U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: 3 questions (one of them dumb)

Re: 3 questions (one of them dumb)



On Tue, 18 Nov 2008, Richard Knoppow wrote:

A print using a material operating on a similar principle is a chromogenic print while dye transfer, three color carbon or carbro, three color gum or oil, are not chromogenic. I think this term is like "silver-gelatin" perhaps meant to clarify the exact process used to make a print but possibly confusing to naive buyers. Not quite as bad as Giclee, which is IMO a deliberate attempt at confusion. BTW, since Giclee really means an inkjet print its probably incorrect to use it for laser prints or color Xerox.
It's my understanding that the term "Giclee" (however it's spelled) is a derivation from French slang for an ejaculation, referring to the "jet" of the early printers. Whether it was meant to be "rude" or poetic, or abstract and evocative, simply euphemistic, or all of the above, it did begin as a term for inkjet, but... many expressions broaden. In fact grammar does too... Common usage changes meanings all the time (as is probably clear by derivations on every page of the dictionary).

However, "glicee" was (also if not primarily) used to obscure the fact that the work was a regular inkjet print, in the way that English speakers -- or anyway Americans -- often use a French word to, um, put on the chien.

But that's not my other message either -- just one more & I'm outta here....

J.