# Selling my own photos - prints vs Giclée? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611 "2010-02-11T22:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/1 "2010-02-11T22:35:36Z")
I’ve started selling (well, attempting to sell) my photos on the web. I’ve been printing my photos through a photo printer (costco, currently). However, I found a site that is aimed at visual artists selling their work and they recommend Giclée printing to start. So, what are the pros and cons of the two types of printing? ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/2 "2010-02-12T14:32:37Z")
I know next to nothing about art, but recently a friend was showing some original paintings in a gallery and I wanted to buy one. As it turned out I was unable to buy the original, but she made me a giclee of it, and it’s hanging in my house. It’s virtually indistinguishable from the original. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/3 "2010-02-12T18:05:19Z")
Giclees are preferable IMO because they have the apeal of standard intaglio prints. The’re not of course, but they tend to be accepted that way for mass marketing. Especially if they are a limited edition series. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/4 "2010-02-12T18:25:08Z")
This nonsense has to DIE! Right now! There is no such thing as “Giclée” printing! It’s an ink jet print! The makers of the printers call them ink jet printers. It’s just a few damn snobs who were embarrassed by the fact that they have excellent quality large format ink jet printers who came up with this bullshit marketing term. It ends here. Edit: Amusing factiod: “Giclée” is a French term for “spray” or “spurt”. It is also used to describe ejaculation. Thus appropriate for this marketing jerk-off. Edit: I know this because a good friend of mine is the go-to-guy for art ink-jet printing in a Midwestern city. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/5 "2010-02-12T19:00:54Z")
**gaffa** , I agree with you, but you aren’t going to be able to stop it. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/6 "2010-02-12T19:03:52Z")
Well, okay, but if the ink-jet process is generally known as giclee printing, then there is such a thing. So, neener neener. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/7 "2010-02-12T19:20:40Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Well, okay, but if the ink-jet process is generally known as giclee printing, then there is such a thing. > > So, neener neener. It might be known as that by a small sub-segment of the large-format archival inkjet printing community, but if the term is not employed by the manufacturers of the large format printers, then it’s marketing bullshit. As this forum exists in general opposition to bullshit, can we refrain from perpetuating the bullshit _here_ at least? The title should be edited to be “photographic prints or inkjet prints?” Because both are prints, just produced with different printing technology. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-my-own-photos-prints-vs-giclee/528611/8 "2010-02-12T22:06:36Z")
I looked into doing this quite awhile ago, but the cost of the large format printer was just too expensive. Have they come down much?