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Giclee Printing

Giclee printing allows for extraordinarily accurate colour management of your images and incredibly sharp detail, perfect for illustrations and photography alike.

We have Hahnemühle and Canson certified studio status guaranteeing the highest quality giclee papers in a superb range of finishes, from flat matts to gloss and Baryta. We can print up to 2.13mx1.52m / 84×60 inches.

Please contact us if you would like more information.

Our Archival Giclee Papers

Image of trees and countryside representing a print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl 285gsm

Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl 285gsm

Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl is a cellulose-based FineArt inkjet paper with an inkjet coating specially tailored for FineArt use. The bright white paper has a delicately textured surface and a smooth, silky feel.

A long exposure blurred image of water representing a print on Hahnemühle Agave sustainable fine art paper.

Hahnemühle Agave 290gsm

Hahnemühle Agave augments the Natural Line with a FineArt inkjet paper that is produced using agave fibres. 70% of this unique, environmentally friendly FineArt inkjet paper is made from sisal fibres.

A black and white picture looking up into an overhanging tree canopy. Printed originally on this environmentally friendly inkjet paper made from 90% bamboo.

Hahnemühle Bamboo 290gsm

Hahnemühle Bamboo is the world’s first FineArt inkjet paper made from 90% bamboo fibres, for a natural white, warm-toned look and environmentally friendly paper production.

An image looking up between towering buildings at a dark blue sky. Possibly using a polarising filter. Printed on the Hemp fibre based fine art paper.

Hahnemühle Hemp 290gsm

Hahnemühle Hemp uses one of the oldest and most diverse natural fibres in the world and is made of 60% hemp fibre. The FineArt inkjet paper’s base has a lightly textured surface providing a silky feel.

Woman with curly brown hair against a background print of roses. This art paper has a smooth surface and has been the number one choice for artists since its inception.

Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm

This is one of Hahnemühle’s genuine artist papers, mould made, with an exceptionally smooth surface. Photo Rag is the most popular paper chosen by photographers to create high quality fine art prints.

This image shows a conceptual art print with red and dark red hues. The print has been made on hahnemuhle german etching paper which has a textured surface.

Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm

German Etching is one of the most popular media for artwork and photography. The paper has a velvety textured surface that still allows high quality printing.

This paper was originally intended to replica the black and white silver gelatin fibre based prints. While not glossy, It has a slightly shiny surface.

Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325gsm

Fine Art Baryta is a bright white paper with exceptionally high colour depth. Using barium sulphate in the coating makes this paper a close match to traditional photographic Fibre Based papers.

Photo of a fantasy image called the Grand Tour showing space ships and advertising an out of the universe experience. This was printed on an ultra white 100% cotton paper.

Somerset Photo Satin 300gsm

This paper made from 100% cotton linters, has a high whiteness value. The paper is made on a mould machine using woollen felts which impart a delicate texture to the surface.

A snowy mountain cap view printed on a 100% cotton art paper with a wide colour range.

Somerset Enhanced 255gsm

Made from 100% cotton fibre using a traditional mould machine this paper has an invisible coating on one side allowing the creation of superb prints with a wide colour gamut.

A photo of colored triangles and rectangular shapes printed on photo gloss, a cellulose paper where the whites are ultra white.

Canson Photo Gloss 270gsm

This ultra-white photo paper consists of an ultra-smooth, alpha-cellulose, acid-free paper coated with polyethylene and multiple micro porous colour receiver layers.

Dark close up image of some leaved printed on a cellulose based paper.

Canson Infinity Photosatin 270gsm

PhotoSatin Premium Resin Coated consists of an alpha cellulose acid-free art paper coated with a structured polyethylene and a micro porous receiver layer.

View of the roofs and some buildings in Tuscany printed on an exhibition quality cotton paper.

Canson® Infinity Rag 310gsm

Canson® Infinity Rag Photographique is a 100% cotton museum grade white Fine Art and photo paper. The exceptional smooth white tone is achieved during manufacturing by introducing natural minerals to the process.

