1 “Fine Art Printing” — the broad category

Fine Art Printing is a general term. It simply means printing artwork to a high standard, with artistic intent. It does not, by itself, guarantee:

• which printer technology is used,
• whether the inks are dye or pigment,
• what paper or substrate is chosen,
• how long the print will last, or
• how accurately colours will be reproduced.

A “fine art print” could be produced using many different processes, including:

• Standard dye-based inkjet printers
• Pigment-based inkjet printers
• Digital C-type photographic printing (laser-exposed RA-4)
• Offset / lithographic printing
• Various alternative or experimental processes

In other words, “fine art print” describes the purpose and audience, not the specific process or materials.

2 Giclée printing — a specific type of Fine Art printing

Giclée (pronounced roughly “zhee-clay”) is a much more specific term. It refers to a controlled, archival method of producing fine art prints using:

• Archival pigment inks (not dye inks),
• High-resolution inkjet printers with multiple inks (typically 8–12 colours),
• Archival, acid-free, museum-grade papers such as cotton rag or cotton-enhanced stocks, and
• A colour-managed workflow using ICC profiles for each printer/paper combination.

Because of these constraints, Giclée printing is associated with:

• Excellent colour gamut and tonal range,
• Very fine detail and smooth gradients,
• High, predictable archival life, and
• Presentation suitable for galleries and collectors.

All Giclée prints are fine art prints — but not all fine art prints are Giclée.

3 Why the distinction matters

It’s easy to assume that anything labelled “fine art print” is automatically archival and colour-accurate. In reality, quality and longevity vary widely.

Archival life

• Dye-based “fine art” prints may start to fade in months or a few years if exposed to light.
• Pigment-based Giclée prints on archival papers typically offer decades of stability under normal indoor display.

Colour accuracy & gamut

• Standard 4-ink printers can struggle with saturated colours and subtle transitions.
• Giclée printers use expanded ink sets (often 10 inks), giving better coverage of intense hues and more natural gradations.

Paper quality

• “Fine art” paper can mean anything from a basic coated stock to true museum cotton rag.
• Giclée printing is normally restricted to archival, acid-free fine art papers or canvas.

Market expectations

For collectors, galleries and serious buyers, the word “Giclée” signals an expectation of archival quality. The phrase “fine art print” alone is too broad to guarantee anything specific about the materials or lifespan.

4 When to choose Giclée

Giclée printing is usually the right choice when:

• You are selling prints (open editions or limited editions),
• The work will hang in galleries or public spaces,
• You are reproducing original paintings or drawings for collectors,
• Colour and tonal accuracy are important to you, and
• You need the print to last many years without obvious fading.

For professional presentation and collector confidence, Giclée is generally considered the modern gold standard for digital fine art reproduction.

5 When simpler Fine Art printing might be enough

There are situations where a simpler “fine art printing” approach (not strictly Giclée) can be acceptable:

• Quick draft or layout proofs,
• Short-term displays or posters,
• Decorative prints where archival life is not critical,
• Work with modest colour demands where exact matching is not essential, or
• Very price-sensitive projects.

For anything you intend to sell as artwork or present as a faithful reproduction of your original, Giclée remains the safer, more transparent option to offer your buyers.

6 What we use at UKGiclée

To avoid any ambiguity, all our fine art prints are produced as true Giclée prints:

• Printers: Epson SureColor fine art printers,
• Inks: Epson UltraChrome 10-colour pigment inksets,
• Papers: Archival cotton rag, cotton-enhanced and museum-grade papers, plus fine art canvas,
• Workflow: Fully colour-managed, with ICC profiles for each printer/paper combination.

So when we say “Fine Art Giclée Prints,” we mean archival pigment prints on genuine fine art media, made to a standard suitable for galleries and collectors.

7 Summary comparison

Fine Art Printing	Giclée Printing
Broad, general term	Specific, well-defined process
Any printer technology	High-resolution inkjet, multiple inks
Dye or pigment inks	Pigment inks only
Any paper quality	Archival, acid-free fine art media
Variable longevity	Designed for long archival life
Variable colour accuracy	Colour-managed workflow with ICC profiles

If you want consistent colour, excellent detail and long-lasting prints, Giclée is the safest and most transparent choice to offer your buyers.

8 Related topics

• Paper Guide
• Printer & Ink Technology
• Preparing Artwork Files
• Proof-Strips & Thumbnail Proofs
• Back to FAQs