5 Things You Need To Sell Art Prints Online (And 3 Things You Don't Need)
Prints can be your ticket to going full time… Ask me how I know ;)
Already a full-time artist? Prints can be your ticket to majorly boosting your art business income… Ask me how I know.
I didn't figure it all out overnight. In fact, it felt like it took me forever to get my prints going AND figure out how to make money from them.
That's why I knew when I did have some things figured out I wanted to shout it from the rooftops to help other artists fast track it. So I created the resource I wish I’d had when I was struggling early on with how to do all of this: my mini course Art Print Empire - you can get it here!
But let’s start with the foundation…
These are the 5 things you need to sell prints of your fine art:
1. Great image files
But they don’t have to be incredible. I started with not-very-high-res images of my paintings and leveled up as I went. Ultimately of course you want the best possible images, but don’t let it stress you out if you’re getting started and want to sell smaller prints (like 20” and smaller).
You can get images with a camera or scanner - but scans are more of a surefire way to get really sharp high-res images.
2. Great product photos
These are the photos of your prints in real life, meaning in a frame or on a wall. The photos you will post on your website or other platforms to show what your prints look like when printed.
It doesn’t have to be a ton! You can start with a simple photo of your print in a frame taken with a good smartphone camera in a sunny room. It can also help to show a close up photo of the details. (…In my course I share all the tricks I have up my sleeve for getting great product photos really easily.)
3. A great printing service
I have no hacks for this, they are worth their weight in gold. You can Google or Yelp to find a local printer and try them out or search a good giclee printing service online that delivers (you may want to avoid generic print-on-demand sites and go for a service that specializes in fine art printing with high quality paper and ink choices).
4. Data
Or, more accurately, a willingness to test and learn from data as you go. I talk about this all the time and go into more detail in Art Print Empire, but what I mean is looking at feedback from your audience (or even your friends and family) and finding that magical spot where what the art pieces you love to make/sell overlap with the ones your audience loves to see/purchase.
5. Mindset
It's different from selling originals. Prints are more like a product in the traditional business sense and it can help to keep this in mind as you sell.
This can sometimes be tricky for artists because we don’t always want to delve into cost of goods and profit margins, but the more profitable your prints are - the more resources you have to make art. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
And here are 3 things you actually don’t need to get started:
You don’t need to have a big following to start selling prints (or to sell more of them if you already are). In fact, offering prints can actually help you grow your following as an artist. It gives you more ways to share images of your art (photos of your prints in other people’s homes, etc). And there are places you can sell prints that you might not sell originals (like retail stores for example).
You don’t need a huge budget to get started. There are simple ways to get your print shop off the ground and you can reinvest to expand as you start making sales. Start small and grow from there.
You actually don’t even need a website. I definitely suggest eventually having a print shop on your own website for a few important reasons, but if not having a website up and running yet is making you procrastinate on selling prints, there are (many) other places where can start making money from your prints (third-party marketplaces, licensing, etc.).
But I know it can all be confusing…
EKS Blush/Lemon print, photo Anthropologie.com
I put off selling prints of my originals for years (even though I knew it was the thing I needed to boost things for my art career) because I didn't know exactly what I needed or how to get it… and I also thought I needed a way bigger budget.
Turns out I could have made things much cheaper and easier on myself, but I really had no idea how to figure all of this out and could never find a comprehensive resource that would just give it all to me straight.
So that is truly the reason why I created a mini course on ALL OF IT…
If I can save even one artist the time and complete frustration I had when learning how to make prints (and make a ton of money from them) I will be able to rest easy.
If you’re interested in my Art Print Empire mini course, you can check it out here.
