Why make Giclee prints?
Proteus Workshop Giclee prints
Giclee services, pricing and turnaround

Why make Giclee prints?
Artists may choose to "edition" their work. Editioning means creating several high quality copies of the original, then offering the copies to collectors in a numbered series. Several factors can drive the decision to edition an otherwise singular original work:

1. Economics: Editioning a popular original multiplies the economic value derived from the artists’ efforts. An original monotype may sell for $1000. An edition of 25 well-executed Giclee prints may sell for $400 apiece, returning an additional $10,000 in gross sales to the artist.
   
2. Archival Considerations: Executed properly using the latest inksets and media substrates, Giclee prints may have archival characteristics well in excess of the original artwork.
3. Portfolio Expansion: : Artists may have difficulty maintaining a portfolio of the best work. The best pieces usually sell first. Making Giclee prints of ones best work prior to sale allows the artist to build a portfolio that is truly representative of their career.
4. Marketing Considerations: Before purchase, many collectors wish to see a piece in the intended display environment. Galleries or art directors may hold an artists work for extended periods, thus making those pieces unavailable to other potential buyers. Artists with several Giclee prints of an original have extended marketing reach, showing the same work simultaneously to several potential buyers. It is possible several Giclee prints can be sold before the original is purchased.
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PROTEUS WORKSHOP GICLEE PRINTS

Proteus Workshop uses professional grade 6-color inkjet printers, pigmented inksets and archival media to produce fine quality Giclee prints. One should not confuse inexpensive home printers, or even mid-grade "proofing printers" with the high-end equipment required to produce professional caliber Giclee prints. The six color pigmented inkset and 100% rag paper combination used by Proteus Workshop is projected by Wilhelm Imaging Research to have archival qualities for ~ 200 years. This degree of permanence is well in excess of the archival characteristics of most original artworks executed in pastel, watercolor, monotype and virtually all photographic processes, especially when works are displayed under high UV lighting conditions (including quartz-halogen, tungsten and especially sunlight). We have made a six-figure investment in the latest equipment to produce superior Giclee prints.

A brief description of the process: A high-resolution copy of the original work is made using direct digital capture with Sinar view cameras and BetterLight digital scanning backs. Careful attention is paid to balanced lighting, accurate color reproduction, edge-to-edge sharpness and other factors critical to the production of an excellent likeness of the original artwork. A high-gamut, high-resolution digital file is created, on which corrections and enhancements are made prior to proofing. Upon customer approval of the proof, final prints are made to the customers desired dimensions. Proteus Workshop can complete the entire process from nothing more than your original artwork, from your professionally produced negative or positive film, or we can work from your own digital files in tiff format, scanned at 300dpi and sized at the desired final output dimensions.

Final output is usually made on media from the Hahnemuhle Collection of Digital Fine Art stock. These papers are archival quality watercolor papers, specially coated to keep inkjets pigments on the surface, thereby creating an image that is archivally stable, yet vibrant and true to the original. A variety of paper surfaces and weights are available. Many artists prefer William Turner moulde-made 100% rag, 190 g/m2 paper for a smooth, lightly textured surface or Albrecht Durer mould-made 210 g/m2 paper with a slightly textured canvas-like surface. These rag papers look and feel exactly like the fine-art watercolor papers found in professional art supply houses, and in fact they are, with the additional benefits of a surface coating engineered specifically to accept and hold inkjet pigments with maximum vibrancy. We can also output onto fine artists' canvas or other media.

Proteus Workshop can make Giclee prints of original artworks of nearly any size, and can reproduce those works on a 1:1 basis provided the shortest side of the image is no longer than 43 inches in length. Giclee prints may also be made in dimensions smaller than the original work.


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GICLEE SERVICES PRICING AND TURN AROUND

Image Capture, Proofing, and Final Print Pricing:
Original artwork photography /scanning and reasonable file correction / clean up are included. Two proofs on 8.5" X 11" Hahnemuhle media are created per customer order. One image is for approval, initialing and return to Proteus Workshop to be used as the basis for production of the final prints. The other proof is for the customers’ files. The proofing process is critical to ensure customer satisfactions with the final prints and two proofing iterations are included in the prices below.

Original Artwork Image area up to 24" X 36" = $250.00
Original artwork Image area above 24" X 36" = $300.00.

Final Giclee prints:
Prints on Hahnemuhle media sized 17" X 22" or smaller are $70.00 each
Prints on Hahnemuhle media up to 24" X 36" are $150.00 each
Printing onto canvas media is at a 25% premium to the above prices.
Artists may choose to make Giclee prints smaller than their originals and this can be the basis for several separate editions. We do not recommend making Giclee prints in dimensions larger than the original piece as the results are rarely satisfactory.

Discounts are available on a negotiated basis for print runs of five or greater when all prints are made and invoiced concurrently. Please contact Proteus Workshop for details.

Artwork Delivery
Artists in the Sonoma / Napa / Marin area may choose to deliver / pick-up the work themselves from Proteus Workshop. Artists outside these areas may use the transportation carrier of their choice. Careful packaging and insurance is always appropriate when moving artwork. We recommend the services of Federal Express and maintain a close working relationship with this carrier. Please contact Proteus Workshop to facilitate street address delivery instructions. Our facility is easily accessible, but remains confidential except to qualified customers.

Turn-around time
Initial proofs require approximately 7 business days once original artwork is received. Turn-around time for final prints once the proofing process is complete is approximately 5 business days. Rush jobs may be possible, subject to production time availability and additional costs.

Please contact Proteus Workshop directly for any questions you may have which are not answered here.

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