Have you ever wanted to make money from your art? You can. Many artists find ways to sell their giclee prints on websites like Squarespace, Etsy, or a website built with WordPress. Are you interested in creating passive income from your original artwork? Don’t miss these professional tips on making art prints at home to sell if this sounds appealing.
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What You Need To Make Prints At Home
Making prints at home is not difficult if you have the right equipment. There will also be some testing required to get the colors accurate. Once you know the basics, the process is relatively straightforward. Not long ago, artists relied on a printing company to produce a high-quality print of their original paintings. Today artists do not need a local printer service. They have the opportunity to make prints at home or use a print-on-demand service like Printful to print and ship the merchandise to the buyer.
If you have an online shop and want to make prints at home, follow the simple instructions below. There are additional resources for each section so you can quickly learn how to make the best quality prints for your art fans.
Artwork
The first step is relatively straightforward. You need to create art. It does not matter what medium you use to create your artwork. You can make reproductions of the original work. The only difference is that you might need different equipment to create prints. For example, if you are a graphite artist, a scanner is required to make a digital image for reproductions. If you are a pastel artist, you will find better results with a digital camera.
Make Digital Copies Or Your Work
Next is to make digital copies of your work. There are some different ways to do this. For example, you can scan the original piece using a scanner or take pictures with a DSLR camera.
If your artwork is 8″ x 10″, you will be able to scan your art. You will need to photograph your work if the artwork is more extensive.
The equipment you use will affect the outcome of your digital image. It is essential to have a crisp, clear digital photo of 300 dpi (dots per inch) for creating art prints at home.
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Edit The Digital Image
The next step is to edit your digital image in photo-editing software.
We recommend using Photoshop for the editing process.
Photoshop is powerful editing software that will allow you to
- Crop images
- Resize images
- Make color adjustments
- Edit or Erase Unwanted Details
- Adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation
There is a learning curve when it comes to editing images on Photoshop.
Check out this tutorial, Adobe Photoshop 2022 Photo Editing, to make the learning process quicker.
If you are looking for free software, GIMP, Paint.net, or Pixlr are good alternatives but not as powerful as Photoshop.
Home Printers
The next step is to get a home printer and inks for printing your images. The printer you use will depend on the size of your artwork.
You will need a high-quality printer made especially for printing quality photos to produce high-quality prints. Regular home/office printers will not give you the results you need for selling limited edition prints.
6 Best Printers For Printing Fine Art Prints
Start By Making Small Prints
Once you have a high-quality digital image, it is time to make small prints of your work. Make the test prints on the same paper as the final artwork. It is okay to start with smaller prints until you get everything right. You can always go back and print larger versions later.
Carefully cut out the printed art images you need to make the final prints. Hold on to your test samples for future reference.
Setting Up The Printer
Depending on the printer you have, the final setup process will vary. Most printers come with a printer driver that you install to set up your print settings for future use.
The next step is to open up your printing software and set up your image for printing.
In most cases, you can copy and paste the digital image from Photoshop to your printing software.
Right Paper
You will also want to consider what type of fine art paper you will use for your artwork prints. The paper’s quality will affect the selling price of the reproduction prints and reflect on your art business. Whether you are selling online or at art fairs, using archival inks and higher-cost paper for the prints of your artwork will pay off in the long run. Check out the different fine art printing paper available for home printing.
Printing On Acrylic
As any artist knows, choosing the right medium is essential for creating a successful piece of art. While many options are available, each with its unique benefits, acrylic is often an ideal choice for printing.
Here are just a few reasons why artists might want to consider printing on acrylic:
Printing on acrylic results in a high-quality image that is crisp and vibrant. The smooth surface of the acrylic also ensures that the ink will not bleed or smudge. In addition, printing on acrylic is a relatively simple process that can be done at home with minimal equipment.
Acrylic prints also have a high level of durability, meaning they will not fade or discolor over time. When hung on a wall, they create a modern and stylish look that will impress.
With so many advantages, it’s no wonder that more and more artists are choosing to print on acrylic. Printing on acrylic is worth considering whether you want a durable print that will last for years or a vibrant and eye-catching image.
Creating The Final Prints
The final step is to create the prints you are ready to sell online. Depending on the size of your art, you can print 1-up or 4-up images, so you produce more prints at once. Printing multiple copies of the same idea is set in sequential order. The reason is that if one of the images is smudged, you want to know which print it came from.
Final Thoughts On Making Prints At Home
Making your prints is simple if you follow the outlined steps in this article. We hope these tips will help save some time and money when getting started with selling art prints online. If you are new to selling art online, you might consider starting with Etsy or looking into the best Etsy alternatives for Creative People.
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