Image Capture
The first, and most important, step in the giclée process is to obtain a digital image of the artwork – starting out with a good, sharp, high resolution image is key to producing a quality giclée.

Traditional image capture consists of two separate steps: 1) photographing the artwork with a large format view camera to obtain a 4x5 or 8x10 transparency; and 2) scanning the transparency. This process, although still viable, is no longer the preferred method. Instead, by using digital technology, the image is captured directly into the computer. There are several advantages to this:

1. Digital capture by-passes the film stage, thus saving one “generation” from the process;
2. The photographer is able to examine the image immediately and re-shoot if necessary;
3. The cost of digital photography is generally lower than the combined cost of film photography and scanning;
4. Because there is no film to develop, turnaround time is shortened.

Digital photography of artworks sometimes is done with a high-end, D-SLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera, such as used by professional photographers for weddings, portraiture, commercial photography, etc. These cameras often use lenses compatible with their 35mm counterparts and capture the images in a 32 to 40+ MB maximum file size. The advantages of this type of camera are their relative low cost and the fact that image capture is instantaneous, allowing the use of strobe lights (“flash”). However, because of the limited size of the image files obtained with this equipment, it is suitable only for small to perhaps medium-sized artworks, but inadequate for larger pieces.

The preferred method to capture art images digitally is with a “view-camera/scan-back” setup. As its name implies, this consists of two main components: a large format view camera (generally a 4x5) and a “scan-back” attachment.

The scan back uses the camera optics, but “scans” the image line-by-line, taking several minutes to complete the process. The result is a very high-resolution file (up to 300MB or more), resulting in a sharper image, better detail, and the ability to print larger sizes.

The photos below illustrate the difference in capture image quality. A USA map approximately 2.5 ft. by 4ft. was shot by a professional photographer using a high-end professional digital SLR camera and our scan-back system. Note the difference in quality, as shown in the small cutouts.

Artfinity Advantage – Image Capture (click here)

Image Editing and Proofing

After an art image has been successfully digitized, it must be “edited.” This process accomplishes the following:

• Adjust the color and contrast of the image to closely match the original artwork. This is required because subtle variations occur as an image is captured, brought into an editing program, output to a printer and printed on one or more types of media. Generally, most of these changes can be corrected through careful image editing and using the appropriate “print profiles” for each type of printer/media/ink combination. However, in a few instances, one or more colors in an original artwork cannot be printed because they are outside the color gamut of a particular printer/media/ink combination. In this case, careful editing requires not only approximating each “out-of-gamut” color as much as possible to the original color, but also ensuring that the overall visual effect (i.e., the interaction of all the colors in the print) resembles the original as much as possible.
  The color/contrast adjustment is a process in which adjustments are made to the digital image in the computer, then small sample “proofs” are printed for review, additional adjustment are made resulting in new “versions”, leading to final approval by the artist.
  
  
• Resizing, cropping, sharpening and cleaning up an image for printing. These are necessary steps required to produce quality prints of the required size(s). The cleaning up (or “dusting”) removes stray marks, dirt, etc that may be embedded in the original artwork, as well as any markings that may have been added during the image capture process (e.g., dust or scratches on a film transparency, or “specular highlights’” – bright points sometimes resulting from reflection of the photo lights on paintings with glossy finishes.) After the image is cleaned-up, it may be cropped and resized so that different print size editions can be made from the same artwork.

After the editing process is completed, the artist signs off on one or more proofs and the image is ready for printing in the various sizes and media specified by the artist.

Artfinity Advantage – Editing (click here)

Printing

Quality giclée printing strives to achieve two goals: 1) high-fidelity or faithfulness to the original artwork, and 2) archival prints that won’t fade, crack or change colors noticeably over a long period of time.

To achieve these goals, giclée printers must use the right combination of printer, printing software (“RIP”), print profile, media or “substrates,” and inks. There are many manufactures and providers of these five elements, and many combinations are possible. It is beyond our scope to review these, and the technology changes very quickly. However, when evaluating a giclée print shop, you should keep in mind the following basics:

• The printing hardware should support at least an “apparent” resolution of 720 dpi (dots per square inch), and should output variable size ink droplets. (Older printers, many of which are still in use, print with fixed-size ink drops, resulting in dotted patterns on the image)
  
• The inks should be archival. Generally this means pigmented inks or UltraChrome inks, as opposed to dye-based inks.
  
• Substrates should be pH neutral (“acid-free”)
  
• The printer should have at least 6 different ink cartridges, including black.

Traditionally, most giclées were printed on Iris printers. However, today most shops use Roland Hi-Fi Pros or Epson 9600/9800 printers. The Rolands can print up to 54” wide, vs. 44” for the Epsons, which may be a consideration for some artists. The Rolands have 7-colors of ink, plus black, while the Epsons have 5 colors of ink plus 2 or 3 black/gray combinations, depending on the model. This generally results in the Roland having a somewhat wider color gamut, while the Epsons handle neutral and grayscale tones better. Of course, the media used for printing, the RIP software used, and the technical knowledge of the operators, are key factors for obtaining quality giclée prints.

Artfinity Advantage – Printing (click here)

Finishing

Giclées printed on papers generally require no additional process after printing, beyond trimming and bagging. Canvas giclées, on the other hand, should be varnished, since most canvases are not framed behind glass. The varnish guards against accidental rubbing or abrasion and also helps seal out humidity. Finally, the varnish tends to give more “depth” to the image and makes the finish more closely resemble an original painting on canvas. Varnish can be applied by hand (with rollers), but generally better results are obtained with a spray gun, especially on larger pieces.

Artfinity Advantage – Finishing (click here)