Quick answer: A giclée print is a high quality inkjet reproduction made with archival pigment inks on acid free fine art paper, rated to last 100 years or more under normal display conditions. At Giclée London, a Canon MasterCraft certified print studio printing since 2002, prints start from £4.99 including VAT, with no minimum order and tracked UK delivery.
This page answers the questions people ask most often about giclée printing: what it costs, how it differs from an ordinary print, how to spot one, whether it is worth buying and how to get one made. Prices were correct in November 2026 and the online print designer always shows the current price.
Questions on this page
- How much should a giclée print cost?
- How much does it cost to have a giclée print made?
- How much does a 16×20 giclée print cost?
- What is the difference between a giclée and a print?
- How to spot a giclée print?
- Are giclée prints considered original artwork?
- Are giclée prints worth anything?
- Is it worth buying a giclée print?
- How to get a giclée print made?
- Where can I get high quality giclée prints?
- Do you put glass over a giclée print?
- Is it better to print a giclée on canvas or paper?
- Can I print giclée at home?
- What kind of art is selling the most right now?
- Where can I find giclée prints for sale?
How much should a giclée print cost?
A professional giclée print in the UK typically costs from around £5 for A5, £7 to £11 for A4 and £10 to £16 for A3, including VAT and unframed. At Giclée London prices start from £4.99 for A5, with A4 from £6.99, A3 from £9.99, A2 from £18.99 and A1 from £38.99 on our house papers. Premium papers such as Hahnemühle cost more. There is no minimum order and volume discounts apply automatically.
Read more: giclée printing cost guide.
How much does it cost to have a giclée print made?
Your cost depends on three things: print size, paper and any finishing. An unframed A4 print costs between £6.99 and £10.83 depending on the paper, and an A3 print between £9.99 and £15.48. Mounts, frames and a white border are optional extras priced in the online designer, and fine art scanning of an original is a one off cost per artwork. The designer shows your exact price, including VAT, before you order.
Read more: online print designer.
How much does a 16×20 giclée print cost?
A 16 x 20 inch print (about 41 x 51cm) is larger than A3 and smaller than A2, so on our papers it sits between those two price points: from £9.99 for A3 and from £18.99 for A2 on house papers, with premium papers costing more. Custom sizes are priced instantly in the online designer, so enter 16 x 20 inches and your paper to see the exact price including VAT.
Read more: online print designer.
What is the difference between a giclée and a print?
Giclée is a type of print. The word describes high quality inkjet printing using professional printers, archival pigment inks and acid free fine art paper. A standard print, such as a poster or high street photo print, usually uses dye inks on ordinary paper and a narrower range of colour. Giclée prints reproduce more colour and tonal detail and last far longer, with archival pigment inks rated for 100 years or more under normal display conditions. Lithographs and screen prints are different again, made with plates or stencils rather than inkjet.
Read more: giclée versus standard inkjet printing, giclée versus lithograph versus screen print.
How to spot a giclée print?
Look closely at the print under a magnifying glass. A giclée shows smooth, continuous tones with no visible dot pattern, whereas a mass produced print often shows a regular halftone dot grid. Check the paper too: fine art papers feel heavier, from about 230gsm to 350gsm, with a cotton or etching texture rather than thin glossy stock. Genuine studios will name the printer, inks and paper, and for limited editions will provide a signed and numbered edition sheet or certificate. The word giclée on its own is not regulated, so the materials matter more than the label.
Read more: what is giclée printing.
Are giclée prints considered original artwork?
No. A giclée print is a reproduction of an original work, not the original itself. A giclée can however be an authentic limited edition when the artist produces a fixed number, signs and numbers each print and does not reprint the edition. Some artists also create digital artwork that exists only as a file, in which case a signed limited edition giclée is the artist’s intended physical form.
Read more: limited edition giclée prints guide.
Are giclée prints worth anything?
Their value depends mainly on the artist, the edition size, whether they are signed and numbered, the paper and condition. Open edition prints are usually bought for display and keep a modest value. Limited edition giclées by established artists can be collectable, and some sell for far more than their production cost. A giclée on archival materials also holds its quality for decades, which protects whatever value the artwork has.
Read more: giclée printing for artists.
Is it worth buying a giclée print?
Yes, if you want colour accuracy and longevity. A giclée costs more than a poster but the archival pigment inks and acid free paper resist fading and yellowing for 100 years or more under normal display conditions, and the detail is far closer to the original artwork. For a piece you will frame and keep, the extra cost is usually small compared with the framing.
Read more: how much giclée printing costs.
How to get a giclée print made?
Upload your artwork to our online print designer, choose your paper, size and optional border, add a mount or frame if you want one, and see the price update instantly. We accept JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC and WEBP files up to 50MB, with 300 PPI at print size recommended and 150 PPI the minimum. If you only have the original artwork, we can scan it first. Most orders are printed and dispatched within 3 to 5 working days and delivered by tracked service. You can also call 01182 076591.
Read more: how to order, how to prepare your artwork files, how to scan artwork for printing.
Where can I get high quality giclée prints?
Choose a studio that uses archival pigment inks, acid free cotton rag or etching papers, a colour managed workflow and proofing. Giclée London is a Canon MasterCraft certified print studio, printing since 2002 on a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO 6200 with 12 colour archival pigment inks on Hahnemühle, Origin and Innova papers. You can order online from anywhere in the UK, with prints from £4.99 including VAT.
Read more: Canon MasterCraft certification, our giclée printing services.
Do you put glass over a giclée print?
Yes, framing a giclée behind glass or acrylic is recommended because it protects the surface from dust, fingerprints and moisture. Choose UV protective glazing to slow fading further and use a conservation mount so the print does not touch the glass. Canvas giclées are normally displayed without glass. Our print and mount and framed print options let you order a print ready to hang.
Read more: how to display and care for giclée prints.
Is it better to print a giclée on canvas or paper?
It depends on the artwork. Paper suits photography, illustration and detailed work, because cotton rag, etching and baryta papers hold fine detail and give deep blacks, and framed behind glass they last well. Canvas suits paintings where a textured, painterly look is wanted, and it can hang without a frame or glass. If you are unsure, order a single test print on each, as there is no minimum order.
Read more: best paper for giclée printing.
Can I print giclée at home?
You can, if you have a professional pigment ink printer, fine art paper and an ICC colour profile for each paper, but results vary. Home setups are limited by print size, ink and paper cost, profiling and calibration, and the prints are rarely checked against a proof. For anything you will sell, exhibit or keep, a studio with a wide format printer and a managed workflow is usually more consistent and often cheaper per print.
Read more: what is archival ink.
What kind of art is selling the most right now?
We do not track market sales, so we cannot rank art by what sells most. Buyer taste changes and varies by platform and price point. What we can say from printing for artists is what reproduces well: detailed illustration, cityscapes, landscape and fine art photography, and paintings with rich colour all translate strongly into giclée. Checking sold listings on the platforms where you plan to sell is the most reliable way to see current demand.
Read more: printing for illustrators, fine art photography printing.
Where can I find giclée prints for sale?
Giclée prints are sold by galleries, artists on their own websites, art fairs and online marketplaces. Buying direct from the artist is often best because you can confirm the edition size and whether the print is signed. If you are an artist who wants to sell your own prints, we can print single copies or full editions for you. Our featured artists page shows work printed in our studio.
Read more: featured artists.
Ready to order, or need advice?
Upload your artwork in the online print designer and see your price instantly, or call the studio on 01182 076591 (Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm) or email sales@gicleelondon.co.uk. More answers are on our FAQ and support page.