What
is Giclee Printing?
Giclee is fine resolution, art quality ink-jet printing.
With Giclee prints, artists and photographers have new choices like canvas and
fine art papers for reproducing their images. Use Giclee prints
anytime you want to sell a traditional fine art appearance. The quality can
be amazing!
What is Color-Wrap?
 Color-wrap is a digital image modification that extends, reverses and seamlessly repeats
the outer 1.75 inches of the original composition to wrap around the sides of our premium canvas
stretcher. This makes a very attractive presentation with no additional frame.
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There are two costs, in addition to normal canvas stretching, associated with color-wrapping:
- a one-time setup fee for modifying the image file, and
- Additional printing cost. Color-Wrapping adds 4" to the width and 4"
to the length of the printed area. Depending on the original size, the
area printed will be 20%-100% larger than a normal print.
What
is Gallery-Wrap?
Gallery-wrap
uses the outer 1.75" (all around) of the image to wrap around the
stretcher. It requires careful planning by the artist because the
wrapped area is lost from the face of the artwork, thereby cropping the composition. Unless the
original composition will be acceptable after cropping, this option is not
desirable.
VIEW SAMPLES
Gallery
wrap works best when you plan the composition to allow for the loss of
image from the face to the sides of the stretcher.
Cost: Gallery-Wrap adds 4" to the width and 4" to the length of the
printed area. Depending on the original size, the area printed will be 20%-100% larger than a normal print.
The stretching cost remains the same.
How do I get Color-Wrap or Gallery-Wrap?
Two ways:
Order the appropriate wrap modification. Color-wrap and
Gallery-wrap are available for all our Giclee services.
Cost of the wrapping option varies with
print size. Please ask for a custom quote.
If
you are preparing your own digital files, provide 2 inches of image around
the perimeter of your artwork. Remember that the Giclee Canvas print cost is
determined by the final size of the printed area that includes the
"color-wrap" border.
Will we
stretch art canvases that we did not print?
We currently do not stretch canvases we did not print simply because
we lack the extra time and manpower.
Can we "re-stretch" canvases that have been removed from their frames?
Probably not but we may be able to
recommend a reliable supplier to handle this for you.
Why offer three different Giclee services?
Print projects can
have many different starting points, from raw computer files to valuable framed
artwork. People's need for color accuracy varies, too. Our different services
address those needs.
Who uses each
different service?
Direct Giclee Print Service is for customers who can provide files that are fully color-managed and
ready to print.
Custom Giclee Print Service is used primarily by photographers who need canvas or art paper prints
from film and non-color-managed files and by artists who need artwork reproductions without critical color matching.
Gallery Giclee Print Service is used primarily by artists with who need
critically-matched reproductions of canvas or watercolor originals.
Poster Print Service is used by customers needing posters of their work in small quantities at a
manageable up-front cost.
What printers do we use?
We use Epson
11880 printers with Ultrachrome-Vivid inks for the widest possible color range and
archival stability.
Does color match
my artwork?
We cannot guarantee exact color matches in every case but very close matches are usually
possible using our sophisticated color management techniques. Regardless, some art dyes, pigments, color brighteners, surface textures and overlays
can cause unexpected color variations.
We recommend that commercial artists who routinely sell their work should test their color pallet for
satisfactory reproduction before proceeding with importan t projects. Contact us for a consultation and reduced pricing on a test.
What
Giclee print media do we offer?
Fredericks 901WR
Premium Artist Canvas - 18-mils thick, acid free canvas
Hannemuhl Smooth Matte Fine Art Paper
- 16-mils thick, 100% cotton rag, mould-made and acid free paper.
How long will Giclee prints
last?
The short answer is: ours will last much longer than a lifetime.
We use Ultrachrome Inks in carefully chosen ink/media combinations that are
proven to provide the widest possible color gamut life while extending print
life under normal indoor display conditions, away from direct sunlight or
harsh fluorescent light.
Our c anvas prints, with
ClearStar® liquid coatings that block UV light,
are projected to be fade-free for 100+ years. Satin coating is
standard.
This time consuming extra step is costly and ignored by many
printers.
