Preparing Your Files for Giclée Printing: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re an artist or photographer looking to produce professional-quality Giclée prints, one of the most important steps happens before any ink hits paper: file preparation.

Properly preparing your artwork ensures that what you see on screen translates beautifully to paper — with sharp details, vibrant colour, and no unwanted surprises.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key steps to prepare your files for Giclée printing, whether you’re submitting digital artwork, scanned illustrations, or high-resolution photographs.

🎯 Why File Preparation Matters

Giclée printing is all about precision. The combination of pigment inks, archival paper, and high-resolution output creates a stunning result — but only if your source file is up to standard.

Common issues from unprepared files include:

• Blurry or pixelated prints

• Unexpected colour shifts

• Poor tonal range

• Cropping or size errors

• Lack of detail in shadows or highlights

Good preparation avoids all of that and helps us deliver prints that match your creative vision as closely as possible.

✅ Step 1: Choose the Right File Format

We recommend submitting your artwork in one of the following formats:

TIFF is the gold standard because it preserves every pixel without compression. However, high-quality JPEGs can be acceptable for smaller prints or less colour-critical work.

📐 Step 2: Set the Correct Resolution

Your file should be set to 300 DPI (dots per inch) at the final print size.

For example:

• An A3 print (297mm × 420mm) = 3508 × 4961 pixels

• An A2 print (420mm × 594mm) = 4961 × 7016 pixels

Anything below 240 DPI risks appearing soft or pixelated when printed.

💡 Pro tip: Avoid upscaling small images to a larger DPI. It can introduce blurriness. If you’re unsure, ask us to check your file before printing.

🎨 Step 3: Use the Right Colour Profile

We recommend submitting files in AdobeRGB (1998), which offers a wider colour gamut than sRGB. This ensures the best possible colour fidelity in your prints.

Make sure to embed the colour profile into your file. If you’re unsure which profile your file uses, we can check for you.

✂️ Step 4: Think About Borders & Bleed

Before you export your artwork, decide whether you want a white border around your print, or a full bleed (edge-to-edge) print.

• White border: Add it as part of your design or let us know the size you want (e.g., 1 inch).

• Full bleed: Add 3mm bleed on all sides to prevent cropping issues.

We’ll always check before trimming, but clearly specifying your intent helps avoid surprises.

💡 Step 5: Prepare for Colour Accuracy

Getting your printed colours to match what you see on screen can be tricky — especially if your monitor isn’t calibrated.

Tips to improve colour accuracy:

• Work in natural lighting when editing

• Avoid overly saturated adjustments — they may print unrealistically

• Don’t rely on phone or tablet screens to judge colours

• Use soft proofing in Photoshop to simulate how your work will look on paper

• Request a test print if your work is colour-critical

At Giclée UK, we calibrate our monitors and printers regularly using X-Rite i1Pro systems, so our prints remain consistent across jobs.

🖼️ Step 6: Choose Your Print Size

Let us know the final print size you want. If your artwork has unusual dimensions, we’ll help fit it to the closest standard size (A4, A3, A2, A1, etc.) while maintaining proportions.

We can also print custom sizes, and we’ll let you know the maximum printable area for your selected paper.

🧰 Optional: File Setup Checklist

Here’s a quick checklist you can use before submitting your artwork:

• ✅ File format: TIFF, PSD, or high-quality JPEG

• ✅ Resolution: 300 DPI at final print size

• ✅ Colour profile: AdobeRGB (1998) preferred

• ✅ Flattened layers (unless PSD format)

• ✅ No extra canvas space unless needed

• ✅ Bleed or border instructions included

• ✅ File is named clearly (e.g., “Sam_Jones_Sunset_A3.tiff”)

💬 Bonus Tips for Artists & Photographers

For Painters or Illustrators:

• Scan your original at 600 DPI or higher

• Remove any dust or debris in Photoshop

• Match paper tone to your original medium (e.g. warm paper for watercolours)

For Photographers:

• Avoid aggressive sharpening — let us handle it if needed

• Shoot in RAW, then convert to TIFF or JPEG

• Crop and clean up any unwanted edges

For Digital Artists:

• Work in 16-bit colour when possible

• Use vector shapes or high-res raster elements

• Keep working layers in your PSD, but flatten for final export

🧪 Proofing: Try Before You Buy

If you’re new to Giclée printing or printing a colour-sensitive piece, we recommend ordering a proof print or a test strip. It’s an affordable way to make sure you’re happy with:

• Paper choice

• Colour output

• Sharpness and detail

• Border and crop accuracy

We can provide A5 or A4 proofs depending on the size of your final print.

📤 How to Submit Your Files to Giclée UK

Right now, you can send us files in any of the following ways:

• 📧 Email: info@gicleeuk.com (for smaller files under 25MB)

• 🔗 File Transfer: We can provide a secure Dropbox or WeTransfer link

• 📥 Online Upload: Coming soon — a built-in uploader on our website via WooCommerce

If you’re submitting multiple files, please include a clear filename for each, and add instructions if you need borders, resizing, or proofing.

🖨️ We’re Here to Help

At Giclée UK, we treat every job with the same level of care — whether you’re printing one image or a full exhibition run. If you’re unsure about any part of the file prep process, just ask. We’re always happy to check your files before printing to make sure everything’s spot on.

📍 Final Thoughts

Preparing your artwork properly for Giclée printing might take a little extra time, but it’s absolutely worth it. By setting up your files correctly, you’ll ensure your prints do justice to your original vision — with rich colour, sharp detail, and a professional finish that lasts.

Got a question about a file? Drop us a message anytime. We’re always happy to help.