So, you’re an artist and you’re looking to share your creations with the world in print form? That’s fantastic! Making prints of your artwork is a brilliant way to make your art more accessible, reach a wider audience, and even generate income from your passion. You might be wondering, “how do I actually do it?”. You’re not alone! Many artists find the process of creating high-quality art prints a bit daunting at first.
This guide will break down the essential steps to making prints of your artwork, focusing on practical, budget-friendly methods, and ensuring your prints truly showcase the beauty of your originals. Let’s dive in and transform your artwork into stunning prints!
Obtaining a High-Quality Digital Image of Your Artwork
The first, and arguably most crucial step, is to get a top-notch digital image of your original artwork. This digital image will be the foundation for all your prints, so quality here is paramount. You basically have two main routes: professional scanning/photography or doing it yourself.
Some artists opt for professional services to scan or photograph their artwork. Professionals have specialized equipment and expertise to capture every detail, color nuance, and texture. However, this option can be quite costly, especially if you have a large body of work.
For a more budget-conscious approach, many artists, including myself, choose to digitize their art at home. Here are the two primary methods for DIY digitization:
1. Scanning Your Artwork
Scanning is often the preferred method, especially for flat artwork like drawings, paintings on paper, or mixed media pieces without significant texture. A good quality scanner can produce excellent results, capturing intricate details and accurate colors.
When I started creating prints, I used an all-in-one inkjet printer and scanner. It worked for a while, but I soon realized its limitations, especially when dealing with vibrant or fluorescent colors. Standard scanners sometimes struggle to accurately reproduce these colors, often rendering them muted or even gray.
Alt text: Artwork being scanned on a flatbed scanner, showcasing the digitization process for creating art prints.
That’s when I upgraded to the Epson Perfection v600 scanner. This scanner has been a game-changer for me. It’s faster, delivers superior image quality, and handles colors beautifully, including those tricky fluorescent pigments. It’s also user-friendly and compatible with various computer systems. While it’s a bit more expensive than basic all-in-one devices, the investment is well worth it if you’re serious about print quality. If you already have a basic scanner, you can certainly start with that and see if it meets your needs before upgrading. However, if you’re choosing a new device specifically for art prints and don’t need printing capabilities, I highly recommend a dedicated flatbed scanner like the Epson v600.
Tips for Scanning Artwork:
- Clean the scanner bed: Ensure the glass is clean and free of dust or smudges for a clear scan.
- High Resolution: Scan at a high resolution (at least 300 DPI, but 600 DPI is even better for prints) to capture maximum detail.
- Color Settings: Use accurate color settings on your scanner to ensure the digital image faithfully represents your original artwork’s colors.
- Experiment with settings: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different scanner settings to find what works best for your art style and scanner.
2. Photographing Your Artwork
Photographing your artwork is another viable option, particularly for textured pieces, canvases, or larger artworks that might not fit on a standard scanner. With the advancements in smartphone and DSLR camera technology, you can achieve excellent results with photography.
Tips for Photographing Artwork:
- Natural, Diffused Lighting: The key to good art photography is even, diffused lighting. Avoid direct sunlight, which can create harsh shadows and highlights. Overcast days or shaded outdoor areas provide ideal lighting. Indoor, use softboxes or diffuse natural light from a window with a sheer curtain.
- Stable Setup: Use a tripod to keep your camera steady and avoid blurry images.
- Square On and Straight: Position your camera directly perpendicular to your artwork to avoid distortion.
- High Resolution: Shoot in the highest resolution your camera allows.
- White Balance: Set your camera’s white balance appropriately for your lighting conditions to ensure accurate colors. You may need to adjust this in post-processing too.
- Post-Processing: Image editing software (like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or free alternatives like GIMP) will likely be needed to adjust levels, colors, and remove any imperfections in your photograph.
