Frequently Asked Questions

The word Giclée is French for “sprayed ink”. Today, the term is used to describe a sophisticated inkjet printmaking process, which creates the highest quality fine art reproductions.

Giclée printing offers extra-fine image resolution, helping retain a higher degree of detail from the original fine art or photographic images.

As a Fine Art Trade Guild approved printer, prints undergo annual testing by a UKAS-approved laboratory. Key requirements for this quality standard are the lightfastness of a print, ensuring that it scores a value of 6 or more on the Blue Wool Scale in all areas.

Only original and official UV (pigment based) inks are used ensuring each print faithfully reproduces the tone, temperature, and colour of the original image. UV inks contain enhanced light stabilisers; offering far more durability than dye-based inks; protecting the vibrancy of your prints for over 100 years in ideal conditions.

A lot of research and development has gone into the various aspects and materials that make up a Giclée print.

The archival nature of the print varies according to the type of inks used, as well as the archival properties of your chosen paper selected and the conditions in which the print is displayed or stored. Current scientific opinion is that our recommended papers and Giclée printing process will produce a print that lasts between 100 and 200 years in good conditions.

Canvases are printed on specialist canvas material using a 12-colour Giclée process. This material is then hand-stretched over a handmade wooden canvas frame, which is made from four separate parts called canvas stretcher bars.

The canvas corners are folded tightly over each edge and then the material is fixed with staples to the canvas stretcher bar frame. Tape is then used to cover all staples, ensuring a smooth and neat finish.

A European knotless pine frame is used. This frame is extremely hard wearing and does not warp, unlike many of the cheap online alternatives.

Each canvas stretcher frame is milled with a curved profile and rounded edges. This shape helps to minimise contact with the front face of the canvas, preventing unsightly impression marks and surface cracking.

The canvas frame is fully finger-jointed. This means that longer frames are made from several lengths of wood pressure-jointed together, helping the frame to resist warping. This combination of techniques helps ensure that canvas frames are exceptionally straight, even at the largest sizes.

Where required, wooden ‘wedges’ are added to each corner, ensuring your canvas print remains taut. These tensioning wedges are also particularly useful when re-stretching larger prints, which can relax over time.

The print labs that Nilla’s Photography use are specialists in printing, packing, and shipping personalised made-on-demand products direct to you.

Every order passes through a quality assurance process before being securely packed for domestic or international shipping.

Products are manufactured in different locations around the world, so delivery costs and times are lowered by shipping the order from a location most local to a customer.

Regardless of where the product is manufactured, all shipments use suitable and secure packaging, and are sent using a trusted courier.

Unframed prints are hand rolled in protective tissue paper and then shipped in extra thick cardboard tubes. A delivery note is included with each package.

All framed and canvas prints are wrapped in a protective sleeve with individual plastic or cardboard guards added to each corner. Additional cardboard is secured over the print surface to minimise the risk of breakages or transit damage. Each print is then shipped in a heavy duty cardboard box.

Packaging standards have been refined many times, over many years and it is now extremely rare for breakages or damage to occur. On those rare occasions when incidents do happen we strive to ensure that your collection and replacement are organised immediately and shipped back out on a priority service without any fuss.

Items are typically received within 3–10 working days. However, this timeframe does not include Customs Clearance if applicable to your country.

To help track the progress of your order an email receipt, estimated delivery date, and tracking links are provided when your product ships.

All products are dispatched using either courier or recorded mail and have tracking.

A Flat Rate shipping is charged worldwide.

Shipping for one canvas costs US$10 (plus US$3 per each canvas thereafter when purchased in the same order). Shipping for one photo costs US$6.00 (plus US$1 per each photo thereafter when purchased in the same order).