The term "Giclée" was coined in 1991 by the pioneers of fine art inkjet printing. It is based on the French verb gicler, which means "to squirt or spray", referencing the fact that the technology worked by spraying drops of ink. The intention was to create a term of distinction that would describe a fine art print produced by a professional inkjet printer. The term is still widely used to describe any high quality, digitally produced, fine art print. But many people now feel that the term is too broad and generic. We prefer the more specific term "Pigment Ink Print". To find out about what criteria must be met for a print to be described as a "Pigment Ink Print", see below. ​

As mentioned above, we prefer the term "Pigment Ink Print" to the term "Giclée", though in essence they both refer to the same thing. A "Pigment Ink Print" is a high quality print on fine art paper produced using a wide-colour-gamut inkjet printer fitted with pigment inks. For the print to further be described as 'archival', requires that both the ink and paper meet certain criteria for age--resistance and lightfastness. ​ For a clearer idea of where Pigment Ink Prints fit into the history of printing, see this article.... vam.ac.uk/articles/photographic-processes

Pigments are very small, fine particles of colour. Pigment ink consists of high quality colour pigments suspended in water. Once the ink is deposited on the media, the water evaporates leaving the colour pigment behind. Pigment ink is more expensive then other inks like dye or solvent, but has far superior lightfastness. And a good quality pigment ink is acid-free, unlike solvent inks which have a high acid content. Acid is one of the worst enemies of longevity. And for us, for an ink to be further described as 'archival' requires that it has been extensively tested under laboratory conditions by independent specialists. We don't just take the manufacturer's word for it. We are very conservative with the use of the word 'archival'. For example, our Premium Ink is a high quality pigment ink that the German manufacturers claim is 'archival', but we don't describe it that way because there is no independent verification of that. When we refer to an 'archival pigment ink' we are referring to high quality, water-based, acid-free pigment ink with independently proven lightfastness.

We love paper, it is at the heart of what we do. Paper permanence criteria include the resistance to yellowing and fading, and the paper's ability to retain its strength. Any paper that contains acid or other unstable elements like lignin will begin to degrade over time. For example, common newsprint has a high acid content and will turn yellow and become brittle very quickly. ​ A crucial part of creating an archival print is using a paper or media that is going to remain stable in the long-term. ​ When we refer to a paper as 'archival', we are referring to paper that has met international standards for quality, permanence and stability. for longevity

'Archival pigment ink print' is an accurate description. Or 'pigment ink print' is also good. Our preference is to reference the media, for example 'archival pigment ink on cotton rag' if you have used cotton paper. Some people like 'digital pigment print'. A subject of much discussion is the use of brand names within the description, for example, 'archival pigment ink on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag'. Our personal preference is not to use brand names, but there is a strong lobby that advocates for their use - the argument being that collectors want to have as much information as possible. We prefer the simplicity of no brand names, much like 'oil on canvas', ​

In the broadest terms, 'archival' means 'long-lasting'. Exactly how long lasting? Well that depends. With regards a pigment ink print, environment is a crucial factor. Sunlight and air pollution will have a major effect. A print stored in an climate controlled 'dark storage' should last centuries. The same print hung in a sunny spot near a busy road might begin to show sign of fading within a average human generation. What is certain is that a modern 'archival pigment ink print' is one of the most stable and light-fast print processes ever. An'archival pigment ink print' will generally outlast most other print technologies like screen or litho printing or even traditional darkroom prints.

In the context of a print studio, the goal of Colour Management is accurate, predictable and repeatable printed colour. To achieve this requires a combination of calibration of devices and the creation of custom paper profiles. Epson printers are well know for their stability and 'linearity', which is why they have been the first choice for fine art printing worldwide for decades. In addition, the Epson inks are manufactured to extremely tight tolerances, resulting in consistent batch-to-batch values, meaning that a print produced today can be easily replicated in years to come - vital for artists who work in editions. But even the best behaved devices can drift over time. And some devices like monitors can change fairly quickly. A 'closed-loop' system must be created, where every stage of the process is calibrated. See also 'Calibration' and 'Paper Profiles' ​

Calibration is the process of creating a known reference point for a device and then regularly checking that the device is still operating within the correct values, or returning the device to the reference point. Our Epson SureColor P10000 printer is calibrated on a monthly basis. To calibrate our monitors we use the 'X-Rite i1Pro2' spectrophometer from the global leaders in colour management hardware. See also 'Colour Managment' and 'Paper Profiles'

A paper profile is a set of instructions (code) that tells the printer exactly how ink should be applied to a certain paper. Most paper manufacturers supply generic profiles for use with their products. While acceptable results can be achieved using supplied profiles, creating a custom paper profile will result in much greater control and accuracy. We spend days creating and refining our profiles. The creation of custom paper profiles is absolutely crucial in allowing us to utilize the full contrast, hue and saturation range of every paper. We use large test charts (2000+ patches) which we read with our X-Rite i1Pro2. We run tests to optimize things like ink density and paper feed and head alignment for individual papers. Using generic profiles and default settings will get you close, we believe in spending the time to create settings which allow us to squeeze all the potential out of the paper and ink. See also 'Calibration' and 'Colour Managment'