Photo of two ladies looking at an artwork on a wall. The picture is coloured bands of light stretching from left to right. The colours are mainly blues with some brighter red and green line. This was a giclee print on canvas stretched over wooden bearers.

Heavy Weight Canvas

We print directly onto high quality heavy weight real artist cotton canvas, achieving high quality vibrant canvas prints from your images.

Giclee print pricing illustration

Bespoke – our premium service
      Exc Vat Inc Vat
10x8 254x204 A5 £24.30 £29.16
12x10 304x254 A4 £40.70 £48.84
16x12 407x304 A3 £47.10 £56.52
24x20 610x508 A2 £89.20 £107.04
Self Service – our great value service
      Exc Vat Inc Vat
10x8 254x204 A5 £8.51 £10.21
12x10 304x254 A4 £10.64 £12.77
16x12 407x304 A3 £12.83 £15.40
24x20 610x508 A2 £31.10 £37.32

Order Now

Bespoke

How to order

Self-Service

Ordering Bespoke Photo Printing

Send us your files

Enter a few details, attach your files up to 1GB, and one of the team will be in touch, with a quote and to assist you as soon as possible.

Please note this form is for Bespoke Orders only and no payment details will be taken.

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Call or email

Contact Simon or Tony on 020 7865 0000 or email enquiries@metroimaging.co.uk

Come in and see us

Metro Imaging, 32 Great Sutton Street, London, EC1V 0NB

We’re open between 8.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday. View map

Dropbox/WeTransfer

Send us your files via Dropbox,  WeTransfer to: enquiries@metroimaging.co.uk

How to find us

Which service is right for me

Bespoke Premier
Bespoke Standard
Self Service Standard
Self Service Premier
Colour Management

Colour correction

Adding borders

Resizing and cropping

Test strips included

Directed printing

Master file archiving

Production manager

Provenance certificates

Account facilities

For more information about our services, or for help ordering, please get in touch



    Turnaround times

    Printing

    C-type Matt & Gloss up to 100 x 76cm:  within 24 hours.
    C-type Matt & Gloss above 100 x 76cm:  within 48 hours.
    C-type Velvet up to 100 x 76cm:  within 72 hours.
    C-type Metallic, Supergloss & Duratrans: within 5 working days.

    Black & White Digital Prints: within 5 working days.

    Giclée Fine Art Prints: within 3 working days.
    Unstretched Giclée Canvas: within 5 working days.
    Stretched Giclée Canvas: within 10 working days.

    Direct to Media: within 10 working days.
    Vinyl Printing: within 10 working days.

    Mounting and Framing

    Foamex, Foamboard, Kapamount & Card: within 5 working days.
    Aluminium & Dibond: within 10 Working days.
    MDF: within 15 Working days.
    Reverse Perspex Mounting: within 15 Working days.
    Framing (includes mounting): within 15 Working days.

    Sample Pack

    Can’t decide which paper is right for you? Then why not order one of our sample packs! – Each pack contains a range of our most popular papers including:

    Ctype Gloss, Matt, Velvet and Metallic

    B&W Fibre based Gloss and Matt and Resin Coated Lustre

    Giclee Hanemuhle Photo Rag, German Etching and Fine Art Baryta; Somerset Photo satin and Velvet Enhanced; Canson Photo Satin and Gloss

    Packs cost £6 including postage and VAT. Enter your details below to place your order. Orders placed before 4 pm on weekdays are normally dispatched the same day. Just remember to tick the Free Sample pack postage option on checkout.

    Samples of our printing, mounting and framing, can also be seen at our front of house in our London lab.

    Frequently asked questions

    Please note we do not trim Giclee prints over 44 inches.

    The word Giclée (“g-clay”), is derived from the French verb gicler meaning “to squirt or spray”, Giclée, is used to describe a fine art digital printing process combining pigment based inks with high-quality archival quality paper to achieve an inkjet print of superior archival quality, light fastness and stability. Our prints are created using an Epson 9880 with Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks, which with the 8 channel print head is capable of producing an extremely wide tonal range and colour gamut.

    Metro’s Giclée printing offers both a softness and richness of colour and our operators will ensure the print represents the artist’s original work in the closest possible way by working with the client and producing a test print as part of the service.

