Inkjet canvas for giclee

What makes a great giclee

One of the most common questions we are asked is how to produce the best possible giclee. Although it is a fairly simple and short inquiry, the answer is complex. I will try to split it in three parts:

File quality

Native resolution needs to be a minimum of 150 ppi for art papers and 200 for resin coated. When I say native, I mean before any kind of interpolation. Interpolation of files over 200% is harmful. Also, digitally created files (such as files from digital cameras and computer graphics raster programs) interpolate better. Vector files are resolution independent: an Illustrator file can be printed as large as you wish.

Make sure your files are color balanced and no crossover is present. Also, it is very important there is no clipping in highlights and shadows. You can easily see any issues by running a histogram in Photoshop. Last but not least, is the image sharp?

Hardware and software

A giclee must be made with a high quality printer. Right now I would not consider anything else but a pro Epson, Roland, Colorspan or Iris. HP and Canon have a few interesting products in the pipeline.

Make sure you use professional editing software such as Photoshop. Also a RIP is a must in a production environment. If you are producing low volume, the regular drivers supplied for free with all printers will do.

Inks and substrates

This is the most complex item. As for inks, it goes without saying that pigments should be used. I hear reports of printers using dyes and that making the print archival with coating. Personally I have seen fading on Iris dye inks in a matter of months. Dyes are mostly organic compounds and as such the break down.

The papers are another huge factor. Make sure you buy archival, acid free substrates. OBA free materials are preferred. OBA stands for optical brighteners and OBA papers tend to yellow and possibly break down over time. It is imperative you coat OBA papers. A great article about choosing papers for giclee can be found at about.com.