Sell Original Art Prints

Your own original art prints are a way to earn from the same drawing or painting over and over. Many people will buy a reproduction rather than an original because of the price difference.

I make money from this in two ways. I print a limited number of prints for sale conventionally and I use print on demand services. Print on demand has enabled me to sell prints overseas. I wasn't able to sell much to foreign markets before the advent of print on demand because of the prohibitive costs involved.

Pricing

I aim for about 35-40% profit on each print. So if I spend £300 I aim to get something in the region of £412 back. I don't tend to factor my time into the equation because I usually sell the originals and this compensates me. Adding this to my other income streams works well.

Method 1 for original art prints

I have paintings photographed by the print shop I use. This is an ordinary printer in a nearby town. Not all printers offer this service but it is by no means unusual so you shouldn't have any difficulty finding one. Printers may also have a digital scanner for large format which can be used for the same purpose. There is usually a cost added to your final bill so ensure you get a comprehensive and specific greeting card quotes, NEVER an estimate. I get a proof and ask for any adjustments accordingly. Having used the same printers now for many years I rarely have any problems but in the earliest time I had a few false starts when I wasn't happy with the service. You have to be calm and professional.

When happy with the proofs I order the prints and sell them through my contacts in gift shops and market traders. This took me many years to build up. I visited independent card shops, museums, stately homes, gift shops and markets touting my services. You may want a quicker route to sell original art prints and thankfully technology and the growth of the internet has made that possible.

Method 2 for original art prints

Print on demand is an effective way to use your art again and again whether you sell the originals or not. There are no upfront fees. Zazzle is an American print on demand company that enables all types of visual artists to print greeting cards, prints/posters, mugs, T-shirts and other items of clothing, stationary and more. It provides any number of free galleries where you can showcase your work, create unlimited products and be contacted by customers. You can market your zazzle galleries through text links, banners or flash panels.

You set your commission level and zazzle handles everything else. You can be paid by cheque or paypal. It's also worth mentioning you can be paid fees if you refer customers who buy from other zazzlers.

I like the fact that there is no cash outlay and it takes the guesswork out of deciding how many prints and greeting cards I need. My market for prints has never gone international because of the prohibitive cost of postage and packaging. With Zazzle I can sell to US customers who can buy as little as one item and not have to pay a lot for postage. They also have control over the size of the print and can customize the item.

Practicalities:

I have an in built scanner in my home printer. If the artwork is small enough I simply scan it in and it is ready to upload to zazzle. If the artwork is too large (some of my paintings are large) I photograph it with a digital camera set on a tripod for stability. I photograph it in various light conditions until satisfied then I can add it to zazzle in the same way. Either way I can adjust the picture using common photo editing software such as picasa or picnik I think Zazzle is set for a very large slice of the print on demand cake because of it's ease of use, friendly community and quality products.

Try Zazzle

for yourself.

All in all original art prints are a no-brainer for any artist especially considering print on demand makes it zero cost enterprize.

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