Art Tips, Tricks, and More...10
You
never know when you might hear an art tip about something that is just
the suggestion that will solve an issue for you or help you and your
work in some way. This is an ongoing series of tips and I
would LOVE to have your suggestions as well!Art Tips, Advice, Suggestions on Printing your Art
This is a particularly large art tip post, as this is an important topic for all artists.
First, let's understand the ways to create your art prints. AND most importantly, you must ALWAYS have a great image of the art to begin with, and DO THE RESEARCH to understand what you are getting into. There are definitely costs to not only creating prints yourself or outsourcing the work. And there could also be costly mistakes.
Giclee Printing Business and/or Online - there are online printing shops that are highly reliable in creating great quality prints as well as your local print shops. Ask your fellow artists what their recommendations are - or - ask for samples before ordering. (Pronounced zhee-clay)
DropShipping - there are also companies that will handle the entire printing process for you including shipping and sometimes signing and numbering. Some artists like to handle the signing, numbering then the shipping themselves to personalize the experience for their customers, so see what works for your needs.
Giclee Printing Do-It-Yourself - some artists have professional (great quality) printers at home and create their own prints in sizes as dictated in the minimum to maximum sizes allowed by their printer.
Offset Lithographic Printing - "Offset printing, also called offset lithography, is a method of mass-production printing in which the images on metal plates are transferred (offset) to rubber blankets or rollers and then to the print media." - TechTarget.com
3 Printing Tips from PWAS Treasurer, Mark Murphy:
1. When selling prints of your art through PWAS, we ask that you only offer art quality prints. This starts with a clear, high resolution image that appropriately reflects the colors and values of your original. There are numerous websites with hints on how to do this on your own, but there are also local photographers whose output might warrant the expense for your best work.
2. The gold standard for printing images of your art is a "giclée print". Giclée quality prints are typically produced using inkjet printers (giclée comes from the French word to spray) with high resolution (>300 dpi), colorfast pigment ink (preferred over dye ink), and archival paper (neutral or alkaline pH to prevent yellowing and brittleness). The number of pigments used to produce the image is also important. Printers with six or more pigments can produce colors closer to the original art, twelve different pigments is typically the high end. Most home and small office printers are incapable of producing the needed quality. I've had good luck with Giclee Today but there are dozens of online sites providing this service. While likely more expensive, I've heard that Old Town Editions provides professional results for the entire process.
3. Be careful to properly size the paper and the image. I recommend sticking to sizes that fit premade mats and frames. Here is a reference table that I made for myself. I set up documents in PhotoShop corresponding to all the standard paper sizes onto which I paste my images. Each document has a layer that adds a consistent white border around the image, giving it a professional look. I temporarily turn on a mat layer so that I can confirm that the image is properly sized and centered in the mat opening.
| Frame Size | Mat Opening | Image Size | Paper Size |
| 12" x 12" | 7.5" x 7.5" | 8" x 8" | 10" x 10" |
| 11" x 14" | 7.5" x 9.5" | 8" x 10" | 10" x 12" |
| 16" x 20" | 10.5" x 13.5" | 11" x 14" | 12" x 16" |
| 18" x 24" | 11.5" x 17.5" | 12" x 18" | 14" x 20" |
| 20" x 24" | 15.5" x 19.5" | 16" x 20" | 18" x 22" |
| 24" x 36" | 19.5" x 29.5" | 20" x 30" | 22" x 32" |
3+ Printing Tips from Donna Liguria, PWAS Blog Artistry Spin Admin
4. From Mark Murphy's recommendation, I've been using GicleeToday's Epson Premium WC paper and have had very good results. Allow about 2 weeks for order delivery - but closer to major holidays, order well in advance!
August 2023 GicleeToday Pricing for Epson Premium per Print (+ Shipping)
5. Prints must be packaged correctly for galleries and art shows. Not only for display regulations but for the protection of your own investment in your prints and the customer's in getting the print purchase home safely. The backing board should be the same size if not a bit larger than the print to prevent folding and bending damage. I order backboards, mat boards, occasionally chip boards, and archival clear bags from Amazon. Golden State Art Crystal Clear Acid-Free Sleeves and Backing Boards have been good options. Consider also Avery Self-Adhesive Labels, Self-inking Stamp (as a Template), Business Cards and Certificates of Authenticity. See Display Art Prints, too me, are the bread and butter for an artist. While many art admirers may enjoy your art, they may not be able to afford the original paintings, or perhaps the size of the work is more than they have room for. But they may love supporting your efforts by purchasing a much more affordable and standard sized art print.
Art Prints are also a way of continued income for your artwork originals that have sold or been commissioned. YOU still own the copyright to the work. So make sure you get pictures (GREAT pictures!) of all your work.
For further reading:
Wildlifeartstore How to Make Prints of Your Art: A Complete Printing Guide (2023)
PrintSafari 10 Tips and Tricks of Printing for Artists
ArtinContext How to Make and Sell Prints of Your Art - Complete Guide
FineArtTutorials How to Make Art Prints: The Ultimate Giclee Printing Guide
Art Tips is a series of blog posts with 12 tips per post. See the rest of the Art Tips Series on this page for more tidbits of advice: https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/p/art.html
Send me YOUR art tips too or drop them in the comments below. AND let me know if you find an art tip here that you LOVE!
Author: Mark Murphy
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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