Why to Specialize in Fine Art Printing

No matter who you cater to in your photographer business, offering a high-quality print can help you stand out from the competition. While most photographers stick to standard Photo Prints, adding fine art to your product lineup opens the door to higher-value sales, a more premium brand, and a product your clients genuinely can't replicate on their own.

If you want to level up your photography business, we’ll look at how Fine Art Prints can breathe new life into your product offerings and why it may even attract a new kind of clientele.

What is Giclée Printing?

Fine Art Prints are produced using a process called giclée printing, which uses professional inkjet printers to reproduce artwork and photography at exceptional quality. Unlike standard photo printing, giclée uses archival pigment inks and museum-grade cotton or cellulose papers to produce prints with a wider color gamut, smoother tonal transitions, and significantly longer lifespan. 

What makes giclée printing particularly valuable for professional photographers is the archival quality. Fine Art Prints can maintain their color and integrity for over 100 years, meaning that it’s made for the next generation as much as for your client that is buying it.

Fine Art Prints vs. Photo Prints: What's the Difference?

One of the most common questions photographers have is how Fine Art Prints differ from standard Photo Prints. Here's a breakdown:

Paper

Our Photo Prints are produced with a silver halide, light-sensitive paper, and a chemical process to develop the images. The silver halide releases the dye to show the colors on the final image. The photographic paper is smooth with a glossy, lustre, or matte finish.

Fine Art Prints use acid-free cotton rag or cellulose papers with distinct textures — from smooth matte surfaces to coarse watercolor-like finishes. You can feel the difference the moment you pick one up. Our Fine Art papers are also eco-friendly.

Ink and longevity

Photo Prints typically use dye-based inks that produce vivid color but are more susceptible to fading over time.

Our Fine Art Prints use 9 archival pigment inks that allow for more accurately represented images and resist fading for generations, even in normal display conditions.
 

Why Fine Art Prints Are Good for Your Photography Business

If you want the highest-quality prints, it will mean an investment of your time but not the expense. We will explore a few reasons why specializing in Fine Art Prints can be beneficial:

• Longevity: The ink and paper is archival-quality, making them a truly generational product you can offer with confidence.
• Luxury: Fine Art Prints are more than just visual reproductions. The best quality prints have the texture and finish that you (and your customers) would expect from fine art.
• Acid-free: The vast majority of Fine Art Prints are plant-based, making them acid-free.
• Professional: Whether a client wants to preserve a wedding portrait or a commercial image, they're typically not afraid to splurge on the extra. When you use the finest materials and infuse quality into every square inch, you can establish your business in the right market.

Fine Art Prints can be ordered as loose or mounted works with different border sizes. The array of thicknesses and surface textures make them suitable for archival and display purposes alike.

Effective Marketing Strategies for Fine Art Prints

The best thing that you can do is start with basic education, letting customers know why these prints are different and how they can last for far longer than their original versions. Whether that’s digital art, photos, or artwork, the goal is to emphasize that these are more than just your standard photo prints. Clients who understand the craftsmanship behind the product are more likely to invest in it.

Show the product, not just the image.

When posting to social media or your website, include photos of the actual printed product — the texture of the paper, the way light catches the surface, the finished piece on a wall. This helps potential clients understand what makes Fine Art Prints different from a digital file or typical Photo Print.

Use Fine Art Prints as a brand statement.

Your studio samples, your portfolio, and your marketing materials should feature Fine Art Prints if that's the level of quality you want to be known for. Consistency between what you show and what you sell builds trust.

Offer limited editions.

For landscape, nature, and artistic photography, limited edition Fine Art prints create urgency and increase perceived value. Numbering and signing each print gives clients something exclusive that justifies a premium price.

Know your customers.

You should also take stock of who your customers are, whether they’re parents who want to preserve images of their young children, art aficionados who long to have the best reproductions in their home, or nature lovers who want to capture the Earth’s best moments exactly as they are. When you know your clients, it's easier to guide them to the right style of print. Whether they're looking for loose Fine Art Print or a framed masterpiece, you'll be able to work with clients across the spectrum.