If you are printing a painting, a photograph or a limited edition, you will quickly run into two terms: giclée and photographic print. Both can look superb, and printers don’t always use the words the same way. This guide explains what each really means, how they differ in look and longevity, and how to choose the right one for your work.

What is a giclée print?

“Giclée” comes from the French for a spray or squirt, a nod to how inkjet printers lay down tiny droplets of ink. In practice the word is used for high-quality inkjet prints made with pigment inks on archival fine art paper or canvas, from an accurately colour-managed file.

The pigment inks are what set a giclée apart from an everyday inkjet print. Pigments sit on the surface of the paper as tiny solid particles, and they are far more resistant to fading than the dye-based inks used in many office and home printers. Paired with acid-free cotton or alpha-cellulose papers, a giclée is designed to last for a very long time when it is displayed sensibly.

Giclée prints are the usual choice for reproducing paintings and drawings, and for art photography printed on textured or matt fine art papers.

What is a photographic print?

Traditionally, a photographic print means a C-type (chromogenic) print. Instead of ink, the image is exposed with light onto light-sensitive photographic paper, which is then developed in chemicals, just as prints from film always were. The result is continuous tone with no ink dots at all, and the classic look of a photograph from a lab, especially on gloss and lustre papers.

Today the term is used more loosely. Many “photographic prints” are made on inkjet printers using photo papers in gloss, satin or matt finishes, and they can look very similar. If the process matters to you, for example for a gallery submission or an exhibition with specific requirements, ask your printer exactly how the print will be made.

The practical differences

Surface and texture. Giclée prints can be made on a huge range of papers, from smooth matt to heavily textured watercolour and Japanese papers, as well as canvas. Photographic papers are mostly smooth, in gloss, lustre, satin or matt.
Look. Gloss photographic paper gives deep blacks and a punchy, contemporary finish. Matt fine art paper gives a softer, more painterly result that suits reproductions of artwork and some photography.
Colour range. Modern pigment printers reproduce a very wide range of colours. If your original contains vivid or unusual colours, a test print is the best way to check how they reproduce.
Longevity. Both can last for decades when well made, but how a print is displayed matters as much as how it is made. Keep any print out of direct sunlight, avoid damp walls and consider UV-filtering glazing for valuable work.
Editions. Because a giclée is printed from a stored file, an artist can publish a limited edition and print each copy as it sells, rather than paying for the whole run at once.

Which should you choose?

Reproducing a painting, watercolour or drawing: a giclée on fine art paper or canvas, which best matches the character of the original.
A photograph with deep blacks and rich colour: a photographic print on gloss or lustre paper.
Fine art photography with a softer, matt look: a giclée on a smooth or textured fine art paper.
A large image to be mounted on aluminium or face-mounted behind acrylic: photographic paper is the usual starting point; talk to us about the mounting at the same time as the print.
An open or limited edition sold over time: giclée, printed on demand.

Getting the best result from your file or original

Whichever you choose, the print can only be as good as the file. Supply the largest, highest-quality file you have, at or close to the final print size, and tell us if you have edited it on a calibrated screen. If you are working from an original painting, a transparency or a negative, a high-quality scan is the foundation of the print; our drum scanning service captures fine detail and subtle tonal gradations. For colour-critical work, ask for a test strip or proof before the full print run.

You can find more detail on papers and finishes on our giclée fine art prints and photographic prints pages, or see canvas prints if you would like your work stretched and ready to hang.

Ready to print your work?

Tell us the size, material and quantity and we will come back with a price: 020 7237 9333 or sales@superchrome.co.uk.

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Giclée vs photographic prints: which is right for your work?