Tree houses by: Not too pink

Step One: Creating Digital Prints

Digital prints allow painters, photographers, and illustrators to sell their work to a wider audience because they can charge a lower price per print than printmakers can for a hand-pulled print.  This means that anyone from a ramen-eating college student to a successful businesswoman can purchase your artwork. Digital prints should not be thought of as cheap reproductions.  Instead they are the best means to reproduce your artwork, whether it is a photograph, painting, or illustration.

The first step in creating a digital print is to scan or photograph your work.  Photographers who shoot digital have this the easiest because their work is already on the computer.  All they need to do is print.  Illustrators must have their work scanned at 300 dpi.  Professional home scanners run from several hundred dollars to several thousand.  If you have $3,000 sitting around, the Epson Expressions 10000XL represents one of the best scanners on the market.

If you have a printer with a scanner on top, check its dpi capabilities.  Even if you can’t fit your whole artwork on the bed, Photoshop CS4 has an amazing new Merge function that seamlessly combines multiple scans into one full-size image.  Illustrators can also take their work to a professional print company and pay for a scan. Always save your files at 300 dpi TIFs at full-size as well as 92 dpi JPEGs at full-size. The first remains perfect no matter how many times you open it; the latter allows you to easily upload to the web.  For canvas papers, photographing your work is the best option.  Make sure you have two light sources set at 45 degrees from the canvas on either side.

Once you have a digital image of your work, you can either print the print yourself or send it to a professional printer.  Printing yourself saves money in the long run and allows you to print to order. Inkjet printers, like Epson and HP, are the best art printers.  Make sure you buy archival safe inks to ensure your print will last a lifetime.  If you don’t want to buy a new printer, Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites) is a great place to look for slightly used ones.  I managed to find my only-used-once Epson R280 this way and paid $30 for it.

Professional printers are cheaper in the short run while you’re saving up for a printer but are not necessarily a long-term solution.  A great online printer is Mpix (http://www.mpix.com/), which not only prints your work but will mail it directly to your buyer.

Lastly, you wouldn’t want to spend all this time and money on scanners and printers if you’re not going to use archival-safe, acid-free paper.  Red River Paper (http://www.redriverpaper.com/) is one of the best paper companies.  For around $55, you can buy 50 sheets of 11” x 14” paper.  Printing on Red River Paper ensures your print’s safety for at least 50 years in direct sunlight.

Getting this part of your art business down is a major step toward becoming a seller.  Yes, it’s the most expensive part, but people won’t buy your work if it is printed on computer paper or the colors look different from what they saw on the computer screen.  You should be as professional as you can with your printing.  After all, you have centuries of ‘starving artist’ mindset to dissuade.  Your customers should see the quality of your prints as well as the beauty of your work.