Reproduction prints are becoming an increasingly common component of contemporary art practice. Before, once you sold a piece, it was gone forever. Just one customer gets to enjoy your labor, and that’s where the action ends.
However, that isn’t the case at all with Giclee Prints! You are able to reach even more art buyers who may have loved the original work but weren’t able to purchase it, in addition to receiving greater satisfaction from a piece you invested a great deal of time and energy into.
Prints are becoming more and more popular, so you should consider include one in your art business plan. What you need to know to begin producing and offering replica prints is as follows.
Print Types
According to art business consultant Laura C. George, “prints” are any kind of artwork replication. In a broad sense, prints can refer to the process of printmaking, which involves using a flat plate to produce a variety of artworks, including lithographs, monotypes, screenprints, etc. The artists that use these conventional printmaking methods are accomplished printmakers, and their creations are typically recognized as fine art prints.
On the other hand, if you want to create copies of your original artwork, you should seek out giclee prints, which are pronounced “zhee-clays.” Giclees are a great way to recreate a wide range of artistic works.
The word “giclee” comes from the French word “to spray,” which describes how an inkjet printer functions and how giclee prints are often made. According to ThoughtCo, these big scale inkjet printers use tiny spraying tools that can precisely apply ink and match color, providing artists with a high-quality print of their original artwork.
However, not every inkjet printer can create giclee images. These four factors—resolution, ink, paper, and printer type—are what matter most.
How is a giclee made?
The camera or scanner that was used to take or scan the artwork needs to have a high resolution in order to produce a print of such excellent quality. In contrast, the majority of digital images are captured at a resolution of 72 DPI, or “dots per inch,” on the screen. An art print requires an image file with a minimum of 300 DPI, as the more color dots that can be printed in a tiny space, the more detailed the finished image would seem.
According to CreativeBloq, high-quality ink and paper are required to be deemed “archival.” This is usually accomplished with pigment-based inks rather than dye-based ones, as well as any archival-designated canvas, watercolor paper, or specialist printing paper. Usually larger versions, printers may accommodate up to 12 ink cartridges, giving you a greater variety of colors when copying your artwork.
Limited Edition vs. Open Edition
Artists might choose to produce limited edition prints or open edition prints. Open editions give artists a steady stream of potential income because there is no limit to the quantity of prints that can be made and sold.
However, the quantity of limited editions is carefully curated, and once they are all sold out, none more may be made. Naturally, this does increase the collector’s value of limited edition prints, allowing artists to charge more for them.
According to Dan M. of ElephantStock.com, a top supplier of on-demand wall art prints, “the community of individual artists that wish to sell their art as open edition online” increased in size as the online demand for original artwork prints quadrupled in recent years.
“The ElephantStock.com platform, like many other firms in the industry, helps artists by providing them with excellent online visibility. Simultaneously, we facilitate the process for interior designers and individual clients to find fresh and motivational pieces of art that complement their interior design schemes,” continues Dan.
As the demand for home decor online develops, the open edition model has emerged as a reliable source of income for many artists in 2020 and is predicted to continue in the years to come.
Locating a Printer
Fortunately for artists, the quality of printers is improving at an unprecedented rate. These days, just like Displaylate, they can even create excellent art prints on metal!
Make sure you do your homework before selecting a reliable printer for your giclee prints. Seek advice from other artists in your neighborhood, then feel free to stop by their studios, talk to the printers, and examine samples of their work.
It is essential to have dependable tools, technological know-how, and the ability to see long-term collaboration.
Putting Your Editions Together
Your artwork will be scanned or photographed with the aid of your printer, after which a “artist’s proof” is printed. A production file is usually prepared with all the information about color, density, paper quality, print size, border white space, and other variables locked in place for identical printing once you confirm that the print meets your expectations regarding the original artwork.
To preserve the integrity of the edition for purchasers, proofing and production files for a sold-out limited edition print may occasionally be deleted.
The Appropriate Amount
You’ll soon find yourself questioning, “How many limited edition prints should I make?” if you decide to go limited with your prints.
A number can never be correct or wrong. Five or five hundred might be the number! In either case, you should give it some thought before approving with your printer. Recall that the less editions there are, the more precious prints are to purchasers and the higher price you may demand. However, some sizes and styles of art with more editions might suit your target market better.
Thus, consider the type of client you are attempting to serve. How does this compare in terms of pricing and other offerings with my previous ones? Furthermore, how many versions do I anticipate selling?
You will have a better understanding of client demand, the value of marketing editions, and the quantity you wish to be able to give after taking into account how editions fit into your sales plan.
Selecting the Cost
Pricing your fine art prints, like with any artwork, will be based on your career level, taking into account the number of editions you will be selling, your target customer’s willingness to pay, and the costs of creating the piece. Additional pricing advice and a giclee pricing chart can be found here from digital printmaker Old Town Editions.
How to Approach Selling
Try selling them alongside your originals at art fairs, exhibitions, to burgeoning collectors, and to ardent fans who genuinely find originals too pricey, as they will be more affordable than your other work. Prints may also be sold via galleries and wholesale stores.
You may also choose to utilize these excellent pictures of your artwork for merchandise or licensing. This opportunity has helped many great fine painters, such as Tyler Wallach and Robin Maria Pedrero, achieve success. See their recommendations for artists who are interested here.
The last thing we want to do is lead a consumer to believe they are purchasing an original or diminish the value of an original piece of work, so be sure to let them know that what they are purchasing is a print and that’s why the price can stay lower. To increase sales, there’s nothing wrong with reproducing your own images, though.
Things You Must Monitor
When it comes to editions, it is more important than ever to keep track of your artwork.
To maintain the integrity of the limited edition, you must first correctly number and label your prints when they are sold. This is commonly done with a fraction like “12 of 50.” Additionally, prints that are not for sale, printer’s copies, artist proofs, and master images must all be properly labeled.
In addition, to properly track your sales and inventories, you need always know where your prints are, whether they are consigned or on display in galleries. Lastly, have the buyer’s contact details handy for any upcoming transactions or recommendations.
Using an art inventory management system such as Artwork Archive can be a lifesaver when there are so many things to remember. In order to successfully add editions to your art business repertoire, our most recent editions tool makes it simple to number and inventory your editions, export reports, acquire insights, and obtain an overview of all of your editioned work.
