Where/How do you make prints of your work?

erinrew

Seeing as how I’m still very much a newbie and learning how to illustrate, I’ve never thought about selling prints of my work. But recently someone has expressed some interest in buying a print of one of my pieces.

In the interest of learning and growing as an artist, I’m looking for information on how you all fill print orders?

Thanks in advance.

chrisaakins

@erinrew I use a local printer in my city. They do glicee and fine art prints. Their website is https://www.artstudioatlanta.com/. I have been very pleased with their service.

erinrew

@chrisaakins Thank you Chris. I’ll need to do some research on printers in my area.

I’m also going to need guidance on resolution and file type for best print results.

JoshSchouwstra

@erinrew Ok, so here are some tips that I learned in print class when going for graphic design.

list item 300 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) is best on average for image resolution.
list item Remember that images don't go to the edge of the page, and it's usually a 1/4" of paper around that can't be printed on. (Example: an 8.5x11 page has 8x10.5 of available print space.)
list item printed images come out darker than on your screen due to paper absorbing the ink. A way we were told to combat this is before saving the file for print, lighten the colours by 5%. Though the best way to make sure your colours are correct is to print out a test before ordering the 500 copies
list item As for what file type is best for print, pdf is best for that.

Tip for what file types are best for what:

.EPS is standard for vector images.
Use .Tiff over .JPG is saving for web. Each time you work on the .JPG, save it as a .JPG and then open it up to work on again, the image quality gets worse and worse. So if you're working on an image make saving for .JPG the last step, and only if you're posting it of web.
-.PNG is good for transparency, and for low res images.

Hope this helps!

Melissa_Bailey

Howdy! Recently I ordered samples from Giclee Today (gicleetoday.com) and they were gorgeous. Since there are no local printers near me, the best option for me is to order online. It’s another option.

erinrew

@JoshSchouwstra Wow! Thank you Josh that was perfect. I really appreciate the info.

sigross

@erinrew I use the The Printspace. Excellent quality with a good choice of paper types. They have integrated limited editions (including certificate of authenticity) drop-shipping for my website shop and only charge £8 for global shipping.
https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/