For a long time, I refused to create prints of my art. This was because I didn’t know how to make prints of my art. At the recommendation of commercial artists, I went through three different printers and still did not achieve the results that I wanted. When I did make prints, I didn’t have a place to properly store them. And I couldn’t decide if I wanted to drop-ship or ship the works myself.
After extensive sourcing (note: hours of research and hundreds of dollars spent on ordering, re-ordering and shipping out test items for quality control), I finally offer prints - both at a lower cost point and higher cost point.
I finally found a local printer that also provides high-quality professional scans of my artwork, as well as low-cost supplier that prints and ships work. I plan to launch limited edition archival prints of a few works later this year.
Why Make Prints Of Your Work?
Some artists offer limited editions of their work so others can enjoy their art without spending a lot of money on an original piece. It’s a great way to sell art and also introduce art to a wider network of fans. One of my favorite artists - Shepard Fairey - provides limited editions of his prints to make his work accessible to the general public.
While I can only dream of being that famous one day, I find it commendable that accessibility is part of an artist’s mission. I do believe in art’s potential beyond a pretty commodity - it can bring a sense of beauty, peace and joy to people’s homes.
There are lots of designers who are not fine artists who offer prints and make a substantial chunk of change from it. They produce commercial art prints that are not necessarily archival, meaning they may age over time.
Keep reading to learn more about the difference between fine art and commercial prints.
Why Do Art Prints Cost So Much?
Professional art prints, depending on the size and paper, can range from $5 to hundreds of dollars for a single print. This is because of the archival nature of the ink and paper that professional printers work with to ensure prints are museum-quality and last a long time. Both the ink and paper contain materials that are resistant to fading.
At the same time, these printers also provide services like capturing your artwork at a 250mb resolution to produce a more detailed print.
How To Print Art
While I’ve been able to capture my artwork using just my iPhone and stitching close-up images together for larger works, I find it easier and more efficient to get my artwork scanned. Sometimes, it’s challenging to capture all the layers and details without overexposing the artwork. And I am not technically proficient with a DSLR camera at all!
A quick phone call to Scale Up (read more about them below) answered my questions about archival materials and costs. They were recommended to me by a fellow fine artist and also had rave reviews online.
I ordered their sample materials so I knew what paper I wanted to print on. Again, chatting with an expert fast-tracked my questions about how to get prints of my art - but of archival quality.
Sometimes it takes a while to find the right production partner, but asking around my community turned out to be the best route.
Where To Get Prints Of Your Art
These are the top 3 places that I recommend for printing artwork in San Francisco.
Scale Up Art
An artwork scan for printing starts at $31, which each print costing anywhere from under $10 to over $200, depending on size, quality of paper and quantity ordered. I plan on using their services for a mural-sized reproduction, so will post more on that later this year.
Lightsource
Recommended by my friends who specialize in photography, Lightsource also prints on the same kind of paper but the services vary slightly from Scale Up. They also have a larger team of designers and print up to mural-sized projects as well. You really can’t go wrong with either Scale Up or Lightsource.
Canva
Despite all the bad press that Canva gets from designers (as a site that’s great for DIY projects but not comparable to Adobe in asset creation and design), it offers affordable and solid printing services - posters, notecards, photobooks, etc - for the new artist who isn’t ready to splurge on archival materials just yet.
How to Protect Your Art Prints When They’re Finished
No matter the quality of your art, be sure to keep them out of direct light. Glass that blocks UV light is helpful, or storing them in a box helps. I store mine in a box with archival sleeves. If you plan on framing your work, make sure the mat is acid-free and there is archival mounting tape you can use as well.
Are there any printers in the Bay Area that you would recommend? Share your favorites in the comments below.