With the advent of the Gicleé, the science of fine art printing
has become even more precise. Because no screens are used, the prints
have a higher apparent resolution than lithographs. The dynamic color
range is like that of serigraphy.
In the Gicleé process, a fine stream of ink - more than four
million droplets per second - is sprayed onto archival art paper. The
effect is similar to an air brush technique, but much finer. Each
sheet is carefully hand-mounted onto a drum that rotates during
printing. Exact calculations of hue, value, and density direct the ink
of four nozzles. This produces a combination of 512 chromatic changes
(with over three million colors possible) of highly saturated,
nontoxic, waterbased ink. The inks are constantly tested and upgraded,
utilizing the highest standards for industry testing, to assure
light-fastness. The artist's color approval and input are essential
for creating the final custom settings for the edition.
The Gicleé process is not quantity dependent (most limited
editions are published in editions of 400 or more to allow for
profitability over the "life" of the edition). With the Gicleé,
a smaller, more exclusive edition size is possible, enhancing the
collectability of each edition.
These new Gicleé prints by Randy Eckard are printed on an elegant
500-gram, 100% rag, Somerset fine art paper. The edition size for each
image is seventy-five signed, titled, and numbered prints.
Displaying a full color spectrum, Gicleé prints capture every
nuance of an original painting and have gained wide acceptance from
artists such as Jamie Wyeth, David Hockney, and Robert Raushenberg.
