Much costlier than the traditional 4-color offset lithography, giclee printing requires the use of archival printing inks that are by their nature fade resistant. The CYMK (cyan, yellow, magenta and black) color process is similar, but multiple cartridges may be used to provide variations of each color. The additional subtle variations increase the resolution and gamut, or subset of colors, which in turn allows for smooth gradient transitions. Ink manufacturer companies provide quality inks as worthwhile as OEM products, and with characteristics needed to produce the sort of artist-controlled image production event desired.

The term "giclee," pronounced, "zhee-clay," comes from the French word for nozzle, "gicleur," and was coined by printmaker Jack Duganne in the early 1990s. The word was intended to distinguish these inkjet based digital prints, commonly called "Iris proofs" from the fine art prints being produced. Ink manufacturer products in the early years showed color degradation after only a few years, and so these early Iris prints were considered relatively fugitive, or non-permanent. Archival printing inks have only improved so that longevity and lightfastness have been extended notably. Though giclee prints are more expensive per print than four color offset lithography, they are used frequently. The making of a giclee print doesn't require a large investment of capital; these can be made on a "per print" basis, and so they allow the artist to make prints on demand. In addition, this style of printing allows the artist have complete control of image output, including color and substrate.