Fine Art Paper prints are projected to be color-stable for 100+ years
without any coatings.
What is
included in each different print service?
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Direct Giclee
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Load customer's file.
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Print Giclee.
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Custom Giclee
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Scan film or open customer-provided file.
(Scan artwork if necessary at extra cost.)
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Adjust image for a normal appearance.
(Non-critical color matching for artwork.)
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Print Giclee.
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Gallery Giclee
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Scan art or film or open customer-provided file.
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Optimize and test file to match art, film or sample.
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Print approval test.
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Consult customer.
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Make final adjustments.
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Print Giclee.
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Archive final file at Chromatics for reprints.
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What about
other sizes and larger quantities?
Prices for
in-between sizes are prorated between the standard sizes. Sizes having dramatic
height to length ratios (for instance, a 10"x30") may have to be custom quoted.
Larger sizes are available. Please call.
What about
matting and stretching?
Art paper:
We add about 1" of border around the image. Example: the overall (finished) size
of an 18x22 art paper print is 20x24, including the border.
Canvas: We add 2" of border around the image. Example: the overall (finished) size
of a 20x30 print is actually 24x34. See above for our stretching service.
What size are test prints?
Test print size varies depending on the size of the final print. For small prints, a
test may be a full image; for larger prints, the test may be a small full
image or a strip. We use our best judgment to provide a meaningful test
suitable to the order's requirements.
What size
file are Custom Print scans? Can I get a copy of the scan?
Custom print scans are sized to the print dimensions you ordered; the scan is discarded after use. Optionally, we
will save it to CDR for you for $12.50 per disk and put as many on the disk as possible, depending on your order.
What size
file are Gallery Print scans?
Gallery print scans are sized for the print size you order and the scan is archived in our system for future
printing without your original. For future reprinting at larger sizes please see our Archive Scans.
What is an Archive Scan?
When ordering a Gallery Print, we recommend purchasing an Archive Scan. Instead of scanning only for the print size you've
ordered, we will scan, optimize and archive your image to a file large enough to reprint in sizes up to 44x60.
You have the security of having a high quality
digital copy of your image stored in our system and future prints, even larger
ones, can be ordered at the lower Gallery Reprint prices.
Can we
print Black & White images?
Yes. To a digital
imaging system, a black & white image is simply an image that is all shades of gray. Even gray has color-tone, though. Looking carefully you'll see
that any gray has tone that can vary from warm to neutral to cold.
What is
color-management?
Color management
is a standardized system of translating colors between devices (scanners,
digital cameras, CPU's, monitors and printers) to maintain accurate color
reproduction, from beginning to end, through the use of ICC profiles. Most photo
and graphics professionals have now adopted ICC profiling to bring predictability
to their digital output. A complete explanation is beyond the scope of this
document.
File Setup
information for all Giclee-Direct fine art prints.
Files
should be saved at least 100 ppi (but no more than 150 ppi) at the final image size you
want to print. More than 150ppi is not useful and makes files large and
cumbersome. Always save your image data in standard color spaces, like Adobe1998 RGB, sRGB
or CMYK(swop2)
and tag the files accordingly. Never convert your files to any
printer profiles.
Files
for Giclee-Direct prints are imaged "as
received" with no adjustments.
For
predictable results, you must be using full color-management with Photoshop 6, 7
or CS and an accurately profiled monitor using one of our printer profiles for
soft-proofing. These are basic tools required for preparing files when
using this service and we cannot be responsible for poor results if your
files are not fully color managed.
Only use our printer profiles for soft-proofing on your monitor. One
source of good information on monitor profiling is www.colorvision.com.
Our
Epson printers are extremely consistent day-to-day; you can fine-tune your
color adjustments based on their output. Good
color management requires experience but will yield very predictable prints.
What
is X-rite Certification?
 Certification
by X-rite is further confirmation, by X-rite Monaco Systems, that Chromatics
uses the most complete color management tools available. If you handle color
management correctly, you will get predictable printed results.
More information from X-rite...
Preparing
artwork for scanning
Prices are for Camera-Ready flat art that can be photographed or scanned after routine
positioning and removal of minor debris. Art that needs special
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