Giclee Watercolor

Giclee printing on watercolor papers

Pretty much all the main watercolor paper manufacturers offer some products specifically designed to be used with inkjet printers. Arches, Somerset, Hahnemuhle are the most notable examples. By coating these papers to e receptive to the pigmented inks, a superior color gamut as well print permanence are achieved.

How giclee watercolor prints compare

You will be surprised how great watercolor giclees look. Because pure cotton textured papers similar or identical to the traditional counterparts are used, you can expect to see virtually no difference between the print and the original.

Gamut rendition is usually very good and a few colors may be problematic for reproduction, namely if the original has very saturated blues. Otherwise the results are nothing short of spectacular.

Which paper to go with is strictly a matter of preference. Personally my only requirements are the use of a known brand name and pure cotton rag. I do not particularly like alpha cellulose offerings. Call me traditional, but there is nothing that looks better than a pure rag watercolor. It is more expensive but in the scheme of things the price difference is not that great. The paper cost is only one factor and it is the wrong place to cut corners.