    The process involves squirting or spraying microscopic dots of pigment-based ink onto high-quality art paper or canvas. The image is colour corrected to attain the closest possible match to the original work if required. The digital information is fine-tuned to the type of paper or surface on which the image is to be printed, further ensuring fidelity to the original.

    Giclées are printed on a variety of substrates or mediums, the most common being watercolour paper or canvas. Image permanence is a concern to artists and collectors. Estimates are based on laboratory simulations of ageing to give a fade &colour shift resistance of up to 200 years in ideal conditions, tests developed and conducted by Epson.

    Reproducing prints this way can be of an advantage to artists who find it unfeasible to mass-produce their work, but need to reproduce their work on demand. Once we make the master print and archive the digital master file, we can produce identical edition prints at any point in the future.

    C Type prints and Giclée prints are two very different printing processes, one is a digital photographic print and the other is an inkjet print. A digital C Type is a traditional photographic print, made from a digital file rather than a negative. Many customers think that a ‘digital print’ has to be a Giclée print but this is not so. A Giclée print is quite different, using no chemistry or light sensitivity.
    PLEASE NOTE we do not trim Giclée prints above 44” along the longest length to keep the print as untouched as possible unless specifically requested.

    Giclee prints to paper or canvas, Bespoke and Self-Service: Three working days. Giclee prints to Stretched canvas: Ten working days.
    PLEASE NOTE we do not trim Giclée prints above 44” along the longest length to keep the print as untouched as possible unless specifically requested.

    Handling a Giclée print is a common question we are asked at Metro as fine art prints are susceptible to damage much more than a C Type print. When it comes to Giclée prints we recommend only using this paper when intending to frame straight away. If are are looking for portfolio prints, or free-hanging prints for an exhibition, we will always recommend using C Type papers as these are much more durable.

    • All Metroprint Giclées come rolled over 20 x 16 inches and above
    • Always handle you Giclée print wearing cotton gloves and avoid touching the print itself
    • If you don’t have gloves, make sure you have clean hands and do not touch the ink – even the smallest amount of oil or grease that occurs naturally can damage an inkjet
    • Always hold the print by it’s edges and do not bend the print
    • We recommend printing Giclées with a border, so you have ‘clean’ paper to handle, this is useful for larger prints that come rolled.
    • All Giclées naturally ‘curl’. To uncurl a print: Place the print on a flat, clean surface away from direct sunlight and leave the protective tissue over the print. Place a book, or another heavy object on the very ends of the print. After a few hours the print should become flat.

    Exceptional quality: Giclee prints offer outstanding color accuracy, clarity, and detail, rivaling even the original artwork.
    Longevity: Archival inks and papers ensure prints last for decades, even centuries, when stored and displayed properly.
    Versatility: Giclee printing can be used on a wide range of materials, including paper, canvas, metal, and even wood.
    Limited editions: Artists can create limited editions of their prints, adding value and collectible potential.

    We produce all of our Giclee’s using pigment ink. Unlike regular ink, pigment ink is archival with an expected lifespan of 80 years plus.

    Using an A3/16×12 print on Photorag paper as an example our prices range from £14.64 inc vat up to £53.88 depending on the level of service and whether you require test prints.

    Giclee prints should ideally be stored flat after collection until they can be framed. When framing they should be framed behind UV reflective glass to ensure longevity.

    The ideal file format depends on the printer, but generally, high-resolution TIFF or JPEG files are preferred. Aim for a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) for quality results.

    High-quality giclee prints, especially limited editions signed by the artist, are accepted by some galleries and collectors as fine art. However, the value and reputation of a giclee print ultimately depend on the artist’s reputation and the quality of the printing process.

    Yes, you can purchase giclee printers and equipment for home use. However, achieving professional-quality results requires knowledge of the printing process, colour calibration, and proper paper and ink selection.

    Hence except if the prints are for your personal use, we would always recommend using a professional service such as that offered by Metro Imaging.  By printing with us you gain access to over 40 years of experience, and when selling your art, you will benefit from the credibility of having them produced by a professional company.