How To Sell Art Prints Online (And Make Money)

Complete Guide On How To Sell Art Prints Online

Have you been contemplating on selling prints of your original artwork? 

Selling prints online is a great way for you to supplement your income.

Using multiple revenue streams is an essential marketing strategy successful artists use for their online art business.

There will be times when you sell high ticketed original artwork, and there will be times when your original art sales will be flat.

An opportunity is available to generate an income selling your prints when you are waiting for an original painting to sell. 

Another benefit of offering prints of your artwork is that you will also be earning passive income from a painting or drawing you have already spent time creating. 

One more bonus of selling fine art prints is that you will be able to reach a broader audience.

There are so many people searching for wall art, home décor and even art on merchandise like phone cases.

People are searching in the online marketplace for art but can not afford to purchase original art.

Offering them giclee prints of your original artwork will allow them to purchase and display your art in their homes.

The problems artists face when they first start selling prints online is knowing how to get started.

In this post, I will talk about everything you will need to know about selling art prints online so you can start reaching a broader audience and start making money from art you have already created.

Get The PDF

I have everything that you need for learning how to sell prints of your original artwork here in this article. But it is a long read. If it’s more convenient, you can purchase the PDF file for only $0.99. It has the full article (including pictures). This way you can print it out and will be available for you to refer to anytime you want. (Click on the book below to purchase)

Before You Start Selling Prints Online

The only way you can be successful in selling art online is by learning everything you can about digital marketing.

So many artists try to sell art online and become frustrated when no sales come in. Most of these artists thought that all they would have to do is show an image of their art on Facebook or their artist website, and it would magically sell for them.

It takes more than uploading an image to land a sale.

The only way your art will sell is when the right person sees your listing at the correct times.

Taking the time to learn about digital marketing is so essential for artists selling art online, and I recommend artists to start learning about online marketing from day one.

If you are willing to put in the time, you can do very well selling your prints.

Did you know that the opportunities to generate an income selling your art online are better than ever? 

There are almost 4 billion internet users in the world, and online sales are increasing every year.

As long as you have a computer and internet access, you have everything you need to have your art seen by millions of people worldwide.

Before I talk about how you can earn extra money selling prints of your art, I would like to share some online business courses created especially for artists and crafters.

• The Art of Selling What You Make by Tara Gentile
• How to Make a Living Selling What You Make by Megan Auman
• Blogging to Sell Your Products by Megan Auman
• Simple Email Marketing for Makers by Megan Auman
• Brand Your Creative Business by Megan Auman

Why am I talking about taking courses in a post about selling prints online?

I am mentioning investing in business courses because of the increase in competition. 

It was easy for me to build an audience when I started selling my art in the early 2000s. 

There where just a handful of artists who were selling similar artwork online.

Today there are thousands of artists just like you trying to make some money selling their artwork.

Investing in courses will help you to separate yourself from all of the competition online who are not taking the time to learn about digital marketing.

Who Should Sell Art Prints Online

Some artists feel selling giclee prints of their original artwork, their work’s value diminishes.

Other artists feel that generating extra income from selling prints of their artwork will help them when times are tough, and original art sales are slow.

There is no right or wrong answer to who should be selling prints of their art. The answer all depends on your unique art business goals.

You might decide only to sell your original art part-time at craft shows or fairs.

Maybe you want to earn some extra money so you can afford vacations every year. (In that case, you might want to sell prints of your original artwork.)

Maybe you will only want to offer limited edition prints after your original art has been sold, and that is ok.

You might want to offer prints so people who can’t afford your originals can still enjoy your work.

As you can see, there are many different reasons why you might decide to sell art prints online or not to sell art prints.

Take some time and think about your objectives.

• Where would you like to be in five or ten years from now?
• Ask yourself, “Is selling prints of my artwork right for me?“

You will be the only person who can answer that question.

There is no right or wrong answer. You can always change your mind in the future.

If you already sell art prints online and you decide in five years, it will be better for your career if you don’t sell copies; all you have to do is stop offering them.

The answer you give today is not etched in stone. Your business decisions will change as your art business grows.

Do you have your business goals documented?

If you don’t, I strongly recommend you write down your goals.

Your business goals will give you direction for your marketing strategies.

Check out my eBook How To Write Goals You Can Achieve if you struggle to write business goals.

If you are ready to start selling prints of your art online and make some money, continue reading. You will learn everything you need to know to get your artwork seen around the world.

How To Prepare Artwork For Prints

For you to sell your art online, you need first to photograph or scan your art.

