Giclée, screen print or linocut? For those unfamiliar with printmaking, the terms used for various printing techniques can be quite confusing. I wanted to take a moment to explain all the different methods I use, and what you can expect from each print.
Wood and linocut
This is by far the oldest printmaking technique of the bunch. Dating back centuries, this method involves carving an image into the surface of a block of wood, inking this surface with a roller, then pressing the woodblock and paper together, like a stamp. Only the parts that aren't carved away will print (black). It’s a process of creating an image in reverse. You're not making lines and shadows, but working around them, carving out the light. Linoleum offers an easier surface to work with than wood, and most of my work is created using linocut. I was introduced to this technique when I studied at Minerva Art Academy. I immediately fell in love with the slow process and high contrast prints. Even if I utilize a different printing method for the final product, all my work originates as a wood or linocut print.
Screen print
Screen printing involves transferring an image onto a mesh screen using a photosensitive emulsion, this screen then serves as a stencil for printing the design onto paper. Each color is printed separately, using a separate screen. The more colors a design has, the more time-consuming the process will be. Screen printing gives you complete control over choosing your colors, from vivid fluorescents to shiny metallics.
Almost all of my screen prints are printed for Vera Groningen. While nearly all music venues have shifted to digital printing for their promotional posters, Vera has held on to their screen printing tradition. A group of local designers (the Vera Artdivision) create a unique poster for every Vera show and screen print these in Vera’s attic. Of each poster I design and print for Vera I get to keep a handful of prints, which I sell here.
Digital
In contrast to the previous manual techniques, digital printing offers the quickest and most cost-effective method of printing. Like any home printer it utilizes cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) toner to reproduce a digital design. Though lacking the romanticism of the traditional methods, digital printing is ideal for producing postcards and affordable posters.
Giclée
Giclée is the most modern printing method. It marries the deep blacks of linocut prints and the vivid colors of screen printing, with the precision of digital printing. Every giclée print is a digital print, but not every digital print is a giclée print. Giclée prints are printed by special printers that use 8 to 12 pigment based inks and print in a higher resolution than ordinary printers, on high quality paper. This results in a high quality print with vivid colors and high contrasts, that will not fade for at least a century.