Giclee

Giclee print certificate of authenticity

One of the selling points when marketing a giclee print is to provide a certificate of authenticity. It lends credibility regarding the limited edition production of art. The publisher and maker of the giclée print provides a document detailing the title, size, medium, number and date of printing of the LE.

Together with the signing and the giclée print a certificate is released at the request of the artist and signed by the printmaker as well. Another benefit of using an independent publisher instead of doing the printing in house is third party verification. This assures the buyer of 2 different business entities in existence which can verify the authenticity of the giclee print. A relief stamp can be used to mark such certificates to prevent tampering. Holographic serialized holograms are another value added option. A phone number should be included as well to allow the buyer to call to verify information.

You can choose to provide an individual certificate from the publisher or give a copy of the master certificate identifying the whole edition. As an artist you are free to provide individual custom certificates with signature and edition number. I cannot emphasize how important it is to sign and number the giclée print either on the bottom right corner or at least in the back. Certificates get lost; the signature and number on the print will stay with the artwork. It is a good idea, although not necessary, to put a sticker on the back of the canvas stating the publisher and other information. It does not hurt and it may be perceived as added value.