Our large format printing tools

Giclée printing (or giclée print), also known as inkjet printing, refers to a high-end art reproduction technique using large-format, very high-definition inkjet printers.
This process makes it possible to produce art prints of exceptional quality on a variety of media: artist's canvas, fine art paper, or even textured papers designed for photography and painting.

The word giclée, of French origin, was adopted in the early 1990s by English-speaking professionals before returning to French usage with the popularisation of this technique.

The term was first used in 1991 by Jack Duganne, an American artist working for Nash Editions. Seeking to name the printing process that sprays ink in the form of microdroplets, he chose the French word giclée, which was perfectly suited to this innovative technology. At the time, prints were made on Iris printers, used in the fields of photoengraving and professional graphic design. The initial inks lacked stability, but technological advances have now made it possible to produce prints of remarkable durability.

Giclée, or inkjet printing, has become the benchmark for faithful reproduction of original works. It appeals to painters, photographers and illustrators for several reasons:

• Exceptional colour rendering and respect for the nuances of the original
• Possibility of creating customised formats (enlargements or reductions)
• Professional finish with mounting on a frame and varnishing
• Longevity and resistance to UV rays and humidity thanks to pigment inks

Each print can be numbered and signed, in the manner of traditional lithographs.

• High-definition photography of the original work in a professional studio (up to 50 million pixels in medium format).
• Retouching and colour calibration by a graphic designer to obtain a file suitable for the chosen medium.
• High-resolution printing (up to 1440 dpi) on large-format Epson or HP printers.
• Quality control, mounting and manual varnishing for a finish identical to an authentic work of art.

Giclée or inkjet art printing combines digital precision with artistic sensitivity. Today, it is a prestigious alternative to traditional processes, offering artists the opportunity to distribute their work while preserving its authenticity.

At Quadrilaser, we offer two inkjet printing technologies:

• Micro-pigment printing based on Epson technology
• Latex printing based on HP technology.

Micropigment printing is an inkjet printing technology that uses micropigment-based inks rather than dyes. These micropigments—extremely fine coloured particles suspended in a carrier liquid—are sprayed onto the medium (paper, canvas, film, etc.) using piezoelectric print heads, such as those developed by Epson.

• Operating principles:
  • Microdroplets of pigment ink are ejected through high-precision nozzles.
  • The pigment microparticles settle on the surface of the medium without penetrating deeply into the fibres, offering:
    • high colour stability,
    • high resistance to light, water and ageing,
    • superior colour fidelity and richness for the reproduction of works of art, photographs or professional documents.
• Applications
  • High-end photo and fine art printing (giclée).
  • Colour proofing in printing.
  • Reproduction of works of art and museum archiving.
  • Professional printing on a variety of media (matte paper, glossy paper, canvas, vinyl, etc.).
• Main advantages
  • Durability and resistance to fading.
  • Precision of detail thanks to piezoelectric heads.
  • Wide colour gamut with multi-ink systems (up to 12 colours).
  • Respect for the substrate (no infiltration or deformation of fibres).

In the Quadrilaser workshop, we use three Epson machines offering exceptional print quality up to 64" format.

The new SureColor SC-P20000 printer sets a new standard for quality and precision in photographic printing. At the forefront of innovation, variable dot size technology enables precise print droplets and more accurate placement of perfectly round dots on media.

The high performance of the SC-P20000 printer is inherent in the quality of the 10 Epson UltraChrome Pro inks. It offers an impressive range of black and white shades. With three levels of grey and two black inks, Photo Black and Matte Black of high Dmax, they offer the deepest blacks, reduced glare for accurate colour and resistance to colour fading for up to 60 years on Premium Glossy Photo Paper.

Photographers and artists can now get stunning prints of their work at any time, whether it's fine art or photographic art.

Create professional prints and proofs of the highest quality with these versatile 44-inch photo and proofing printers. Highly accurate (98% Pantone-certified colour reproduction for the P 9000 and 93% for the P 8000) and equipped with 10- and 8-colour ink sets and an Epson TFP PrecisionCore printhead respectively, the SC-P9000 and SC-P8000 printers ensure accurate and long-lasting results. This state-of-the-art technology is combined with outstanding ergonomics.

Latex inkjet printing is a digital printing technology developed by HP based on the use of water-based inks containing latex polymers.

These inks are thermally sprayed onto the substrate using thermal inkjet print heads, then fixed by heating, forming a flexible, resistant and durable film on the surface.

• Operating principles
  • Latex ink droplets, composed of water, coloured pigments and latex particles, are heated and then ejected by heating elements integrated into the print heads.
  • After being deposited on the substrate, a drying and thermal polymerisation system (generally between 60°C and 110°C) evaporates the water and fuses the latex
  • particles, creating a flexible polymer film that encapsulates the pigments on the surface of the media.
  • This process ensures high adhesion to many substrates, while maintaining the flexibility and mechanical strength of the printed image.
• Applications
  • Indoor and outdoor signage (tarpaulins, posters, panels).
  • Decoration (textiles, wallpaper, vinyl, adhesive films).
  • Large format printing on flexible or rigid substrates.
  • Visual communication and POS advertising requiring durability and environmental friendliness.
• Main advantages
  • Solvent-free inks: aqueous formulation.
  • High resistance to UV, water and scratches.
  • Instant drying allowing immediate processing or cutting.
  • Extensive compatibility with a wide variety of substrates (coatings, synthetics, textiles, papers).
  • Environmental sustainability: inks certified for eco-friendly and safe indoor applications.

The compact HP Latex all-in-one printer for rigid and flexible substrates.

• Print width: 64 inches (162 cm),
• HP Latex 9-colour ink: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, White, Overcoat, Optimiser,
• The whitest white on the market,
• 10 print heads
• Rigid and flexible printing
• Maximum thickness of rigid media: 50.8 mm
• Possible media types:
  • Rigid media:
    • foam board, plastic foam board, PVC, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, polycarbonate, polystyrene, compressed cardboard, corrugated cardboard, honeycomb cardboard, aluminium composite panel, wood, glass, ceramic, etc.
  • Roll media:
    • PVC banner, self-adhesive vinyl, coated paper, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyester, textile (non-porous), canvas, leather, etc.
  • Sheet media:
    • Creative paper, offset paper, lithographic paper, dyed paper, textured paper, etc.
• A multitude of possible applications:
  • Signage: indoor, outdoor, flat, backlit, thermoformed;
  • Decoration: wall coverings, window displays;
  • Vehicle decoration: fleet graphics, wraps, decals;
  • Textiles: flexible signage, front-lit, backlit;
  • POS and packaging: corrugated cardboard displays, customised packaging in small runs, prototyping.