Giclée is a term for fine art digital prints produced on inkjet printers, usually referring to high-quality prints. The term was coined by American printer manufacturer Jack Duganne in 1991 and describes the way ink is applied to paper during the printing process. The term literally translates to “jet” in French, meaning jet of ink, which requires high-quality, high-weight papers.
Although giclée prints are more expensive to produce compared to the typical four-color lithography process, this type of printing has more benefits and higher quality prints. The production time on a print is generally faster and usually allows the artist to have more control over the result through color correction and the type of paper used.
Source: The Giclée Printing Process: What Artists Need to Know, by Liana Hayles Newton, July 12, 2016.