Giclée printing, from the scan to the frame.
Best Framing makes archival giclée prints in Costa Mesa, Orange County, on canvas, cold-press watercolor paper and matte or luster cotton papers. The scan, the color, the print and the frame are all handled on one floor on Placentia Avenue.
What does giclée mean at Best Framing?
Here a giclée is an archival fine-art print from our Epson SureColor P20000, a 64-inch printer with a large color gamut, on canvas, cold-press watercolor paper, or our matte or luster acid-free cotton papers. All of our giclées use archival pigment inks on carefully selected papers and canvas.
Where the word comes from, and how a giclée differs from a lithograph or a poster, is in our guide to giclée prints.
- Cotton papers
- Matte or luster, acid-free and cotton-based.
- Watercolor paper
- Cold-press paper, a textured fine-art sheet.
- Canvas
- Printed here, then stretched in house about thirty steps from the printer.
- Lifespan
- All of our giclées use archival pigment inks on carefully selected papers and canvas.
- Width
- Up to 64 inches on the giclée printer.
How do we get the color right?
Every file is prepared, proofed and color-matched at our RIP station before anything is printed. File preparation and prepress assistance, color management and color matching run through every print in the lab.
Proof prints are weighted flat in the shop before the edition is printed. The color is managed on the same floor the frame is built on, which gives us direct control over quality and finishing.
When I went to pick it up, I was really surprised with the quality, considering in the past I was not too happy with other artworks. It received a lot of compliments.
Can you print giclées from an original painting?
Yes. We scan the original on our large-format flatbed at up to 600 dpi, and our digital artists check the file against it. The piece is reproduced here, and it never has to be mailed to an outside lab.
On the flatbed
With flatbed scanning we can achieve up to 600 dpi. Art and photographs go on the glass and come back as a high-resolution file.
With our digital artists
Every scan is checked on screen, so the color and the composition are true to the original before anything is printed.
Then back on the wall
The file is prepared and color-matched here before anything is printed, and the original goes back on the wall or into its frame untouched.
How large can a giclée print be?
Up to 64 inches wide on our giclée printer, on canvas or paper. For rigid pieces, the UV flatbed prints straight onto wood, acrylic or aluminum, up to 60 by 96 inches.
- Giclée printer
- Up to 64 inches wide, on canvas, cold-press watercolor paper and matte or luster cotton papers.
- UV flatbed
- Up to 60 by 96 inches, printing straight onto wood, acrylic or aluminum.
- Solvent printer
- Up to 64 inches on rolls of paper, vinyl, translucent and back-lit material and wallpaper.
- Editions
- Archival fine-art editions, limited editions included. Proof prints are weighted flat in the shop before the edition is printed.
Can you stretch or frame the print as well?
Yes. We stretch canvas giclées in house, or frame them in the fitting shop a few steps away. The print never has to leave the building.
Framed
Chopped and joined by hand a few steps from the print lab. Acid-free mats, and museum-quality or UV-protective glazing chosen with you for the piece.
Packed and shipped
Wrapped and boxed in-house, and shipped straight to your customer.
Stretched, then hung or framed
Canvas giclées are stretched in house. A stretched canvas can hang as it is, or go into a frame like these walnut mouldings.
Just starting to reproduce your work?
Sit down with us first. If you are just starting to reproduce your artwork and are looking for some guidance, we are happy to meet with you to provide some options and recommendations for ways to develop your artwork into a business.
Bring the original, or bring the file
We look at the papers, the canvas and the sizes together with you at the counter. Walk in Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm or Saturday 9am to 1pm, no appointment required.
Quoted in person
Prints are quoted in person and per piece. Exhibition and rush work is quoted at the counter too, so call first if the date is tight.
Selling prints?
A Pro Account keeps your business details on file, so each edition can be printed, stretched or framed.
The questions people ask at the counter, answered.
From what can be framed and choosing the right glass to mounting jerseys, printing artwork and protecting the pieces that matter, we answer the questions our customers ask us every day.
Scanning an original you would rather not put in the mailLarge-format scanning up to 600 dpi, checked by our digital artists: a one-of-a-kind original reproduced in Costa Mesa without leaving the building.Read Article
Canvas, printed and stretched in the same buildingHow a canvas print is made and framed in one building: archival giclée, stretched in house, then hung as it is or set in a float frame. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Museum glass vs regular glass, and what the glass over your art is doingMuseum-quality and UV-protective glazing vs regular glass: what each does for your art, plus acid-free mats and conservation framing. From Costa Mesa.Read Article- Print On DemandIn 2020 Best Framing opened its Print on Demand gallery in Costa Mesa: curated work by local artists, printed at just the right size for your wall.Read Article
Giclée printing, asked at the counter.
What is a giclée print?
A giclée is a fine-art inkjet print. Ours come off our 64-inch Epson SureColor P20000 onto canvas, cold-press watercolor paper, or matte or luster acid-free cotton papers, and all of our giclées use archival pigment inks on carefully selected papers and canvas.
How long do giclée prints last?
Print longevity depends on the ink and media combination, display conditions and care. Ours are printed with archival pigment inks on carefully selected papers and canvas, and because daylight fades pigment, when we frame one we talk through UV-protective and museum-quality glazing with you.
How much does a giclée print cost?
We quote prints in person and per piece, because the price depends on the size, the paper or canvas, and whether the print is stretched, matted or framed. Bring the original or the file to the counter in Costa Mesa and we will quote it there.
Can you match the colors of my original?
Yes. Every file is prepared, proofed and color-matched at our RIP station before anything is printed, and proof prints are weighted flat in the shop before the edition is printed.
Can I bring a file instead of the original?
Yes. Bring the file or the original, and we will look at the papers, the canvas and the sizes with you at the counter. Everything we print is color-managed here from your file.
Do you put glass over a giclée?
A paper giclée is usually framed behind glazing, and we offer museum-quality and UV-protective glazing, chosen with you for the piece. A canvas giclée is stretched in house and can hang as it is or go into a float frame.
Still wondering? Come in and ask. No appointment required.
Print and frame what you love. Visit the showroom.
No appointment required.
- Call
- (949) 791-8780
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat 9am-1pm
Bring us the thing you love.
Walk in with it and talk it through with a designer. No appointment required, though you are welcome to book one.
1671 Placentia AvenueCosta Mesa, CA 92627
- Call(949) 791-8780
- HoursMon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-1pm · Sun closed
- Talk to a designer nowStart a Video CallSomeone is on the floor Mon-Fri 10am-5pm and Sat 9am-1pm, Costa Mesa time
- Book an appointmentPick a time with a designerAppointments are optional. Walk-ins are welcome.