Giclée printing is an advanced, archival process that fabricates high-quality reproductions of fine art and photography.
It has been used to reproduce some of the world’s finest art. Today, thanks to the many options this printing method offers, artists can choose this superior reproduction method for on-demand prints that are scalable and cost-effective.
MasterLab uses the best-quality printing media and ink in our giclée printing process to create gallery-quality giclée reproductions.
©Jay Dash
What is Giclée Printing?
The term “giclée” (zhee-CLAY) comes from a French term meaning “squirting ink.” In the art world, the term is used to describe the process of printing using high-end, professional printers with archival materials and inks. All our giclée prints are created using this process.
Among the available options, giclée prints offer the finest quality and longevity — most giclée prints will last for up to 150 years without fading or degradation under normal lighting.
MasterLab creates prints using Epson professional printers and Epson UltraChrome HDR inks, which offer the widest color gamut and the most archivability in the market. The materials we use, including art, gloss, luster, and matte papers, are hand-picked from the manufacturers to provide our customers with the best archivability, look, and variety.
The giclée process allows artists and photographers to reproduce their images in the most archival, stable, and accurate way.
Giclée Printing Options near Salt Lake City, Utah
Giclée printing can reproduce virtually any type of flat artwork, including oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings; drawings in pencil, ink, chalk, or charcoal; photographs and vintage prints.
You can have your work printed on canvas, which can be mounted, stretched, gallery-wrapped, or any other display method you prefer. Canvas prints include satin or matte finishes.
If you prefer paper for your prints, you can choose from a variety of archival paper. Options include:
- Watercolor or art paper: including cold press, photo rag, velvet, and ultra-smooth papers
- Pearl or lustre paper
- Matte or glossy paper
See material options below.
Most artists select their printing surface based on the style of the artwork. For example, if you plan to make giclée prints of a watercolor painting, you can have them printed on archival watercolor paper.
Are Giclée Prints Right for You?
The giclée printing process begins with a high-resolution digital file of your artwork that we create using our fine art reproduction process, or a file provided by you. You can order one print or 1,000, depending on your needs.
You can also scale the print size up or down from the original, providing even more options for framing, mounting, and selling your artwork.
Giclée prints are considered the highest quality archival prints available. The final product is also worth more and will preserve your artwork for decades longer than any of the alternatives.
Contact MasterLab today to learn more about the many benefits and advantages of giclée printing.
Materials
Canvas
Canvas:
Epson Exhibition Satin Canvas:
An acid-free, lignin-free heavyweight cotton-poly blend, this elegantly textured canvas features a semi-gloss satin surface with a bright white point, exceptionally high Dmax and wide color gamut. The canvas base is enhanced with elastic polymers, providing high tensile strength and flexibility for gallery-wrap stretching without cracking.
Paper Specifications:
- Satin Surface
- High Dmax
- Wide Color Gamut
- 430 gsm Weight
- 23 mil Thickness
Epson Exhibition Matte Canvas:
An acid-free, lignin-free heavyweight cotton-poly blend, this elegantly textured canvas features a matte non-reflective surface with a bright white point, exceptionally high Dmax and wide color gamut. The canvas base is enhanced with elastic polymers providing high tensile strength and flexibility for gallery wrap stretching without cracking.
Paper Specifications:
- Matte Surface
- High Dmax
- Wide Color Gamut
- 395 gsm Weight
- 23 mil Thickness
Hahnemühle Cezanne Canvas
A heavyweight, natural white cotton canvas with a finely woven texture and matte coating, delivering exceptional color, detail, and deep blacks with excellent elasticity for stretching.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 430 gsm
- Thickness: 52 mil
- Whiteness: 87.5%
- Opacity: >98%
- Base Material: 100% cotton
- Surface Finish: Matte
- Natural white, without optical brighteners
Watercolor & Art
Watercolor & Art Paper:
Epson Cold Press Natural
An acid-free, 100% cotton rag media with a natural textured finish. This paper has an extremely high color gamut and black density.
Paper Specifications:
- Textured Matte Finish
- 19 mil
- 98% Opacity
- 90 ISO Brightness
- Acid Free
- pH Buffered
Epson Cold Press Bright
An acid-free, 100% cotton rag media with a bright textured finish. This paper has an extremely high color gamut and black density.
