’s colour fastness. What’s the truth?”

The truth is that gicleé is a relatively new process, so colour life expectancies of anything up to 150 years can only be based on lab tests. These estimate colour fastness by verifying the content and quality of both substrate and inks, and by simulating levels of light, moisture and air-borne contaminants found in homes and offices.

Giclées are printed either with dye inks or pigment inks. Dye ink is a solution where colour is dissolved in the carrier fluid; the main advantage is a long shelf life. For fine art, pigment inks are a better choice. In these, black and colour pigment powders are dispersed throughout the carrier and held in suspension.

The general rule: good pigment inks surpass dye inks in lightfastness. Our Epson Ultrachrome pigment inks are close to the top of the life expectancy range. Basically, if you/your gallery take care of your prints, they’ll look bright and fresh long after you and I have faded away!

Caveat: Over time, ANY print will suffer if exposed to constant bright light and giclées will spot if they get wet, because all inks are water-based. So get your print into an acid-free polyester sleeve (we stock these) or mounted and under glass as soon as possible. If the print must remain exposed – e.g. as a stretched canvas block, you may wish to apply a product such as Print Guard (we also stock this), a UV and water-resistant clear lacquer specifically for this medium.

“What are the advantages of giclée prints?”

Higher quality perception of your work. Ask other photographers who have exhibited their giclées at galleries. You’ll find that the large sizes, superior papers, inks and subtle printing treatments available (such as rich, evocative quadtone for your black and whites) can make a major difference to the way potential buyers view photographic work – and the price they are willing to pay.

Giclées save you money. Forget huge print runs, as with old-fashioned litho mass-production. Salt of the Earth has no minimum print order, so you’ll have no unsold ‘stock’ on your shelves (or in the bin). As you sell, simply order additional giclée prints by phone or email.

“Can you scan transparencies and negs?”

Yes, we can. Any size tranny is fine. We can also work from negatives– both black & white and colour – plus old photographic prints, hand-tinted work,etc. We will provide a quotation for this service once we see your images; we need to get an idea of whether they are scratched, faded or need any remedial digital restoration. Once we’ve agreed a price with you, we’ll go ahead, create a master and then print as you wish.

“I use a digital camera; are there any guidelines if I want giclées?”

Yes. Firstly, we recommend you shoot in RAW or TIFF mode.

The bigger the file, the more information/detail your images will contain. We can only print what you send us, so if you want any corrections, you need to advise us. We can also only print to the maximum size your images will deliver at 360dpi. Let us know if you want your images scaled up or down, but there is an extra charge.

Remember, a picture with JPEG compression has already had some of the image information removed, and 72dpi images are only intended to be viewed on screen.

“Tell me more about your papers and canvas stock.”

Salt of the Earth’s team has searched for, tried and compared many types of paper and canvas. We’ve also listened to your requests and have made a few additions we think will please everyone – artists and photographers alike.

Canvas – We’ve plumped for Epson’s satisfyingly sturdy ”PremierArt” Canvas. At a hefty 350 gsm, with a tight weave and flexible coating, this cotton/polyester giclée canvas stretches without sagging and offers a beautiful texture for both photos and paintings. Its pleasing gloss finish has added water resistance that aids rapid drying.

Watercolour textured paper – Definitely our most popular paper, and one you clearly love, Lyson’s “Standard Fine Art” is a substantial 310 gsm, warm white, mould-made paper with subtle grain. It’s 100% cotton rag and acid-free. An ideal all-rounder for acrylics, watercolours, oils and gouache. Gives photos fine art cachet.

Smooth fine art paper – A perfect choice for photographers and anyone working in fine line or detailed media such as egg tempera. Slightly whiter than the “Standard Fine Art”, and very smooth, this Lyson 310 gsm all-cotton rag mould-made paper produces deep blacks and very saturated colours. Planning a giclée portfolio? This double sided/double coated stock is just the ticket.

Photo papers – We’ve stayed with stock you say you really like: Epson’s Gloss and Semi-Gloss 210 acid-free papers. Both offer a lustrous emulsion that gives crisp detail and subtle hues in sepia, black and white, quadtone and full colour giclées. Yummy.

“Do you stretch canvas onto ‘blocks’? And what about varnishing?

We know some giclée printers do this – and it accounts for quite a big slice of their profits! But we try to look after our clients. And sending a finished, stretched canvas across the UK/Europe adds so much to your cost of packing and postage that we decided early on not to offer this service. Salt of the Earth prints your image to the highest standard with borders wide enough to allow for the depth of stretcher you have in mind, we let it ‘cure’ for several days and then we send it to you rolled up and boxed to stretch as you wish with a framer near where you live. That way, you can keep an eye on the process, too.

Ideally, if you want a protective varnish spray, you should wait until AFTER the canvas is stretched, because as the varnish dries, it helps to tighten up the canvas a little. We suggest a water-based acrylic varnish, available in three finishes: matt, satin or gloss. Water-based products won’t yellow as the years go by as spirit-based products do, and they contain plasticizers for flexibility so that the surface won’t craze or crack.

“Do you also print giclée cards?”

We certainly do – wonderful boxed sets of creamy, watercolour-textured Crown Museo cards with envelopes. They’re so good, some people buy them to frame! Click here to read more about these cards and our other products.