Giclee Prints, Affordable Art

Giclee prints cost more to produce than offset prints on a per print basis, but you can buy a single giclee print when you want to make a custom poster or piece of art into a large format print. Most offset print runs require a minimum order of 500 pieces. Giclee print orders are usually produced in small quantities - a single print is not uncommon. Both processes begin with a digital image created either from an original file or from a high quality scan of 2-dimensional artwork.

Giclee prints must almost always be hand trimmed, as opposed to offset press prints manufactured and trimmed in lin bulk on high speed presses with automatic cutters to trim away excess paper edges.

A major advantage of making prints using the giclee method is that you can order very small quantities - one or a few prints rather than 100 or more. So, the per print cost is higher for giclee but the overall cost for your print run is less than the cost for offset printing. Also, the look and feel of a giclee art print is closer to that of the original media - a photograph can be printed on photographic paper; a watercolor print can be printed on rag-content artist-quality watercolor paper.

You can print giclee art prints on quality stretchable canvas - and, you can apply paint over any areas on the canvas print to further enhance the artwork or to create a mixed-media piece of art from your giclee print.