A digital image allows you or a printing company to make copies of your art, which you can sell on your artist website, craft shows, Etsy, art blog, or POD sites.

The options available for you to make money from your original art are endless.

Different Ways You Can Sell Art Pints

• Framed art
• Merchandise like mugs, shirts, calendars, keepsakes, etc.
• Greeting cards
• Postcards

Before you can start making money selling prints, you first have to digitize your artwork.

Below are two ways you can create a digital image of your art.

Photographing Artwork

If your art is larger than A4 paper (A4 paper measures 11.69 inches x 8.27) you will need to photograph your art.

Taking a picture of your artwork can be a challenge. You might want to consider hiring a professional photographer if you are having difficulties.

The other option you have is to learn how to photograph your art yourself or ask someone you know to do you a favor.

Keep in mind. Art sells online because of the quality of the image representing the art. 

People can not see the art in person or touch the work if they are shopping online. They have to trust that what they receive will be the same as the image on the artist website.

If you are going to be taking photos of your artwork, you will want a decent camera. 

It is an investment, but it will be cheaper than hiring someone to photograph your artwork.

Best Cameras For Photographing Art

• Sony Alpha SLT-A99 Digital Camera Body {24.3 M/P}
• Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera Body {16.3 M/P} – With Battery
• Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera Body {15.1 M/P}

For more information about digital cameras visit 4 Best Digital Cameras For Photographing Artwork.

Tripod

Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber 3-Section Tripod Legs 25-68.9″ –

Photographing Art Tips

• Don’t place your art in direct sunlight or use a flash.
• Photograph your artwork in the shade or a well light room with natural light.
• Line up your art so it will be easier for you to crop.
• Take multiple pictures using different lighting. Digital images are free, and you can quickly delete the ones you will not be using.

Related Post: 7 Tips Photographing Artwork to Sell

The quality of your image will determine if your artwork will sell or not. I highly recommend dedicating some time learning how to take pictures like the pros.

The time you spend learning will significantly increase the chance of you landing a sale. Practice makes perfect. The more you do something, the better you will be. Do not get discouraged at first. You will be learning as you go.

The good news is, if you do not like the images you took, you can choose another one at no extra cost. 

That is the great advantage of digital cameras. When you capture the perfect shot, start making prints and post them online.

Related Resource: Craft Photography Fundamentals with Candice Stringham

Here are some helpful videos that explain how to photogragh original art to sell prints online.

Editing Your Digital Image

After you have photographed your artwork you will need to crop, resize for print and adjust the contrast and color to get your image to look as beautiful as your art does in real life.

Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom provides the best photography tools to organize, edit and enhance your photos.

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful software and will take some time to learn. If you are unfamiliar with Photoshop I recommend taking some courses.

There are plenty of tutorials that will help you to learn Photoshop in no time.

Related Resources:

Practical Photoshop Basics with Khara Plicanic

Photoshop Mastery: Fundamentals with Ben Willmore

Here is a video that shows you how to edit your artwork in Photoshop.

Scanning Artwork

If your art is smaller than A4 paper, you will be able to scan your art.

I use and recommend the Epson Perfection V600 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner – Corded for scanning my graphite drawings.

Details:

• 6400 x 9600 dpi for enlargement up to 17” x 22”
• Scan slides
• Removes the appearance of tears, creases, dust, and scratches
• Scans in greyscale
• Scans 9 x 11 paper

Related Post:  How to Share Your Drawings Online

After you have a digital image of your artwork, you will be able to edit and reproduce your artwork.

The options you have are, printing the images yourself, using a printing service, or using a POD site.

There are pros and cons for both scanning your artwork or taking photographs of your art. You will need to determine what will be the best solution for you.

For more information about scanners visit Best Art Scanner For Graphite Artists.

Now that you know how to make art prints for sale, leys talk about making money selling art prints.

After all, you are here because you want to learn how to make money selling art prints.

Where To Sell Prints

Now that you know how to make digital images of your art, let’s talk about how to sell prints online.

You have a few different options when it comes to printing your art.

One option is to hire a local printing service to make prints of your digital images. 

The downside of using a professional printing service is that you will have to come up with the money upfront. 

If your prints do not sell, you will be out of the money you invested in the prints.

Another option is to make prints yourself. 

Technology is making it more affordable for people to purchase professional printers. 

A high-quality printer ranges anywhere from $300 to $4,000.

The positive for printing your prints is that you do not have any inventory. 

If someone orders a print online, all you have to do is print the image and ship it.

After you have covered the printer’s cost, everything is profit minus the paper and ink’s cost.

