Giclée Definition

Giclée (pronounced "zhee-clay", from French) is a term used for the process of making fine art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing.

The name has come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used by galleries and print shops to denote high quality prints.

The word "giclée" is derived from the French language word "le gicleur" meaning "nozzle", or more specifically "gicler" meaning "to squirt, spurt, or spray". It was coined in 1991 by Jack Duganne, a printmaker working in the field, to represent any inkjet-based digital print used as fine art.

See Printing for more information.

Page Last Updated: February 16, 2012