From original artwork to prints people will buy

Selling prints of your own art is how many illustrators, painters and photographers start earning from their work. An original can only be sold once; a good print can be sold many times, at a price that more people can afford. Craft fairs, online shops, open studios and small galleries all run on prints.

The quality of the print is what makes the difference between a sale and a pile of unsold stock. A print that looks flat, has the wrong colours or curls in its sleeve undersells the artwork behind it. This guide covers the decisions that matter: getting a good digital file, choosing between giclee and standard digital printing, picking paper, deciding on open or limited editions and packing prints so they arrive looking right.

Step one: a good digital file of the artwork

Every print can only be as good as the file it comes from. For digital artwork this is simple; for physical paintings and drawings it is the hardest step.

Digital and illustrated work

Work at the size you plan to sell, or larger, at 300 pixels per inch. If you plan to sell an A3 print, set up an A3 canvas from the start. Upscaling a small file later rarely looks good on paper.

Paintings and drawings

Small flat pieces up to around A4 or A3 can be scanned on a good flatbed scanner. Larger work, textured paint and anything behind glass is usually photographed with even lighting from both sides, a camera on a tripod and a colour reference card in the frame. Many print studios offer artwork scanning or photography; it is often worth paying for once, because the file will be used for every print you ever sell. Our guide to scanning and sizing artwork covers the basics for smaller pieces.

Colour checking

Before ordering a batch, compare a test print against the original in daylight. Adjust the file, not your expectations. Expect at least one round of tweaks; reds, deep blues and very subtle washes are the usual troublemakers.

Giclee or standard digital printing?

"Giclee" is a term used for high-quality inkjet prints made with pigment-based inks on archival paper. It is not a protected standard, so different studios use it a little differently, but in general it means:

• a wide-format inkjet printer using many ink colours, which gives smooth gradients and a wide colour range;
• pigment inks rather than dye inks, which resist fading much longer under normal indoor light;
• acid-free, archival paper made from cotton or alpha-cellulose.

Standard digital printing, using toner or production inkjet on coated paper, is cheaper per print and fine for postcards, small prints and open editions sold at lower prices. For prints sold as artwork at a higher price, and for anything described as "archival", giclee on fine art paper is what buyers expect. Be honest in your listings about which method you used.

Choosing paper for art prints

Paper changes how the artwork feels as much as how it looks. Ask your printer for a sample pack and print one image on several papers before you decide.

• Smooth matte fine art paper suits illustration, line work and graphic designs. Detail stays sharp and there is no glare.
• Textured watercolour-style paper suits paintings, especially watercolour and gouache, and gives a print a hand-made feel. Very fine detail softens slightly on heavy texture.
• Baryta or satin papers suit photography and rich, dark artwork that needs depth.
• Weight: fine art papers are usually heavy, often around 300 gsm, which helps prints lie flat and feel substantial in a buyer's hand.

Whatever you pick, use the same paper for the whole edition so every print in it matches.

Open editions and limited editions

Open editions

An open edition has no fixed number. You print as many as you sell. Open editions suit lower-priced prints, postcards and designs you expect to keep selling for years.

Limited editions

A limited edition has a fixed total, decided before you sell the first one. Each print is numbered, for example 12/50, meaning the twelfth print in an edition of fifty. Once the edition is sold, you do not print that image at that size again. Buyers pay more for this, so keep the promise: record every number you sell and never top up a finished edition.

A few conventions most artists follow:

• Sign and number in pencil, usually in the bottom margin, with the number on the left and signature on the right.
• Leave a white border around the image so there is room to sign and so the print can be framed with a mount.
• Artist's proofs, marked "AP", are a small extra set kept outside the main numbering. If you make them, say how many exist.
• A simple certificate of authenticity with the title, edition number, size, paper and printing method reassures buyers.

Sizes, packaging and selling

Standard sizes such as A4, A3 and 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 inches are easier to sell, because buyers can find frames for them. Offering two sizes of each design is a common approach: a smaller print at a lower price and a larger one for people who want a statement piece. For guidance on how prints look grouped together on a wall, which helps when choosing sizes for a series, see our article on gallery wall print sizes.

Pack prints flat in clear sleeves with a stiff backing board, or roll larger ones in a strong tube with tissue. A small printed card with the artwork's title and your contact details turns a one-off sale into a repeat customer. Simple branded stickers for sleeves and envelopes help too; see custom stickers and labels for ideas.

Many artists start with a small batch, ten or twenty of each design, and reprint as they sell. Because giclee and digital printing need no plates, short runs are practical and you avoid boxes of unsold stock.

Keeping records as your print range grows

Once you have more than a handful of designs, a simple spreadsheet saves a lot of confusion. For each design, note the file name and version, the paper, the sizes you sell, the date of each print run and, for limited editions, every number sold and to whom. When a customer asks for a matching print a year later, you can reorder the same paper and file and know the new prints will match. It also gives you a clear picture of which designs actually sell, so the next batch goes on the work people want rather than on guesses.

Common mistakes when selling art prints

• Ordering a large batch before seeing a test print against the original.
• Calling a print "archival" or "giclee" when it was printed with dye inks on standard paper.
• Selling a limited edition without keeping a record of the numbers sold.
• Cropping the image to fit a size without checking that nothing important is lost at the edges.
• Packing prints in thin envelopes that bend in the post.

Printing your art prints with Happy Print Shop

We print art prints from your files with pigment inks on smooth and textured fine art papers, as well as more affordable digital prints for postcards and open editions. You can order a single test print first, compare it with your original and then order your edition in small batches as you sell.

If you are not sure which paper suits your work, send us a file and we will recommend a couple of options. See our large print options or get in touch with your artwork, the sizes you plan to sell and roughly how many you need.