Choosing Your Print Production Method
Once you have a high-quality digital image, the next step is to decide how you’ll produce your prints. You have essentially two main paths: printing them yourself (DIY) or outsourcing the print production to a professional service.
1. DIY Printing: Printing Your Own Art Prints
In the beginning, I tried printing my own art prints using my inkjet printer. While seemingly cost-effective initially, I quickly encountered frustrations. Inkjet printers, especially basic models, can be ink-hungry, and achieving consistent, high-quality prints on art-grade paper proved challenging and expensive in the long run. I wasted a lot of paper and ink trying to get the colors and quality just right. Unless you invest in a high-end photo inkjet printer and learn color management techniques, DIY printing can be time-consuming and potentially more expensive due to waste and supplies.
However, DIY printing can be a good option for:
- Small batches: If you only need a few prints occasionally.
- Testing: For creating test prints to check colors and composition before ordering larger quantities.
- Specific paper types: If you have very specific paper requirements that are not readily available through print services.
2. Outsourcing Print Production: Print-on-Demand and Print Services
For most artists looking to sell prints consistently, outsourcing print production is the more sustainable and efficient route. It saves you time, reduces waste, and often results in higher quality prints, especially when using professional print-on-demand (POD) services.
When I decided to outsource, I first explored Redbubble. Redbubble is a well-known POD platform that handles everything from printing to shipping. They offer a wide range of products, including art prints, cards, canvases, and merchandise. The print quality from Redbubble is excellent. However, the artist’s profit margin on Redbubble is quite small. It might be suitable if your primary goal is exposure and less about immediate profit, or if you have very high sales volumes. Redbubble’s cards are a nice feature, offering cello-wrapping and envelopes, but the branding on the back of the cards wasn’t ideal for my personal branding.
Alt text: Display of finished art prints on a wall, highlighting the visual appeal and presentation of printed artwork.
After Redbubble, I transitioned to iPrintfromHome. I’ve been using them ever since and am extremely happy with their service. iPrintfromHome (IPFH) offers high-quality prints on various fine art papers, prints with a white border (which I prefer for framing), and crucially, they offer drop-shipping. Drop-shipping means they print and ship directly to your customers. This is a huge time-saver, especially for busy artists. Customers have consistently praised IPFH’s packaging, which is robust and ensures prints arrive in perfect condition.
I also use iPrintfromHome for bulk orders when I need prints for art fairs or exhibitions. Bulk ordering brings down the per-print cost, making it more economical for inventory.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Print Service:
- Print Quality: Request samples or read reviews to assess print quality, color accuracy, and paper options.
- Paper Choices: Does the service offer archival quality fine art papers? A variety of paper textures and finishes can enhance different art styles.
- Pricing and Profit Margins: Understand the cost per print and your potential profit margin, especially if using POD services.
- Shipping Options and Costs: Check shipping costs and whether the service offers drop-shipping.
- Customer Service: Responsive and helpful customer service is invaluable, especially when you have questions or issues.
- Product Range: Do they offer other products like cards, canvases, or merchandise if you plan to expand your offerings?
- Location and Shipping Destinations: Consider if they ship internationally if you have a global customer base. iPrintfromHome currently ships within the US and Canada.
Finding a Sustainable Approach for You
Ultimately, the best way to make prints of your artwork is the method that is both affordable and sustainable for you. If the process becomes too overwhelming, expensive, or time-consuming, you’re less likely to consistently create and offer prints.
It’s about finding a balance between quality, cost, and your time investment. Experiment with different options, research print services, and don’t be afraid to adjust your approach as you learn what works best for your art and your business. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and what works for one artist might not be ideal for another.
The most important thing is to start, learn, and adapt. Making prints of your artwork can be a rewarding journey that allows you to share your art with more people and build a thriving art practice.
Are you an artist who makes prints? What are your preferred methods and recommendations? Share your advice in the comments below! And if you’re just starting out, what questions do you still have about making art prints? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help!
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