How do giclées compare to other forms of printing?
Giclée printing differs from lithography in the mechanical aspects of the printing process itself, but the end results are basically the same — ink on paper. Both processes allow for artists to reproduce their works in print form, no matter what original medium was used. The greatest difference between the two printing processes can be the economics of each. Due to the time-consuming and costly setup of a lithographic press, many prints must be made at the same time to offset the front-end costs. Although giclée prints cost more to print per piece, there is virtually no set up. Printing 100 prints or 1,000 prints is no more economical than printing one print. Both printing processes run the same gamut, as far as archival quality is concerned. Most dye-based inks only last a few years before noticeable fading occurs — even when printed on archival paper. (Pigmented inks, like the ones we use for our giclée prints, may last more than 100 years before noticeable fading occurs — even wh
