Frequently Asked Questions
Gicleé FAQ
Giclée (pronounced Zhee-Clay, or jee-clay) is derived from the French word “gicler” which basically means “to spray,” and has become popular to describe digital fine art printing. The process allows us to print on a wide variety of substrates including cotton watercolor paper, canvas, photographic papers, etc. The term can be used interchangeably with “Inkjet Prints,” “Archival Pigment Prints,” and “Pigmented Inkjet Print.”
At Tribeca Printworks we’ve been doing this a long time and don’t get too hung up on the name, we spend a lot more time focusing on creating beautiful art. Whatever you choose to call it, we hand craft and meticulously inspect each fine art print we make using Epson 11880 printers with Ultrachrome K3 pigment based inks, on a variety of archival media all rated for longevity at 70-100+ years.
Not really. The downside of using “giclee” as a catch-all phrase is that it is so broad. Prints sold as giclees can also be made on signage and billboard equipment using solvent or latex based inks, which while great for those purposes are not meant to last or capture the subtler details of fine art and photographic reproduction. It is important to understand exactly which type of printer and materials are being used to obtain the results you want. At Tribeca Printworks we use only the highest quality archival materials on industry standard best-in-class dedicated fine art printers.
We have a wide variety of papers and materials to print on in our Online Print Studio! There is a description of each one that you can hover over for further info but if you are unfamiliar with the differences you can also see more detailed descriptions on the Products page or please don’t hesitate to give us a call and we’ll talk you through it.
Experience, and collaboration. We maintain a state of the art print studio and work in a completely color calibrated and managed environment that ensures verifiable and repeatable results. But more important than any equipment we have is the knowledge and care we bring. We’re artists ourselves, we love working with creative people, and we maintain an extremely loyal client base who rely on us for our experience and input.
Absolutely! We’ve streamlined our Online Print Studio to make the process as intuitive and seamless as possible even if you’re brand new to giclee printing, but if there is anything you’re unsure about just give us a call and we’ll help find a solution.
Resolution and Print Size
This is probably our most commonly asked question. There is no direct answer as each image must be considered on a case by case basis and factors such as ISO settings, lighting conditions and focus can make big differences. We’ve set our minimum resolution for upload fairly low to leave more options available but rest assured that we look at each and every file and if we see a problem we’ll contact you before printing. For exhibitions and more critical analysis we recommend that you contact the custom studio and consider making an appointment.
Our Epson 11880 printers can print up to 64″ wide by virtually any length. Many fine art papers come in maximum 60″ widths.
Your image format must be .jpg, .tiff, .pdf, .png, or .gif. It should be in 8-bit RGB, preferably Adobe RGB (1998), or sRGB. *Note, while our system does accept pdf files, they are not recommended as the images can at times be cropped by the pdf settings, whenever possible you should save your image as a hi-res jpeg or tiff.
You can upload files up to 100mb in the Online Print Studio, it’s best to always upload the largest original version you have available. If you are exceeding the 100mb size limit re-save the file as a hi-resolution jpeg to get below the size limit (ie a compression level of 8 or higher, or “high quality,” etc, depending on the program you are using). There is no need to either downsize or up-rez the file from it’s original data, we can make that determination on our end. If you have larger files that you would prefer not to compress, you can contact our custom studio and we will arrange an alternative.
This is a topic that often brings a lot of confusion. The real data of a file is in the actual pixel dimensions (e.g. 3861×2864), which are the numbers used to calculate megapixel size. For example 3861×2864 = 11,057,904, which is considered 11 megapixels. DPI or PPI (dots or pixels per inch) are simply references to an output or display device such as a particular printer or monitor. Megabyte size (mb) is the amount of space a file takes on a storage device but is also misleading because a compressed file such as a jpeg or certain tiff files may be much larger when opened in an image editing program. For many years in the commercial world it was a “rule” that images had to be 300dpi, at actual size, for printing, but in practical reality this is outdated as there are many other factors that go into getting a good print.
Service and Support
Art Scanning
We are able to facilitate direct capture of art work up to 48″x72.″ Utilizing a Cruse™ scanner we get unsurpassed image detail and color information, even when scanning through glass. For direct digital capture of fine art this is simply as good as it gets.
Retouching
We are also recognized as one of the leaders in New York for retouching, restoration and image manipulation of fine art and photography.
Exhibition printing
We’ve printed countless exhibitions for artists and photographers in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Auckland, Warsaw and Buenos Aires, just to name a few. Whether you need a few small pieces for a group show or have an entire solo exhibition we know how important it is to you. Contact our custom studio for more information.
Hospitality
We’ve produced the room and lobby art for more hotels, residential and retail properties than we can count! For over 15 years Tribeca Printworks has been the go to printer for some of New York’s top art consultants and designers, servicing premier hotels and properties worldwide. Whenever possible we try to promote and feature our client’s work in this arena. Check out our Clients And Projects section above for more inforrmation.
Yes! Our Online Print Studio offers a selection of framing styles that we are constantly expanding, and we maintain a fully operational wood shop in downtown NYC to accommodate fast turnaround. Please see our Custom Frames page for further detail or feel free to contact us for more information.
We stand by every piece we produce. If for any reason the print isn’t perfect we’ll re-do it or refund your money.
No one beats our turnaround! For unframed prints we can usually get them out in one day and often in the same day. It takes just a little longer for framed or stretched prints but if you have a deadline just let us know and we’ll see if we can make it work!