Skip to main content

Fine Art or Photographic Prints?

magical world illustration/1166971704

Having trouble deciding between fine art prints or photographic prints? Fine art printing is a process of printing on extremely high-quality paper whereas photographic prints are printed on photographic paper. Both are excellent quality so the aim of this article is to help you decide what’s best for you.


What is the difference between Fine Art and Photographic Prints?

Main point to focus on is the superior quality of fine art prints and price.

What is a fine art print?

Fine art printing, also referred to Giclee, is used in reference to high-quality prints. It's a printing technique used many museums and art galleries throughout the world for its unique, artwork qualities, with the texture of the paper helping to add to the overall pleasure of the photo or artwork.

What is a photo print?

A photographic print is an original work of art (including photographs) digitally printed; the process of making prints from an electronic file.

Fine Art Printing

Fine art printing is a process of printing a digital photo on extremely high-quality archival and acid free papers which will last 75-100 years if cared for properly. These prints are produced on wide format inkjet printers with the very finest pigment-based inks, rather than dye based inks used for photo prints. This process produces amazingly vivid colours, making them the closest match to original artworks.

Due to the way the ink sits on the paper, they have a different look to a photo print, but that is the fine art print’s charm.

Photo Printing

Photographic prints are digitally printed which is the process of making prints from an electronic file. They're produced on top-of-the-range printers using state-of-the-art software to maximize quality. They're printed on archival (long lasting) grade paper so that colours are bold and realistic to enhance images.

Our photo prints have a Lustre finish, which is halfway between gloss and matt. As some customers prefer to purchase prints to frame themselves, we believe Lustre is the most versatile finish for unframed and framed prints.

Should I buy a Fine Art or Photographic Print?

Fine Art Storehouse prints are available in a range of sizes and panoramic orientations.

Fine art prints are superior to photographic prints so think about what kind of quality you want and your price range.

Photographic prints are more popular, so if you’re concerned about price, and simply want a good quality print, then this product will be right for you. Or if you are looking for a museum quality print, the price of the fine print will be justified in the long run.