There seems to be a general sense of confusion around photography when its for sale. People don’t know what it is they are getting. Is it a digital image? How is it printed? Are millions of them made? What’s does that word giclée mean that people use?
Let’s try to clear up a little of the confusion for you.
Giclée is a word that was used in the 90’s to refer to high quality ink-jet prints. With the rise of digital photography, basically all fine art photos would be called giclées by that definition and therefore the term is more now more commonly used when talking about ink jet reproductions of paintings or other types of 2-D media (drawings, pastels, watercolors, etc that have been photographed or scanned and then printed).
With the exception of a few images from our archives that we sell sporadically (silver prints, chromolithographs, etc), all photos sold at Blink Gallery are prints made from digital photo files. They are signed by the photographer, and numbered if they are part of a limited edition (all images 8×10 and larger are limited edition). The images are printed, matted, and framed at photographer Alexander Nesbitt’s studio in Newport, RI. Its a small business producing high-quality images prepared at the highest standard.
You may have also seen large photos printed on canvas, and wondered how that works. Its simple – the same large format printer that prints on paper also prints on canvas (or metal, or other materials)! Canvas prints are then coated with a thin layer of laquer to make them water and fade resistant. They are still limited edition fine art prints, just prepared in a slightly different way. Our canvas prints are also made at Nesbitt’s studio, each one stretched by hand.
For more general information about what sizes of prints we make and sell please visit the INFO: Photo blocks, framing, and print sizes page.
Anything else you want explained? Leave a comment and let us know!