CHIAPPONE GALLERY
 

All prints on this site are signed, dated, and numbered giclée on watercolor paper.

Giclée printing was developed to run proofs for lithograph prints. It was soon realized that the resolution of giclées is far beyond that of lithography - or any other form of printing.

The word giclée (zhee-clay) is derived from the French word "gicler" to spray. Giclée is a process of sprayed ink. Giclée prints are more valuable because the colors are more vivid; each print is as vibrant as the original, and they are produced one at a time.

Giclées are superior to lithographs because giclées use 12 different colors of the highest archival quality inks. The colors last longer, and are more vivid. Lithography only uses four colors: magenta, cyan, yellow, and black. Lithographs also use tiny dots, and trick the eye into seeing continuous tones. The resolution of gliclée prints is far greater because when the ink is sprayed onto paper or canvass, the colors blend together creating continuous tones.

Another reason why giclée prints are more valuable is that they are produced one at a time, and they can be reproduced in different sizes. Giclée editions rarely exceed 100 reproductions while lithographs are produced all at once in editions of up to 1,000.