How to make art prints of work you already have
How to make art prints of your own work: photograph or scan the piece flat and evenly lit, check its pixels against the size you want (about 300 per inch for a sharp print), then pick a paper and have it printed. Each step is below.
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Everything downstream depends on the copy. A perfect paper choice cannot rescue a photograph taken at an angle under a ceiling light, and no amount of editing puts back detail that was never captured.
Get a copy worth printing
Flat, square to the camera, evenly lit, and color you can trust. The artwork photography guide covers all four, and it's worth reading before you take the picture, not after.
If the original is digital you can skip this entirely - but export at full size, not at whatever the last upload needed.
Work out what size the file will carry
Your maximum size falls out of one division: the pixel count over the dpi gives you inches. So at 300 dpi an A4 needs 2480 × 3508 pixels, an A3 needs 3508 × 4961, and an A2 needs 4961 × 7016.
Treat 300 dpi as a habit for work held close, not a requirement. Something big, read from the other side of a room, is fine at half that, and halving the dpi halves every pixel count above. The paper sizes pages set out every size with its pixel count, and our upload step measures your actual file and withdraws any size it wouldn't print sharply - so the decision is made for you if the file can't reach.
| Size | Pixels |
|---|---|
| A4 | 2480 × 3508 |
| A3 | 3508 × 4961 |
| A2 | 4961 × 7016 |
How to make art prints on the right paper
Match the surface to the marks. Uncoated matte paper suits pencil, ink and line work, because nothing competes with the detail. Coated stock lifts saturation and suits photographs and dense digital color. Canvas suits things that were painted, because the weave returns some of the texture the original had.
Our posters are 250 gsm uncoated off-white archival paper; the format guide compares it against canvas, metal and wood.
Editions, numbering and whether to bother
An edition is a promise about scarcity: fifty prints, numbered, and no more ever. It is a real commitment and it's worth something to collectors, which is why it shouldn't be made casually - you cannot quietly print more later without it being a lie.
Open editions have no such limit and no such promise. For most people selling occasionally, open is the simpler, straightforward choice, and no buyer is misled.
Pricing, and the sum people skip
Work out the print cost, the packaging, the postage and the platform fee, add them up, and only then decide what the work is worth on top. The mistake is pricing against what other people charge before knowing what a sale actually leaves you.
Smaller sizes sell more often and earn less each. That's not a problem to solve, it's just the shape of it - and it is why a range of sizes usually beats one.
Signing and packing
Sign in pencil in the margin, not in ink on the image, which is the convention and is also reversible. If the print is an edition, the number goes on the opposite side of the margin.
Pack flat in board, not rolled in a tube where you can. Rolled prints arrive with a curl that the buyer has to deal with, and a flat package is the difference between an object and a chore.
Selling art online without a shop
Print to order instead of holding stock. Unsold boxes of prints are how people lose money on this, and made-to-order removes the risk entirely at the cost of a slightly lower margin, which is a trade worth making until you know what sells.
If you'd rather not run a printer yourself, custom art prints makes one print of your work to order, on archival paper, shipped to a US address. Shipping is calculated at checkout; an expedited rate appears when available.
Questions and answers
What resolution do I need to make art prints?
At 300 dpi: 2480 × 3508 pixels for A4, 3508 × 4961 for A3, 4961 × 7016 for A2. At 150 dpi, which is fine for something viewed from across a room, halve each figure.
What paper is best for art prints?
Uncoated matte for pencil, ink and line work; coated for photographs and dense digital color; canvas for work that was painted. Match the surface to the marks.
Should I do a limited edition?
Only if you mean it - an edition is a promise you can't break by printing more later. Open editions are the simpler, straightforward choice for most people selling occasionally.
How should I price an art print?
Add up print cost, packaging, postage and fees first, then decide what the work is worth on top. Pricing against other people before knowing what a sale leaves you is the usual mistake.
What is the most affordable way to print my own art?
Print at the size the work needs and no larger, because the price rises with each size. A home printer covers small proofs on paper you choose. If you’d rather use your own printer or a local shop at a larger size, our digital download gives you the prepared file with nothing shipped. For a finished print on paper, our art prints start at 8 x 10 in, the smallest size, and the selector shows the USD price before you upload.
What company should I use for art prints?
Choose by what a printer tells you before you order: the paper by name and weight, the sizes, whether you see the crop, and whether your file’s resolution is checked. Our art prints are on 250 gsm uncoated archival paper at every size from 8 x 10 in to 27.6 x 39.4 in, the crop is shown before you add to cart, and the upload withdraws any size your file can’t print sharply. Our print partner produces each order after you pay.