The other option you have is to sell your art prints on a POD (Print On Demand) service.

A POD service allows you to sell your prints with no upfront costs.

People can purchase prints of your art directly from the POD site you are using.

The POD site will collect the money, print the item, and ship it directly to the customer. 

The profit margin is low using most POD services, but you have nothing to lose.

However, print on demand sites like Printful and Fine Art America will allow you to decide precisely how much money you will earn per sale.

Selling digital prints from print on demand sites might be an option you might want to look into if you are just starting.

Etsy allows you to integrate specific POD sites like Printful into your Etsy Shop.

To learn more, visit How To Sell Art Prints On Etsy With Printful.

After you decided how you will be printing your artwork, you will need to determine where you would like to promote and sell your prints online or offline.

Many options are available for you to choose form.

You can make money selling art prints at: 

• craft shows 
• fairs
• online

Selling Prints Of Your Art At Craft Shows And Fairs

So many artists are jumping on the wagon in hopes to make money selling art prints and original art.

Like I have mentioned earlier, more people are purchasing fine art online than ever before, so there is an opportunity for artists to make money online.

However, it takes time to be ranked in the search engines and to build a following online.

You can start building name recognition quicker by attending local craft shows and fairs.

To find local craft fairs in your area, visit How To Find Local Craft Shows For Crafters.

Make sure that everyone who visits your table receives a business card or brochure.

Create an email sign up list so people can receive your monthly newsletters.

Related Resources:

• Most Profitable Crafts To Sell And Make Money
• Art Booth Tips That Attract Buyers Art Craft Fairs

Even though more art is being sold online than ever before, it is still a challenge for many artists to be noticed online and land a sale.

You need to build an audience, build relationships, build trust, and have images that accurately represent your work.

Therefore, it might be in your best interest to attend a few local art fairs to start getting your name out locally while waiting for the search engines to refer your site.

POD (Print On Demand)

The other option you have is to sell art on Third-Party POD websites.

POD sites (Print on Demand) are companies that will do all of the transactions with your buyers, print the product and ship it directly to the buyer.

You will not make as much of a profit selling your art with Print on Demand services but there are no upfront costs and you will not have to do any extra work.

Popular POD Sites

PrintFul

Printful is a print on demand order fulfillment center that fulfills and ships products to customers around the world.

It is free to set up a Printful account and they do not have a minimum order requirement or monthly fees.

You can easily integrate Printful on:

• WordPress
• Shopify
• Etsy
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Webflow
• Ecwid
• BigCommerce
• Prestashop
• Weebly
• Amazon
• eBay
• Big Cartel
• Wish
• Magento
• Storenvy
• Gumroad
• ShipStation
• Bonanza
• 3dcart
• Launch Cart

Fine Art America

Fine Art America is a name known by artists and photographers around the world.

Prints are available on:

Art prints, posters, canvas art, framed art prints, metal prints, acrylic prints wood prints, paintings, drawings, photos, digital art, greeting cards, and mixed media.

Fine Art America has recently started printing on merchandise on tech items, homes decor, and bags.

The next few POD services are similar to Art Storefronts and Fine Art America. Take a few minutes to look at what each service has to offer before you decide on signing up for an account.

To learn how to sell prints on Fine Art America visit How To Get Started Selling On Fine Art America.

Selling framed prints or learning how to sell canvas prints has never been easier with print on demand platforms like Printful and Fine Art America.

Art Storefronts

One thing that makes Art Storefronts stand out from other POD services is that they will pay you immediately after a sale.

Some POD services will pay you monthly if you have to reach a required limit before getting paid.

Orders are printed on archival-quality inks and media.

More Popular Print On Demand Platforms

• ArtPal.com
• ImageKind.com
• Crated.com
• Society6.com
• Singulart

Sell Your Art On Products

The POD services listed below are a little different from the ones above. 

Redbubble, CafePress, and Zazzle are known for providing prints on over 100 different items like mugs, shirts, calendars, buttons, etc.

• Redbubble.com
• Zazzle.com
• CafePress.com

Many artists have done well selling their art designs on merchandise.

Review your art business goals to see if this is something that will benefit you.

Artist Website

If you are planning on selling your online art long-term, you might want to consider owning a website. 

You will have total control of your sites look, feel, and you will have the option to sell original art as well as prints of your artwork. 

The possibilities are endless.

I recommend beginners to learn how to build a presence online with a platform like Etsy and learn everything about making a WordPress site and digital marketing. 

In the long run, you will be better off building a business on land you own than building on rented land.

