What is a Giclée print?

Giclée comes from the French word meaning literally 'to squirt' referring to the process in which the ink is laid down on the paper. The print heads on an inkjet printer spray out a pattern of very small dots that make up the final image. Giclée is the name commonly given to an inkjet limited edition reproduction of an artwork, photograph or digitally created work. It will be printed on archival grade artist's quality coated paper, with pigment (UV stable) inks.

The colours I see on my screen not always match my printer

The type of ink, printer setting and base colour of the paper will all effect the results of the final print. When looking on a screen you are also seeing a backlit colour. The only accurate way to avoid this is to work with colour profiles created specifically for your monitor and printer. Although with a little patience and proofing, similar results can be achieved, even on a desktop printer.

How do I ensure copyright of work

With the increased quality of camera and scanning technology now available, artist copyright and authenticity of a print are becoming an ever-important issue. Therefore when you are creating a limited edition print run it is advisable to hand sign and date the edition. Also by using a Hologram system you will have added security. This is a set of 2 holograms per print in the edition, one for the back of the print and the other for the certificate of authenticity. Each pair of holograms will have the same alphanumeric.

Which is the best file format to use when saving my work?

When working with files that have been scanned the most commonly used format will be a TIFF file. A tiff won't compress the file as much as a JPEG but it will take up more storage space. JPEG's are more compressed files and are generally used to e-mail images or to keep digital camera files, and can be used for the web along with gif format. PDF is portable document format which can be used for text and images files, but is a universal format. EPS, PSD etc are formats that refer to the application program they were created in. Therefore, TIFF for print, JPEG's and GIF’s for email and web.

Why use an ICC profile?

An ICC profile will ensure you get the most accurate colour match on our paper in a large production environment. This is because its job is to tell the printer being used the correct colours to put down for that particular colour or texture of paper. Remember that as each paper is slightly different in base colour, you will need a separate profile for each paper you use.

Where can I get ICC Profiles for OPUS printers

Most Pofiles are downloadable from this site. For our list click here

Some printers are not covered. If so, then we would suggest the following sites:

Innova Art Ltd - http://www.innovaart.com/profiles.php

Arca: http://www.arca-nl.nl - sorry it's in Dutch - but there is a comprehensive list by selecting the printer and then Innova.

Booksmart (US) : http://www.booksmartstudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=72&zenid=1d9h8095cjm3i073joadd9gi73

See also Links

What are the OEM papers which correspond to OPUS

Epson, Hewlett Packard etc each has a range of advanced papers. There are no direct equivalents, but here are the products that the OEM's sellEpson
Adanced matte
Premium luster
Velvet fine artHewlett Packard
Aquarella
Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art Paper
Watercolor

How to Design your Opus Album - by Eric Kunsman

A short introduction to laying out album pages by Eric Kuhnsmann, professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology - and President of Booksmart Studio, Rochester NY - No charge downloadable pdf