What is giclée printing?
Giclée printing is a wholly made-up term, rather pompous honestly, as it just means ink-jet printing. But the pomposity comes from the very true fact that not all ink-jet prints are alike in quality and durability. A print you make on your home printer will typically suffer from low resolution, inaccurate colors, and a lifespan of just a few years. And for most things, frankly, that’s fine.
But some ink-jet prints are better: offering high resolution, and accurate, wide-gamut color, using pigmented inks that retain their vibrancy for centuries on paper that will remain stable and white for multiple lifetimes. Hence the fancy-sounding term “giclée”: A word meant to capture when an ink-jet print rises to the level of museum quality.
Our services
Every print comes off an Epson professional wide-format printer with Epson’s 10-colour UltraChrome Pro10 pigment ink system. Pigment inks are resistant to UV light and humidity, and on cotton rag they carry archival ratings of over 400 years. We run that ink system on every photo print, whatever the paper or size.
We print exclusively on Hahnemühle paper. Hahnemühle has been making fine-art paper since 1584, and their inkjet range brings the same rigor to giclée printing as their traditional printmaking stock. The Photo Matt and Photo Luster papers are alpha-cellulose (purified, archival-quality wood pulp), and produce sharp, color-accurate results at a price that suits portfolios, exhibitions, and everyday display. The Photo Rag papers are 100% cotton, with a museum-grade archival rating and a texture and physical weight that creates something very special. The right choice depends on your intentions and budget.
Pricing
| Photo Matt Fibre (200g) | Photo Luster (260g) | Photo Rag Matt Baryta (308g) | Photo Rag Pearl (320g) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4 (Proof)21 × 29.7 cm | €3 | €3 | €5 | €5 |
| A421 × 29.7 cm | €6 | €6 | €10 | €10 |
| A329.7 × 42 cm | €13 | €13 | €21 | €21 |
| A3+32.9 × 48.3 cm | €17 | €17 | €27 | €27 |
| A242 × 59.4 cm | €27 | €27 | €42 | €42 |
Prices in EUR, inclusive of VAT. Applies to both colour and black & white prints.
15% student discount available, bring a valid student ID.
Photo Matt Fibre
Photo Matt Fibre has a matte finish that produces zero glare from any viewing angle. Glare tends to obscure details, so a matte finish is the right choice for black and white photos with subtle shadow details or subdued color photos. This paper has a slight warm cast, and has a small amount of OBAs to improve brightness. Photo Matt Fibre is made with 100% alpha-cellulose fiber.
Photo Luster
Photo Luster has a semi-gloss finish, a soft satin sheen that holds deep blacks and saturated colour, making it the right choice for vibrant color photos or black and white with lots of dark blacks. This paper has slight cool cast, and has a small amount of OBAs to improve brightness. Photo Luster is made with alpha-cellulose fiber with a resin coating to enhance surface texture and color.
Photo Rag Matt Baryta
Photo Rag Matt Baryta has a has a matte finish and baryta coating that produces zero glare and holds ink on the surface of the paper. Glare tends to obscure subtle details, and because the ink is less absorbed into the paper, it picks up a slight sheen that deepens black density. This is the top choice for black and white photos, because of the significantly enhanced tonal range. Photo Rag Matt Baryta is OBA-free and made with 100% cotton rag.
Photo Rag Pearl
Photo Rag Pearl has a semi-gloss finish, a soft satin sheen that holds deep blacks and saturated colour, making it the right choice for vibrant color photos or black and white with lots of dark blacks. Our heaviest paper, it has a neutral white color. Photo Rag Pearl is OBA-free and made with 100% cotton rag.
Custom sizes
We can print to any dimensions up to A2 on any of our stocked papers, or
on a paper sourced to order. Custom work requires a short consultation to
confirm dimensions and agree on pricing. Any additional fees will be
confirmed before we start.
Proofing
If you’re not sure which paper is right for you, or want to see how an image looks on paper before committing to a full print run, our proofing service gives you a preview of what the finished product looks like. Proofs are watermarked, and student discounts unfortunately do not apply. Or drop by the shop and look at (and touch) our print samples.
Glossary
Alpha-cellulose. Purified wood-pulp fiber used as a paper base for photographic and fine-art printing. The purification process removes lignin, the compound in raw wood pulp that causes paper to yellow and grow brittle with age, leaving an acid-free base that holds up for decades under proper display and storage conditions.
Cotton rag. Paper made from cotton fiber. Cotton fiber accepts a high ink load, producing strong blacks and saturated color. It is strong and more durable than alpha-cellulose, allowing it withstand handling. This durability, and its acid-free composition offer an archival rating of over 100 years under proper display conditions, and multiple centuries under proper storage conditions.
Baryta. A barium sulphate coating applied between a paper’s base and its ink-receiving layer. It increases surface reflectivity and keeps ink sitting evenly across the coating, producing deep, uniform black tones and strong tonal separation in the shadows.
Lustre/Pearl. A satin surface coating with a soft, gentle sheen. It holds deep blacks and rich, saturated color, and keeps reflected glare low for a smooth, refined surface finish.
OBA (optical brightening agent). A chemical compound that absorbs UV light and re-emits it as visible blue light, making paper look bright white. However, OBAs gradually break down with exposure to light, meaning that papers with high amounts of OBAs will appear less bright over time.
Resin-coated (RC). A paper construction with a plastic layer sealing
the base, with ink sitting in a coating on top of that layer. This
produces a smooth surface that dries pigment ink almost instantly and
results in an even, consistent finish.