Related Posts:

• How To Install WooCommerce On A WordPress Artist Website
• How To Add And Manage Products In WooCommerce

Building a WordPress site is easier than you might think.

All you have to do is purchase a domain name and hosting from a hosting service like BlueHost and use their one-click WordPress Installer.

Within just a few minutes your site will be live and you can start designing it exactly the way you envision it to look.

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that allows you to showcase and sell tangible and digital products.

You can either sell your prints via printing and shipping or integrating Printful to WooCommerce.

It is possible to sperate your art by adding different categories so it will be easier for your buyers to find what they are searching for.

Selling prints of your art has never been easier thanks to WordPress.

While you are operating your Etsy shop you can start becoming familiar with all of the tools I use for my online business by visiting Art Marketing Resource.

Related Resources:

• WordPress SEO Basics eBook
• WordPress Dashboard Guide eBook

Related Post: Sell Art Online – 16 Websites And Website Builders For Artists

Etsy

If you are starting and are not familiar with WordPress or building websites from scratch, you can start an Etsy shop very quickly and start selling original art and prints online.

Etsy is a third-party site that was created for artists to sell originals. 

It didn’t take long for Etsy to quickly built a large following. 

Collectors around the world learned that they could find unique original art and crafts from artists worldwide.

In the beginning, Etsy would only allow artists to sell original artwork from the platform. Over time Etsy decided to enable artists to sell prints of their original art.

Art collectors will be able to view and purchase your art directly from your Etsy Shop. 

Related Resource:

How To Sell Art Prints On Etsy With Printful

You will have to produce and ship the prints to your buyers.

Are you ready to start your Etsy Shop?

Related Resource:

How to Open an Etsy Store Video Tutorial

Starting an Etsy Store can be intimidating and confusing. I wanted to make it an easy process for you so you can start selling art online.

6 videos will go over everything from start to finish. 

I will walk you through step by step. 

There is also a PDF that you can download and print with some extra valuable information.

• Video 1 Intro with PDF
• Video 2 Shop Preference Page
• Video 3 Name Your Shop
• Video 4 Add Items to Your Store
• Video 5 Select a Payment Method
• Video 6 Set up Billing
• Open Your Store

Visit Course

Print Your Art

If you are going to sell on a platform like Etsy, craft shows, fairs or you just think it will be more profitable for you, you will need to print your own prints or have a company print your work for you.

Printing Yourself

It is easy for anyone to produce high-quality prints and it has become very affordable.

Once you have paid off the printer your profit margin will be higher than working with a POD site.

Recommended Printers

• Epson Stylus Photo 1400 Wide-Format Color Inkjet Printer (C11C655001)
• Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer (3295B002)
• Epson Stylus Photo R2880 Wide-Format Color Inkjet Printer (C11CA16201)

I recommend pricing these printers online so you can find the best prices.

Also, search for any coupon codes that might be available.

For More Information visit Best Printers For Fine Art.

Fine Art Giclee Printing Paper

If you are going to print your own prints you will want to decide what paper you will be using.

• Hahnemuhle Museum Etching 350gsm 13″ x 19″ 25 Sheets Available in different sizes.
• Hahnemuhle Fine Art Bamboo Fiber Natural White, Smooth Warm Tone Inkjet Paper, 290gsm, 8.5×11″, 25 Sheets Available in different sizes.
• Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta 325, Ultra Smooth High Gloss, Bright White Inkjet Paper, 325gsm, 8.5×11″, 25 Sheets Available in different sizes.
• 11 x 17″ Photo Rag Baryta Fine Art Paper (25 Sheets) Available in different sizes.

How To Price Your Prints

If you want to sell your art prints and make a profit you will need to become familiar with the market. Take some time to research what people are paying for art prints and what artists are charging who have a similar artistic style as you.

The information you gather will give you a good idea of where your pricing should be.  

Many artists price their artwork without knowing what people are willing to spend.

After some time when their prints are not selling, they start to change the prices.

Changing the prices of your artwork on a regular basis will only confuse your audience and scare off potential buyers.

A more productive plan will be to learn how much your artwork is worth and price it accordingly.

Keep in mind your art is only worth what someone is willing to spend.

Do not price your art with your emotions.

To create excitement, you might want to consider holding specials throughout the year.

Providing specials will help you to generate extra income while showing the buyers your regular prices.

The buyers will feel they are receiving a discount instead of becoming confused with sporadic price changes.

Sell Art Online For A Profit

Nobody starts a business to lose money.

It is safe to say that you are not spending all of this time learning to sell your art prints to lose money.