Paper Specifications:
- Textured Matte Finish
- 19 mil (roll)
- 98% Opacity
- 96 ISO Brightness
- Acid Free
- pH Buffered
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag
Photo Rag® – a white, 100% cotton paper with a smooth surface texture – guarantees archival standards. With its premium matte inkjet coating, Photo Rag® meets the highest industry standards regarding density, color gamut, color graduation, and image sharpness while preserving the special touch and feel of genuine art paper.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 308 gsm
- Thickness: 19 mil
- Brightness: 92.5%
- Opacity: 99%
- Base Material: 100% cotton rag
- Surface Finish: Matte
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin
Photo Rag® – a white cotton FineArt paper with a delicately textured surface and a unique satin-gloss coating, delivering exceptional depth, rich blacks, and brilliant contrasts with museum-quality longevity.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 310 gsm
- Thickness: 50 mil
- Brightness: 92%
- Opacity: 99%
- Base Material: 100% cotton rag
- Surface Finish: Satin
Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic
A natural white, silvery-shimmering paper with a high-gloss metallic effect, ideal for bold colors, deep blacks, and high-contrast images.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 340 gsm
- Thickness: 47 mil
- Whiteness: 88%
- Opacity: 99%
- Base Material: 100% cotton rag
- Surface Finish: High-gloss metallic
Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
A natural white, pure cotton paper with a high-gloss baryta coating, offering stunning color and detail reproduction, deep blacks, and an elegant sheen.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 300 gsm
- Thickness: 37 mil
- Whiteness: 92%
- Opacity: 98%
- Base Material: 100% α-cellulose
- Surface Finish: Satin
Epson Somerset Velvet
Somerset Velvet for Epson is a 100% cotton, acid-free paper that delivers long-lasting prints when printed with EPSON Archival™ Ink or UltraChrome™ Ink.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 255 gsm
- Thickness: 19 mil
- ISO Brightness: 96%
- Opacity: 95%
- Hot Lamination: No
- Base Material: 100% cotton rag
- Surface Finish: Velvet
Epson Ultra Smooth
An acid-free,100% cotton hot press paper coated on both sides for extra versatility. This cylinder mould-made product features an ultra-smooth finish on two sides (sheets) optimized for Epson Photographic Dye, Epson UltraChrome™, and Archival™ Inks. It’s offered in a variety of sizes and formats, this fine art paper is not only acid, lignin, and chlorine free, but it’s also pH buffered with calcium carbonate for a true archival sheet.
Paper Specifications:
- Basis Weight: 250 gsm
- Thickness: 15 mil
- ISO Brightness: 90%
- Opacity: 98%
- Base Material: 100% cotton rag
- Surface Finish: ultra smooth hot press
Gloss & Lustre
Gloss & Lustre Paper:
Ilford Galerie Prestige Smooth Pearl
GALERIE Prestige Smooth Pearl paper features the very latest HDR (High Dynamic Range) optically clear coating, and, coupled with recent advancements in inkjet receiving layer design, makes this the reference media for producing images with superb clarity, high sharpness, and excellent color gamut.
The high-density, resin-coated, heavyweight base, and smooth pearl finish not only eliminate glare and fingerprints but with its natural photographic white tint, produce prints with the true look and feel of a photograph. For outstanding imaging performance, combined with the benefit of “touch dry” from the printer, this pearl surface media is the “choice of professionals.”
Paper Specifications:
- Weight: 310gsm Surface Pearl
- Opacity: 99% Caliper 310 micron (12mil)
- Media: Type Photo paper
Ilford Galerie Prestige Smooth Gloss
GALERIE Prestige Smooth Gloss paper features the very latest HDR (High Dynamic Range) optically clear coating and, coupled with recent advancements in inkjet receiving layer design, makes this the reference media for producing images with superb clarity, high sharpness, and excellent color gamut.
The high-density, resin-coated, heavyweight base and smooth “bright white” gloss finish create the look and feel of a superior photographic print. With the added benefit of being “touch dry” from the printer, this gloss media is the “choice of professionals.”
Paper Specifications:
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- Weight: 310gsm Surface Gloss
- Opacity: 99% Caliper 310 micron (12mil)
- Media: Type: Photo Paper
Matte
Matte Paper:
Epson Enhanced Matte
This bright-white paper is perfect for images that do not require gloss. It yields highly saturated images while maintaining excellent highlight and shadow detail. Designed primarily for use with UltraChrome™ Inks, EPSON Archival™ Inks, and DuraBrite™ Inks, this versatile paper can also be used with dye-based inks. Hobbyists, professional photographers, and digital artists alike will find EPSON Enhanced Matte Paper a remarkable solution for any project.
Paper Specifications:
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- Thickness: 10.3 mil
- Basis weight: 192 gsm
- Opacity: 94%
- ISO brightness: 104%
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Finishing Options
Canvases:
All canvases are sprayed with an archival spray which includes UV inhibitors, which increase the archivability of each print.
Canvases can be mounted, stretched, or gallery-wrapped.
Mounting:
Canvases are mounted to an archival acid-free board.
Finishing: Ready for framing.
Stretching:
Canvases are stretched by hand using the industry’s finest stretcher bars—formulated to give each stretch the best possible result. 5/8” and 1” bar used.
Finishing: Ready for framing.
Gallery Wrapping:
Canvases are wrapped by hand using the industry’s finest bars—formulated to give each wrap the best possible result. 5/8”, 1”, 1.5”, 2”, and 3” inch bar available.
Finishing: Ready for hanging.
Watercolor, art paper, gloss, lustre, and matte paper:
Mounting:
All materials are mounted to an archival acid-free board.
All materials can be framed using our large selection of mats, glass, and frames.
Please see our Picture Framing page for framing information.
Visit our Contact Us page to connect with us.
