GICLEE vs DIGITAL PRINTING
☗ What’s the difference between high street prints and giclee fine art prints?
Customers often ask me what a giclée fine art print is. I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you the differences between a fine art print and a digital print. What are the pros and cons of each?
☗ WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF GICLEE FINE ART PRINT?
The word Giclée (“g-clay”), is derived from the French verb gicler meaning “to squirt or spray”.
Giclée is a printing process that combines 12 pigment-based inks. As a result of the high number of inks, the colour matching is almost perfect to the original.
Skin tones look lifelike, which is crucial with printing portraits. Fine art prints retain tonality and hue. This means that the colours won’t change.
The paper is archival, and won’t yellow over time.
☗ WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF DIGITAL PRINTS?
Cheaper inkjet printers use 4 dye-based inks. The smaller number of colours means colours are reproduced with less precision. Colour matching is approximate.
Skin tones can look wildly different from different printers. The colours in high street prints will fade over time.
The paper will change colour over the years unless you keep them in a box or away from the light. (90% of Etsy sellers are offering digital prints.)
☗ WHY DO WE ONLY OFFER GICLEE FINE ART PRINTS?
We only offer giclée fine art prints, because they’re the highest quality prints available. We want our customers to have the most beautiful print possible from our images, and one that will stand the test of time.
