What is Digigraphie: Epson’s certified fine art print process

A print that lasts a century

Digigraphie is the standard Epson created in 2003 to move photographic printing into the territory of fine art. It is not a generic commercial label: it is a certification bound to three strict conditions (Epson Professional printer, UltraChrome pigment inks, and fine art papers selected by Epson itself.

The result is a print that, under correct conservation conditions, retains its colour fidelity for more than a century. This is verified by Wilhelm Imaging Research, the independent American institute that tests print longevity.

The difference from a Giclée

The term “giclée” was born in the 1990s in the United States as a generic name for digital inkjet printing on fine art paper. It is correct, but implies no standard. A giclée can be produced with any machine, any ink, any paper.

Digigraphie is a subset of giclée: a certified giclée. Every printer must be enrolled in the Epson Digigraphie programme, every work is numbered in a limited edition, and shipped with an authenticity certificate bearing a holographic seal.

Pigment inks, not dyes

The most important technical distinction. Pigment inks (UltraChrome PRO 10/12) are composed of microscopic solid pigment particles suspended in a binder: they do not dissolve into the substrate and do not decompose under light as traditional dye inks do.

This means deeper blacks, smoother colour gradations and) above all, UV resistance that allows the work to be exhibited without special protective glass.

Museum-grade paper

The papers admitted to the Digigraphie programme are fine art papers with precise specifications: 100% cotton or alpha-cellulose, neutral pH, certified for museum conservation. The most used brands are Hahnemühle, Canson Infinity and Epson itself with the Legacy Series.

Each paper behaves differently: Hahnemühle Photo Rag returns a deep matte black ideal for black and white work; Canson Baryta Photographique is glossy and saturated for high-contrast images; Hot Press Bright is velvety and almost painterly.

Limited edition and numbering

Every Digigraphie is born with a declared edition: for example 30 prints plus a few artist proofs. The numbering (e.g. 7/30) and the artist’s signature are an integral part of the work. Once the edition is sold out, the file is archived and cannot be reprinted under the same process.

This is the fundamental difference between a fine art print and a poster: declared, traceable scarcity.

Why I chose Digigraphie

For two reasons. First, technical: the control over colour and detail allowed by modern digital printing is superior to almost any other reproduction medium, and pigment inks remove the historical longevity compromise of giclée.

Second, ethical. Working in a limited edition is a covenant with the buyer: the work is unique in its number, certified, traceable, and its scarcity is real. No hidden reprints, no “budget” versions.

How to recognise a genuine Digigraphie

Three things to check when buying: the authenticity certificate with Epson holographic seal, the visible numbering on the front of the work (e.g. 3/30), the artist’s autograph signature. The certificate states the certified printer’s name, the paper used, the total edition and the individual print’s number.

If any of these elements is missing, it is not a Digigraphie: it is a print, possibly beautiful, but outside the protocol.