The term "gicleé" connotes limited edition artwork printed directly onto specialty media such as ink-receptive canvas, fabrics, fine art rag or watercolor paper. The special printable media used in gicleé have distinctive textures and sheen, the preservation of which is essential to the integrity of the art. This is what separates the idea of gicleé - for which people will pay a significant premium - from a graphics print.
Unfortunately, one of the issues overlooked in the early stages of this print technology is the durability and longevity of the print. A number of environmental factors are arrayed against the long term viability of a gicleé print. Ultraviolet light is the best known cause of color fading, but color integrity is degraded by ozone and pollution as well. Moisture, both direct and in the form of humidity, also compromises the printed image. Finally, the print may simply be damaged by mechanical abrasion, fingernails or fingerprints.
Because they have paid more, gicleé customers often make the assumption that an expensive piece of artwork is somehow guaranteed to be "archival". This is not necessarily the case, at least in part because many producers of gicleé themselves are not fully aware of the challenges involved in protecting artwork. In the first few years of gicleé printing, options for protection consisted of applied liquid coatings, brushed on or spayed on with an aerosol can. However, there is a host of problems: uneven coatings, incompatibility of aqueous coatings with ink, health concerns about solvent sprays and the tendency for many clear coatings to crack when stretched over stretcher bars.
For a growing number of successful gicleé producers, the solution of choice is Drytac ArtShieldTM, a 2 mil conformable protective clear film applied over the canvas image using a heated vacuum or drymount press. Always applied in a uniform thickness, ArtShield creates a virtually invisible moisture barrier that enhances underlying texture and gloss levels (depending on the finish type). In addition to providing significant UV protection, ArtShield also defends against damage from moisture and scratches.
Perhaps more surprisingly, ArtShield has been shown to be highly effective at preventing cracking in gicleé prints on canvas. Large format inkjet canvas materials tend to crack when handled or stretched incorrectly. The crack appears as a white blemish, and severely compromises the value of the print. Printed canvas protected with ArtShield, however, are extremely resistant to cracking, even when folded aggressively.
ArtShield adds from $.35 to .40 per square foot to the cost of a print while protecting against moisture damage, UV degradation, pollution, scratching and cracking while enhancing texture and color. Considering the value of the print and customer good will, this is as close to a no-brainer as it gets.
One of the world's most respected manufacturers of dry mount tissue and overlaminating films, Drytac has been developing new products for the framing and graphics markets for three decades.
