Much debate is going on regarding using the term giclee for prints that are essentially inkjet outputs. Essentially a giclee is an inkjet print; the opposite is not always true; an inkjet print cannot be called a giclee if the printer, inks, paper and the printmaker's skills do not meet certain standards. Although there is no industry wide certification regarding which standards make a printmaker a giclee printmaker, it is a good idea to follow certain guidelines when selecting a company.

As we mentioned, not all inkjet prints are giclees; these days we see online and local outfits loosely throwing around the term just because they have inkjet printers and papers. Recent visits to art shows paint even a bleaker picture; many mom and pop operations selling they home made prints, produced with very little skill, on photo paper and $90 desktop printers.

Regarding the companies offering "giclee" prints, a telltale sign of true specialization is the offering of services totally unrelated to the field. Printers who offer sign making, business cards, letterheads, blueprints etc. are not true candidates as dedicated fine art printmakers. Very often, these businesses have printing equipment capable of imaging but lack the finesse, skill and experience to be capable of true giclee production. To add insult to injury, there is a growing crop of online retailers who have US based offices but farm all the printing to China. By booking space on cargos that fly daily to the US, Chinese contractors are capable of printing and shipping in less than three days. There is no need to go any further with commenting on the quality of many Chinese made goods; recent examples of the many recalls of defective or tainted products speak for themselves. Does this mean that a print made in China is necessarily bad? No, but we know what products are being used to make these prints and they are not nearly in the same tier as European, US or Japanese materials.

Next: Choosing the right giclee printmakers