Printing Processes For Art Prints

When surfing this site you may encounter these terms, especially in the product detail pages. If you are new to buying art prints then these terms may be completely alien to you. Below I've compiled a brief description of some of these processes.

Giclee Print
Pronounced as zhee-klay, it is a French word which means a spray or spurt of liquid. The name is descriptive of the way in which the print is created. A giclee is basically a printout of the original art work, created from digital scans of the original

Once the scan is made and the image digitally archived, a sophisticated printer then makes a high resolution printout with high quality inks. The printer does this using a fine stream of ink, resulting in vivid, pure color with exceptional detail. A giclee can be printed in various sizes and onto various mediums like canvas and photo paper.

An advantage of giclee printing is that it enables artists to make easy reprints of their work to be sold, as and when required, or in bulk. It also avoids the heartache of selling off the original painting.

Lithograph
A lithograph works on the principle that water and oil do not mix. A hand-made lithograph is a print made by drawing with an oily substance such as crayons and pencils on porous stone or metal plates. An Oil-based ink is then applied to the moistened stone that adheres only to the lines drawn. The plates are then pressed onto a sheet of paper to produce the final print.

Serigraph
Serigraphy, or screenprinting, is a stencil printmaking process in which high quality paper is placed beneath a screen (or stencil). Ink is then applied over the screen using a squeegee. The screen has certain portions cut out so that the ink can be transferred onto the paper below. This process is then repeated for different screens and color until the final picture is complete. Screenprinting can be used on a variety of surfaces such as textiles, ceramics, metal, wood and paper and is commonly used in industries from clothing to product labelling.

Monoprint
A monoprint or monotype is a printing process whereby the artist paints a
design onto a plate using a low drying ink. The image is then printed before
the ink dries. One characteristic of monoprints, as the name implies, is that
only one unique impression can be made using this process. That is, no two
prints will ever be alike.

Enjoy the art!