Do Giclee Prints Hold Their Value? (Explained)

More and more people are ordering Giclee prints. It seems strange to think that a replica print of an original painting or piece of art could be a legitimate investment for some art buyers, but it is. The real question is: Do giclee prints hold their value over time?

Giclee prints can hold their value just as well as the original artwork itself. This is especially true for limited edition Giclee prints which can even grow in value over time.

Giclee prints are very sophisticated replications of the original artwork. The technology behind Giclée prints ensures that each reproduction is created with as much care and attention to detail as possible. These prints are of the highest quality, and it shows in their superior craftsmanship. Read on to see just how Giclée prints hold their value.

Giclee print of a painting.

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Value of Giclee Prints

Giclée prints (pronounced “zhee-clay”) are created with the most impressive technology available. The ink jet printer systems used to create these prints ensure that a high level of detail goes into every inch of the recreations. This is a terrific way for a customer who might not be able to afford an original art piece to buy a striking and detailed replica that looks just like the real thing.

Benefits of owning a Giclee Fine Art Print:

  • Much more affordable than an original work of art
  • Highly detailed copies of original works of art
  • Great for display without the worry of damaging the original artwork
  • Long lasting prints due to the use of archival paper and pigmant inks
  • Supports and patronizes the arts, and artists
  • Can be a legitimate investment with huge potential for a significant return

A copy of the original work is always going to be a much more affordable option. This is a very attractive factor to consider when shopping for art. Many people turn to Giclee prints because of their beauty and low relative price. Customers that buy Giclee prints do not have to sacrifice the detail of the images or color when they purchase these impressive reproductions.

Are Giclee Prints Worth Anything?

Giclee prints from famous artists have regularly sold for $10,000 and up! That right there should tell you how valuable a Giclee print can be. A Giclee art print from the right artist can be worth a lot of money.

The Giclee prints hold their value so well because of their seriously impressive quality. The fine detail that can be seen in each print is, for all practical purposes, the same as the original. When framed and seen from a normal viewing distance, it’s often difficult to tell a reproduction print from the original piece. This highly comparable level of detail makes these prints the most valuable in the world when it comes to reproductions. Every Giclee fine art print is a work of art in and of itself!

What is a Giclee art print and why are they so great?

Even though a Giclee contemporary art print is a reproduction, it can retain its value incredibly well over time thanks to the superior craftsmanship. Giclee reproductions are made with great care and concern for overall quality and color accuracy. This allows them to stand the test of time. Their value will hold and could possibly even grow over the years to come.

Limited Edition Giclee Prints

To hold its value, something must first be valuable. Limited edition Giclee prints are much more valuable than open edition Giclee prints. This is largely in part to the concept of scarcity. Things that are rare and harder to find are more valuable. This is true with any item people collect.

Benefits of buying a limited edition Giclee print:

  • The value will be much higher than that of an open edition
  • The rarity will ensure that a customer will have a special and precious item
  • This is the next best investment to buying an original work of art
  • The investment value will not be diluted by additional print production
  • You are guaranteed to have one of only a certain number of available prints
  • Not only is the artwork numbered, it is often as signed print as well

Limited edition Giclee prints hold their value much better than open edition prints. This is a huge factor to consider when purchasing artwork from an artist or art dealer. The fewer prints that are circulating will result in much higher prices. A rarity in the world of art directly translates into value. The rarer the item, the higher the value is sure to stay.

Open edition prints can diminish in value with every additional print run. This is because every order makes each existing print less unique. The price of an open edition print can decrease drastically if there are too many circulating. A limited edition print preserves the integrity of a work’s exclusivity. This insurance is a must for investing in art. 

Open edition vs limited edition prints

An art buyer might not purchase an original piece, but that should not stop them from collecting fine art. Limited edition art prints are an excellent option for a budget-minded art collector to invest in a piece that is sure to hold it’s asthetic and monetary value for years to come. If the original artists gains in popularity, these limited edition reproductions will become even more valuable as time go by.

Giclee Printing Standards Go Above and Beyond Other Prints

Giclee prints are the most advanced and detailed prints on the market. Art investors and connoisseurs choose these high-quality reproductions because they are the best. The time and care that goes into their creation ensure that they are true to life and are fully representative of the original artwork. These great prints hold their value much better than anything else out there.

Here is what makes Giclee prints so much better than other print styles:

  • They are printed with a larger range of colors, 12 to be exact
  • More ink is printed per square inch resulting in greater detail and quality
  • Highly durable and long-lasting archival materials make products that hold value well
  • The copies are identical to the original work of art in terms of color and detail
  • Oftentimes the reproduction and the original work of art cannot be differentiated

The wider spectrum of color used to create Giclee prints results in more accurate replications of original pitches, tones, and hues. This printing technique allows shading and specific ranges of color to be more precisely recreated than in standard prints. The depth of color will ensure that the prints remain vivid and detailed for years to come.

This style of printmaking uses more ink than any other method on the market. This allows much more detail to be replicated per square inch of the print. Giclee prints are near identical to original works when viewed from a standard distance, and it is all thanks to the highly sophisticated use of archival ink. The wide range of colors is fully displayed throughout the print due to the volume of ink used.

https://youtu.be/l3Do2MvtFAU
See a Giclee print compared to the original.

The materials used to recreate the original works in Giclee prints all but guarantee that the colors, lines, and subjects will stand the test of time. Giclee prints are the highest quality available, and they will continue to hold there value, even gaining monetarily in some situations. People want to buy the best, and prints made using the Giclee printmaking technique are the best reproduction prints available.

Texture in Giclee Prints

When you invest in Giclee prints, you can even receive purchase a Giclee with a textured surface, making it even more like the original painting. The texture is a separate process added to Giclee prints by hand. This detailed process can add a tremendous amount of value to the print, especially if the original artist added the texture to the Giclee print themselves. If you want a valuable print, keep an eye out for textured Giclees.

Art buyers should jump at the chance to invest in Giclee prints hand-textured by the original artist. This extra consideration makes the print much more valuable than a standard Giclee print alone. Consider this when shopping for Giclee prints of high value. The more contact the print has with the artwork’s original artist, the better.

Where To Buy Giclee Prints

Giclee prints are easily found and can be purchased directly from local artists, art galleries, and art fairs. These days, several of the best places for an art buyer to purchase giclee prints are now online. These include:

These online art galleries offer a large array of artists and artwork. The selection is unbelievable, and their pages include more art and giclee prints for sale than you’ll ever find at any single gallery or art fair.

Conclusion

Giclee prints are the best reproductions on the market. They are printed with the most colors available, utilize more ink per square inch than alternative fine art printing styles, and hold up over the stresses and wear of time. These are fantastic investments for art buyers that might not have the budget to purchase original works.

Giclee prints hold their value exceedingly well and might even grow in value over time. Art buyers choose Giclee prints because of their striking quality and the great chance of earning on the investments. Giclee prints are the gold standard for the reproductions of original works of art.

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Sources:

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