Sivertson Gallery

What is a giclee print?

All prints are not created equal.

We sell only giclée prints—museum-quality, archival, fine art reproductions that will last a lifetime.

In the giclée process, original images created by an artist (paintings, hand-pulled prints, drawings, or other artwork) are carefully scanned and digitally stored in a computer and then sent to a special giclée printer for output onto 100% cotton paper or canvas substrate.

A giclée printer uses many more pigmented inks than a traditional offset printing press or a common digital printer. This creates a rich, beautiful print on paper or canvas.

A giclée printer uses many more colors than a traditional offset printing press or a common digital printer. Pronounced “jhee-CLAY,” this French word means “to spray,” which is exactly what a giclée ink jet printer does. A fine stream of pigmented ink (more than four million droplets per second) sprays onto archival paper or canvas. And because each image is sent to the printer individually, the process allows for versatility and experimentation with the hue, value and density of the inks.

Our Epson giclée printer outputs a Liz Sivertson print on archival paper.

Giclée prints will last decades or even hundreds of years, and are noted for their beautiful detail and dynamic color.

A giclée print is the closest an artist can get to matching their original artwork. For art lovers who want to collect fine art but can’t afford to buy an original, giclée prints are a popular (and beautiful!) alternative.

Anna holds a finished giclee paper print in a cellophane sleeve, ready for shipping.

(L-R) Prints shown in header image at top of page: Cool and Fresh, Rick Allen; Wide Awake, Marian Lansky; Spotified, Liz Sivertson; Time Worn Shore, Dan Wiemer.