How to Create Art Prints and Posters
Easily create prints and posters from original art for fun and profit.
You can use an online service like CafePress, Zazzle, ArtistRising, or ImageKind. I have found that this is by far the easiest way to make and sell prints of your work. You will need a scanner to scan your images, then all you do is upload them and place them on various products. This method is so easy because a website is included with your account, they provide the shopping cart, do all of the printing, accounting, and shipping. Then they send you a check every month (if you sell enough).
Even though a website or portfolio site is included with these services you still have to promote it! If you already have your own website, then you have an advantage, if not you should consider making one. No matter what you do, you still have to promote your website or portfolio or you won't sell anything. Read more about promotion here: Search Engines, Linking Advice, Offline Promotion
As I mentioned above you will need a scanner, unless your work is already digital. A standard sized scanner (about 8 1/2 x 14) isn't very expensive. If your work won't fit on a scanner that size, you can take it to a print shop like Kinkos and have smaller prints made, then just scan the print. Or you can have Kinkos make digital copies of your larger works for you with their large format scanner. You can also make your work digital by having it professionally photographed.
Try the printers at Kinkos, not all Kinkos have the same type of printers, so if you live in an area with more than one outlet it might be worth it to check them all out. If your work is digital, you can use the Tektronix to print out one copy and then take that copy over to the DocuColor to print out more. You might want to do it that way because the DocuColor is about half price.
Again, if your work will not fit on the scanner bed you will have to have it reproduced in a smaller size first. The bed size for the DocuColor is about 16 x 20. This is a great printer and it's the one I always use. You can play with the controls to make your work print out with different color balances, more vivid, more pastel, darker, lighter, etc. Your prints will come out on standard sized paper, but if you need a special size they will cut them for you. Some locations also have a printer called the Fiery, I don't like the quality of this printer but you should try it and see for yourself.
Also, sometimes you can negotiate with Kinkos for a better price, especially if you're going to be printing a lot.
After you have your prints you will probably want to package them. This not only protects your prints but also makes them look more professional. I like to buy packaging materials from Impact Images. They have acid free backing board, foam board and clear plastic envelopes in a variety of sizes.
