An artist may want to print their artwork for a number of reasons.
Maybe you’re a digital artist and want a physical copy of your art, or you could be building up your portfolio for that art school you’ve always dreamed of.
Or you could even be at a stage in your art career where you want to monetize your artwork.
Modern technology has improved exponentially over the past couple of years, and printing your art has never been easier.
So, for whatever reason you want to print your art, below is a guide on how to do so.
Should You Photograph Or Scan Your Art?
Before you start printing your artwork, the first thing you need to think about is: are you going to photograph or scan your art?
Either way, your art needs to be in a digital format, so you can edit your piece and begin printing it.
Choosing between scanning or photographing can sometimes be difficult; however, it all depends on the type of art you’re trying to print and the size of it.
Photographing Your Art
Photographing your art is the more popular technique. Using a camera, you can create high-resolution images for high-quality art prints, no matter the size or texture of the art.
Whether you choose to do this at home with a DSLR camera, or even a smartphone camera.
You can achieve professional-level results with the right equipment; although, this may require some trial and error.
As an alternative, you could also go to a professional who will photograph your art for you. This will ensure that it is of the highest quality and accuracy, as they have professional cameras and lighting.
Scanning Your Art
On the other hand, you could wish to scan your artwork. This is more practical for smaller pieces of art and anything colored, since lighting won’t affect the color correction.
However, larger pieces of art won’t be able to fit in a scanner and this is also dependent on the texture and fit of the art, as most scanners require flat pieces of work.
So, whichever method you choose to digitize your art, the next step would be to edit your art, on any software, to your desired liking and then, finally, print it.
How To Choose Printers
At their most basic form, art prints are essentially just replicas of art. Most artists can hold sentimental value to their artwork, and the thought of selling it can be very daunting.
To combat this, more and more people are choosing to print their artwork as opposed to using their original work, which they can then keep for themselves.
While reproductions do not sell as much as original pieces, it does give you the flexibility to print a piece of art over and over again.
There are many ways to print your artwork, and each process will produce slightly different results.
You should also keep in mind the type of art you want to print, digital art will be much easier to print than a physical piece of art.
However, for both these art forms, regardless of the medium, it’s important to choose the right printer. Below is a guide on all the ways you could print your artwork.
DIY Printing
The first way to start printing your artwork is to do it yourself! This is great for new artists or anyone beginning their art print journey.
All you need is a good quality home office printer, acid-free paper (this resists fading from sunlight), and ink.
This method is usually limited to printing art on paper; however, some specialty printers may allow you to print on different textures.
When printing your art prints, it’s important to remember that sometimes the printed pieces do not look the same as the original, or on-screen art.
This is where trial and error comes into play. Using editing software, you can edit and reshape your art until you find your perfect color saturation, size, or contrast.
Using A Printing Company
Another way to print your art is through a printing company.
A local or online printing company is usually the best option if you’re printing bulk, since they will typically provide a batch discount while being of top quality.
These companies are great for small businesses who are starting in the art print industry.
With this method of printing, the printing company will send back your finished prints to you, typically within 1-2 weeks.
This method provides you with full reign if you wish to sell your art or use it within portfolios.
Additionally, using a printing company allows you to choose any paper you wish to print your art pieces from.
This ranges from canvas, board paper, and many more, with the chosen print in a variety of sizes – which many home office printers don’t have the capability to print.
Print On Demand
The last method of printing your art is printing on demand. This is ideal for art print businesses that see many orders from across the country.
It is the most hands-free and flexible option if you are looking to sell art prints online.
They typically work by integrating with an online print shop and with every order coming in, they print and ship your art prints to customers.
Meaning all the work is done for you – all you need to do is upload your art print digitally, and they’ll do the rest.
These companies are usually very versatile as well, allowing you to print and ship your prints in a variety of papers, sizes, and packaging.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways you can print your art. Whether this is for commercial use or personal use. There is a printing method that can suit your personal needs and requirements.
While many artists beginning their careers in art prints prefer to print and ship their own art, the more you grow as a business and the more orders you receive; this can sometimes get overwhelming.
So printing and print-on-demand companies are great options to tackle this.
However, if you are printing your own art, it’s important to have all the right equipment to produce quality art prints, which can be successfully achieved at home.
Hopefully, this article has provided you with an insight into how to make prints of your art.
While there are many methods, it’s important to choose the one which is right for you and your requirements. No matter your skill level or expertise, anyone can make quality art prints.
If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy our post on ‘How Much Is Canva Pro?‘.
