What is a giclee print vs art print?

When you're looking to bring a new piece of art into your home, the world of printing can feel a little confusing. You find an image you love, but as you go to buy it, you’re faced with a choice: should you get the "giclée print" or the standard "art print"? The giclée version is often more expensive, but the descriptions can sound quite similar, leaving you wondering if it's really worth the extra money.

This uncertainty can be frustrating. You want to make a confident choice, investing in a print that will look beautiful on your wall for years to come, but it's hard to do that without understanding what you're actually paying for. Is one type of print objectively "better" than the other, or is it just clever marketing?

Getting to grips with the difference between a giclée print and a standard art print is the key to making an informed decision. This guide will break down the essential distinctions in plain English, helping you understand the materials, the process, and the results, so you can choose the perfect print for your art, your home, and your budget.

Difference 1: The Printing Process and Ink

The heart of the distinction between these two types of prints lies in the technology and, most importantly, the ink that's used to create the image.

The Giclée Method: Precision and Pigment

The term "giclée" (pronounced zhee-clay) comes from the French word meaning "to spray," which is a good description of how a high-end inkjet printer works. To qualify as a giclée, the print must be created using a professional printer with a wide range of colours, typically 8 to 12 different pigment-based inks.

The secret ingredient here is the pigment-based ink. These inks are made from tiny, solid particles of colour suspended in a liquid. This means they sit on the surface of the paper, creating a very durable, lightfast image.

The Standard Art Print Method: Speed and Dye

When you see the term "art print," it often refers to a print made using a standard digital printing process. This could be from a 4-colour printer (using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) and, crucially, will often use dye-based inks.

Unlike pigments, dyes are completely dissolved in liquid and work by soaking into the paper's fibres. They can produce wonderfully bright and vibrant colours initially, but they are not as stable.

Think of it like painting a fence. Pigment ink is like a high-quality outdoor paint; the solid colour particles form a durable layer on the surface that resists fading in the sun for years. Dye-based ink is more like a wood stain; it soaks in and looks great at first, but it will fade much more quickly when exposed to the elements.

Difference 2: The Paper and Longevity

Giclée's Foundation: Archival Paper

A true giclée print is always produced on high-quality, archival paper. This means the paper is acid-free and designed specifically for fine art. It's often a heavyweight paper with a beautiful texture, made from materials like 100% cotton rag.

Because it contains no acid, this paper won't yellow, become brittle, or degrade over time. The combination of stable pigment inks and archival paper is what gives giclée prints their incredible longevity. When cared for and framed correctly, they are rated to last for 100 years or more without any significant fading.

Standard Prints: A Question of Quality

A standard art print can be printed on a wide variety of papers, often a standard photo paper or a thinner card stock. These papers are not typically archival and may contain acids that will cause them to yellow and deteriorate over the years.

Difference 3: The Final Quality and Cost

Colour Accuracy and Detail

Thanks to the use of up to 12 different inks, giclée printers can reproduce a much wider spectrum of colour than a standard 4-colour printer. This results in prints with incredibly rich colours, subtle tonal gradations, and a level of detail that is a near-perfect match for the artist's original work.

Why the Price Difference?

It's now easy to see why giclée prints come with a higher price tag. The specialist printers, the expensive pigment inks, and the premium archival paper are all costly materials. The printing process is also slower and more meticulous.

Conclusion

So, what does this all mean for you when you're choosing art for your walls? The choice between a giclée and a standard art print really comes down to your priorities.

If you are buying a limited-edition piece from an artist you love and see it as a long-term investment, the giclée is the undisputed winner.

If, however, you are looking for a more affordable, decorative piece, a standard art print is an excellent and cost-effective choice.

Whichever you choose, protecting your print is essential. A quality frame and mount not only make your art look fantastic, but they also protect it from dust, damage, and the harmful effects of UV light. Using acid-free picture mounts is particularly important for archival prints.