MOSES LAKE - Not enough people are aware of the benefits of giclŽe printing, according to J. and Elizabeth Keele.

The Keeles offer wide-format giclee printing services through their portrait studio, J Keele Photography in Moses Lake. On Oct. 15, they're opening up their studio to artists and anyone else interested in giclŽe printing, to see their wide-format Epson printer in action.

Epson representatives John and Kathy Harrington will attend to speak about giclŽe printing.

The term "giclŽe printing" refers to the reproduction of digital artwork made from ink-jet printers. The word giclee is derived from the French word "gicler" which means "to squirt, spurt or spray." While ink-jet printing used to have negative connotations in the art world, giclee printing has become a viable options for artists and photographers to reproduce prints of their artwork.

"It's not just like your desktop printer anymore," said J.

One difference is the use of archival ink in their printer, which is guaranteed to last for 100 years, although because the technology is relatively new, none of the prints are old enough to test that estimate's accuracy. Giclee printing also uses archival, pH-balanced paper, which helps keep reproductions colorfast.

J. Keele's Epson printer can print in much larger dimensions than a desktop printer. Their current printer allows for prints up to 24 inches wide by 72 inches long, said J. Eventually, they'd like to purchase an even larger printer that would allow them to print up to 48 inches wide, he said.

Grand Coulee artist Keith Powell switched to giclee printing from offset lithographic printing to produce prints of his artwork, he said.

While offset lithographic printing is cheaper, it requires bulk reproduction with runs of 500 copies or more, he said.

"I still have reams from past runs that I'm still sitting on," he said. "They still have some value to them, but they're just sitting there."

By contrast, giclee printing allows artists to reproduce one print of their work at a time if they choose, which is a more viable option for artists that can't afford large-scale runs of their artwork, he said.

The event is Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at J Keele Photography, 301 E. Broadway Ave., in Moses Lake.

For more information, call J Keele Photography at 509-765-5161.