What is a giclée print?

A giclee print is a reproduction of a piece of artwork, such as a painting or drawing, that is made using an inkjet printer. Originally the term referred to prints made using Iris printers but has come to include any inkjet printer. The process was invented in the late 1980s.

The term "giclee print" was coined in 1991 by Jack Duganne, a printmaker in Los Angeles, Calif. It is taken from the French word "gicleur," which translates to "nozzle." Duganne called the new printing process "giclee" because he wanted a name that was not associated with the negative connotations of "computer generated" and "inkjet."