Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French word "giclée" is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt."

The term "giclee print" connotes an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high-resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction. Giclee prints are created typically using professional 8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Epson modern technology printers are capable of producing incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets. Giclee prints are sometimes referred to as Iris prints.

Giclee prints are advantageous to artists who do not find it feasible to mass produce their work but want to reproduce their art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost. The prohibitive up-front cost of mass production for an edition is eliminated. Archived files will not deteriorate in quality A tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client. The quality of the giclee print rivals traditional silver-halide printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.

If you are a painter or a photographer and you want great Giclée prints, then you will need to evaluate a giclée printing service such as Timeless Quality Imaging. There are three main criteria: quality, cost, and value-added services. You choose which is most important to you and your artwork. Selecting a giclée printer is a very personal choice. You need to be able to trust their experience and judgment. Your printer will be an extension of your work. Some artists will feel more comfortable working with their printer in person. Others will work with printers via the Internet. Wherever they are located, you will need to know that you've made the right choice. Making your work available for sale in the form of high-quality giclée reproductions makes good business sense -- especially if you are trying to make a living as an artist!

When you evaluate your giclée printer based upon scanning, proofing, delivery term of your original artwork, it might just mean the time it takes to open your file on the computer and change the media to paper or canvas. Some printers charge for that effort, whereas Timeless Quality Imaging, we do not. No "minimum order" required at Timeless Quality Imaging. It is difficult to evaluate their quality if they charge too much upfront inexpensively.

Feel free to evaluate the quality of our work is the next step. If you are a photographer or a digital artist, you can place a small order – perhaps one or two different images – to check our quality, service. If you are a painter, you will first need to have your original art scanned or photographed. Then you will need to have the image proofed, all of which can be completed at Timeless Quality Imaging.