What is a Giclée printing
What is Giclée Printing and Why it Matters for Your Photographic and Artistic Prints?
When it comes to preserving the finest details and rich colors of your photographs or artworks, not all printing methods are created equal. At PhotoInPrint.ca, we specialize exclusively in Giclée printing, a method that has become the gold standard in the world of fine art and professional photography reproduction.
What does the term Giclée Printing means?
According to Wikipedia: “Giclée (/ʒiːˈkleɪ/ zhee-KLAY) describes digital prints intended as fine art and produced by inkjet printers.[1] The term is a neologism, ultimately derived from the French word gicleur, coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne. The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on a modified Iris printer in a process invented in the late 1980s. It has since been used widely to mean any fine-art printing, usually archival, printed by inkjet. It is often used by artists, galleries, and print shops for their high quality printing, but is also used generically for art printing of any quality”.
Unlike mass-market photo prints, Giclée prints offer:
- Exceptionally rich, accurate color reproduction
- Ultra-fine detail with resolutions up to 2400 DPI
- Longevity that lasts over 100 years without noticeable fading
- Wide media compatibility, including textured watercolor paper, smooth cotton rag, and professional-grade canvas
This makes Giclée printing ideal for everything from limited-edition art prints to heirloom-quality family portraits.
Why Giclée Over Standard Photo Printing?
While stores like Costco or Walmart may offer photo prints at a lower cost, the difference lies in what you’re paying for.
Standard photo prints typically use dye-based inks and resin-coated paper designed for mass production, that great for casual snapshots, but not for anything you want to preserve or proudly display.
In contrast, Giclée prints are archival-grade. They're designed for high quality, for artists, galleries, museums, and photographers who want their work to stand the test of time, both in appearance and in value. The colors stay vibrant, the details stay sharp, and the materials resist fading and deterioration for decades.
Where Quality Meets Affordability
While many professional print shops do offer Giclée printing, we’ve set ourselves apart in three key ways:
- Better Pricing for Premium Quality. Our prices are significantly lower than those of other Giclée providers, without compromising on quality. We’re able to offer this because we operate entirely online, keeping our overhead much lower than that of traditional photo printing studios. By streamlining our production process, we deliver museum-quality prints at a more accessible price.
- Widest Selection of Fine Art Papers and Canvas. We offer a broader selection of fine art papers than most of our competitors. As specialists in paper-based printing, we focus on delivering the highest quality results on a wide range of premium papers. Whether you're looking for texture, tone, or finish, you'll find the perfect surface to match your image and artistic style.
- Professional-Grade Control - All Online. With PhotoInPrint.ca, you get the kind of control typically reserved for in-studio sessions, right from your screen. Our advanced online interface allows photographers and artists to fine-tune their prints with precision: set custom margins, define exact printing areas, preview results with online soft proofing, and access ICC profiles for accurate color management. These tools ensure that even without visiting a physical studio, you can achieve gallery-quality Giclée prints with complete confidence.
When Should You Choose Giclée?
Giclée printing is ideal for:
- Professional photography and fine art reproduction
- Limited edition art sales
- Museum and archival projects
- Family portraits and legacy prints
- Decor pieces where quality truly matters
If you’re looking for a print that’s more than just a picture - something that preserves the feeling, the depth, and the story of your image - Giclée is the way to go.
Experience the Best in Giclée Printing - Only at PhotoInPrint.ca
Whether you’re an artist, photographer, collector, or someone who simply wants to do justice to a cherished image, our Giclée printing services deliver gallery-level quality without the gallery-level prices.
Explore our paper choices, upload your files, and let us bring your vision to life — beautifully and enduringly.
