Giclée Prints
Giclée (pronounced zhee-KLAY) derives from the French term for "squirting" liquids. In the art world, giclée refers to a category of fine art prints produced by "squirting" microscopic droplets of ink (in contrast to the use of an ink-coated plate or screen as for lithographs or serigraphs). While all giclée prints are digitally produced, not every digital print is a giclée. A true giclée must be printed on a special high-resolution printer using archival quality inks and media.


Inks and Media
Epson UltraChrome pigmented inks used on all of our paper prints offer exceptional archival properties. They are highly water resistant, have a wide color gamut and a Print Permanence Rating in the 100-150 year range--without noticeable fading or color balance changes--if displayed properly. (Detailed information on the colorfastness properties of various inks and papers is available from Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc.)

Hahnemüehle German Etching is the paper we use. It is a heavy-weight (310 gsm),mould made, acid-free, lignin-free, lightly cream-colored paper with a subtle texture and excellent color characteristics. Please contact us if you would like a sample of the paper before ordering your prints.


Signed and Dated (but not numbered)
To assure the highest quality, each print is carefully examined first by the master print-maker and again by the head of production. Finally, it is presented to the artist for its ultimate examination. When the artist is satisfied with the print, she signs it and records the date of her signature on the print itself. However, we do not number the prints. Here's why:

The numbering of prints is a practice that became popular during the twentieth century because of the nature of reproduction processes commonly used at that time. Typically, a single plate or screen was used over and over to print an edition of several hundred copies. This repeated use caused wear and resulted in a slight deterioration of quality. Consequently, the prints from early in the run were more highly prized than the later ones, and usually the plate was destroyed at the end of the run--hence, the "limited edition".

With giclée prints, there is no plate or screen. Since the prints are produced digitally, they are identical in quality--each one as perfect as the first. The only reason to number giclée prints, or to have a limited edition of giclée prints, would be to create an artificial shortage, and an artificial price inflation. Indeed, one of the unique advantages of giclée is that prints can be custom-produced by the artist for each buyer and are not just part of an anonymous edition. You might say that each is an edition of one.

At Polland Prints we believe that the quality of our work speaks for itself, and that dating provides more pertinent information than an artificial numbering system.

(We realize that this is an uncommon point of view, and we welcome your feedback on the subject. We greatly value the honesty of our relationship with you.)