Take into consideration what the costs are associated with creating and selling your prints. You will also want to take into account what other artists are selling their prints for.

Make a list of all the costs for printing, marketing, and shipping prints.

If you are selling prints at a local craft show, including the fees associated with selling your art at the craft fair.

Write down the average price people are paying for prints.

Decide what price will produce a profit for you.

Keep in mind that if the costs of making the prints raise your costs higher than the average selling price, you might want to consider finding ways to lower the costs.

Related Posts:

How To Price Your Artwork

How to Price Art – Ultimate Art Pricing Guide

Online Marketing Strategies

It does not matter what platform you are going to use to sell art prints online. 

To see any results, you will need to learn how to market and promote your art online.

You can have the most beautiful art in the world, and if no one knows it exists, it will not sell.

Selling art online is easier than you think. 

It does take work, but you do not need to have a marketing degree for you to be successful in selling your art online.

Are you new to selling art online?

You will want to become familiar with five areas so you can build a solid art business foundation.

Once you know what to focus on, your job will become easier. 

Focusing and putting your energy into these five areas will separate you from your competition.

To make this learning process more comfortable for you, I came up with Sell Art Online Startup Plan.

The Sell Art Online Startup Plan is free and packed with easy to understand information to help you build a solid foundation for your business.

It does not matter if you would like to sell art online for extra spending money or if you are trying to build a career being an artist, you will want to take some time and become familiar with the startup plan.

Schedule sometime during the week for learning about all of the different types of online marketing strategies available.

You will not be able to learn it all in one sitting. 

Learn what will be productive for your business today and build on it.

There are a few key online marketing strategies you will want to learn about to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your listings.

What’s Next

Are you ready to make some money selling your art prints? 

Don’t make the same mistakes many artists are making.

Many artists think that just because they have the right image of their artwork uploaded online, they will sell.

Uploading an image of your artwork is just the first step.

The next step is to market your artwork to your target audience.

You will want to schedule some time during the week to promote your art.

Decide how much time will work best for your schedule and stick to it.

Keep in mind that artists spending time on their art marketing plan will reach more people than artists, not investing time in marketing.

Final Thoughts on How To Sell Art Prints Online

Can you make money selling art prints?

Yes, you can.

Selling art online is both exciting and rewarding and selling art prints online is a great way for you to supplement your income while you are waiting for your original art to sell.

All you have to do is decide who will print your product, what art websites you will use to sell your prints, and learn how to market your art online.

Importance Of SEO

SEO is search engine optimization and is how people will discover your site in the search results.

There are on-page SEO and off-page SEO that you will want to learn about.

Many artists are afraid of SEO, and I want you to know that SEO is easy to learn and implement.

Most people visit Google or Bing to find an answer to a problem or product and type in a few words that describe what they are searching for in the search bar.

The phrase they type into search is known as keywords.

Knowing what keywords your target audience are using in search and how to optimize your blog posts and website pages with keywords are essential if you want to write content that people will discover in the search results.

If your content does not match the keywords, your target audience is using, your posts will not be displayed in the search results. 

The bottom line is that your target audience will be landing on another artist’s website.

How do you find what keywords people are using in Google’s search?

There are free and premium keyword tools available online.

Free Keyword Tools include:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Google Search Console
• Google Search
• Ubersuggest
• Ask The People
• Pinterest

Premium Keyword Tools

• Keysearch
• SEMRush
• Ahrefs

I have tried most of them, and my favorite premium keyword tool and the one that I still use every day is Keysearch.

Keysearch will show you how many people are searching for a specific keyword and also give you other similar keywords.

You can also find out who your competition is and what keywords they are ranking for.

Keysearch has helped me increase my website traffic because I am now only writing content that people are interested in reading, and I know what keywords they are using in search.

If you are starting your online art business or do not have the money to invest in a monthly membership, I deeply recommend reading Get Your Keywords Together: How To Do Research With Only Free Tools by Trinity Owen.

Trinity’s eBook is loaded with valuable and actionable information that will help you to gather a list of keywords that will drive traffic to your website.

Popular Craft Marketing And Sales Tutorials

Are you ready to take your art business to the next level?

Investing in marketing courses and tutorials will maximize your profit and speed up the growth of your business.

Below are some of the most popular art marketing courses that will grow your online art business:

Most Popular – How to Make a Living Selling What You Make by Megan Auman

Most Popular –  Build a Successful Creative Blog by April Bowles-Olin

How to Build a Business While Learning Your Craft by Megan Auman

Pinterest Marketing for Makers & Designers by Megan Auman

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