How and where can I have prints made of my paintings?

I’m looking for an inexpensive way to have prints made of some of my paintings so people can purchase them for less then an original painting. I have no idea as to how and where I should have this done. Any suggestions?

asked almost 14 years ago

9 Answers

A “print,” meaning an honest to goodness reproduction in INK of something made in paint (or charcoal or pastels) is a BIG deal. The problem with a photograph is that it is, well, a “picture of a picture.”

Perhaps one of the most reproduced pieces of fine art in our era is the “Reflections” painting by Lee Teter, which I will attempt to show you here (haven’t tried this on the “Roundtable”):

![URL removed]

If that didn’t work, then you may see it [URL removed]

[URL removed]

When Lee lived in West Virginia (he’s in Missouri now) and before he could get 40K for a painting, he engaged Commercial Press of Cumberland, MD to produce prints of his original work. Producing accurate prints is a dicey business; selection of paper and pigments is HUGE. Many trial runs are performed before the artist agrees that the print is any good. I remember seeing a case of prints come back from Lee, with a .22 calibre hole shot through them all, because some color wasn’t just right. And even THOSE sold for a goodly sum.

Obviously, then prints, are not produced unless the original art, or the artist, are highly valued to begin with. This is not a job for for the local quick print or copy service. The shop that specializes in this will have the head of the art department and a master pressman on hand to work out the details. Each individual print will be regarded as an artwork itself, as well it should be.

Does this mean you can’t “get away with” a digital shot of the art and a short-cut method of reproduction? No, of course not. You can, and plenty of people do. That said, if the original work or the artist is acclaimed, then production of prints is similarly regarded as fine art and short cuts are not an option.

Hope that helps.

answered almost 14 years ago

jsgeare
Reputation: 197
See jsgeare's booth

You can scan or photograph them and have prints made by digital [URL removed]

[URL removed]

I use this place to have enlargements and prints made at reasonable rates and they’re gorgeous – nice enough to sell.. IMHO

answered almost 14 years ago

jamiro
Reputation: 1261
See jamiro's booth

1 Comment

bobkimballart says: August 10, 2014

All I saw on that link is a white bar and an address…the website must be down.

There is a way to take a picture of your art work…..And through layer processing create a copy for lithography. The best way to have this done is through a professional fine art printer, But be ready to pay a pretty penny for Archive paper and inks, you need quite a quantity to make it work.

However you can cheat and use a commercial roll printer. Your local print shop has that and it will direct convert a jpeg image into one that can be laid down on paper up too poster size at a fair price. But this is not Archive or true lithography rather a computer generated print. They can also do it direct from a scan of the original work if it is small enough.

always as a local printer first they have access too so much.

answered almost 14 years ago

1 Comment

DwenC says: February 08, 2022

thank you!

I didn’t say where you good go to get this work done. The answer is a printing company that’s been in business for a long time and has an art and layout department staffed with professionals. They do it right. They don’t hold themselves out to do it “fast.” Shop around, pay some calls, ask what they’ve done in the past.

answered almost 14 years ago

jsgeare
Reputation: 197
See jsgeare's booth

1 Comment

DwenC says: February 08, 2022

thank you!!

[URL removed] Thanks for posting the photo of reflections. Has anyone been to see that wall? Very impressive. You can feel a current when you touch that wall that runs deep.

answered almost 14 years ago

1 Comment

DwenC says: February 08, 2022

thank you!

Hi Angie, go to this sellers direct link

[URL removed]

since this Bonanzle Artist offers both original & print conversions and perhaps he may help you with some good information too.

answered almost 14 years ago

MONTROSE
Reputation: 8354
See MONTROSE's booth

Are not giclee prints the most common today?
Reference only [URL removed]

answered almost 14 years ago

wallyh
Reputation: 387
See wallyh's booth

This is a site I use for my work.

The buyer decides if they want original, print, greeting cards, ect.

You might like it. Oh, and you do not pay, the buyer does, when they order. It is up to their choice.

[URL removed]

answered almost 14 years ago

1 Comment

DwenC says: February 08, 2022

gooD!

Thank you so much for all of the information ! All answers are useful to me and I chose jsgeare because he took the time to elaborate such a reply and explained what I did not know about art prints.

All of replies are greatly appreciated and love the links !

answered almost 14 years ago

1 Comment

DwenC says: February 08, 2022

good!

Question Vitals

Viewed: 9913 times

Asked: almost 14 years ago

Latest response: almost 14 years ago

To Answer Brilliantly

Remember these tips:

  • Use links to other sources to support your opinions
  • Use examples where possible
  • Put yourself in the inquirers shoes: what extra info would be helpful?

Should I post a comment or an answer?

You can only post one answer, so make it count. Maybe your reply is more fitting as a comment instead?

Post an answer for:

  • Replies that directly and specifically answer the original question

Post a comment for:

  • "Thanks," "Me too," "I agree," or "Works for me" types of replies
  • When you would like the original poster to provide more details
  • When you have more to add to someone else's question or answer

See also our Roundtable FAQ.

Formatting

Community help posts follow certain formatting guidelines, which may impact the look of your post. If you're interested in tweaking the format, instructions are available here.