Prints let more people own your work, at a price below the original. Selling prints of your art comes down to five decisions. Choose an open or a limited edition, how to number and sign it, who prints it, which paper and sizes, and what each print costs. Make each one on purpose, then tell buyers what you chose, because that is what they're paying for. This guide takes the decisions in order, then shows how to present prints so buyers can picture them at home.
Choose an open or a limited edition
A limited edition has a fixed number of prints, agreed before you print. An open edition has no limit: you keep printing as long as people buy.
Each suits a different buyer. An open edition keeps a popular image affordable and always available. A limited edition is for buyers who care how many exist. MyArtBroker's glossary of print terms calls open editions inherently less valuable, because the artist hasn't controlled their rarity.
A limit is a promise. Once a limited edition sells out, it's finished: printing more of the same image at the same size breaks the promise your buyers paid for.
Number, proof and sign your edition
Collectors expect the conventions. As Tate's glossary puts it, editioned prints are usually signed and numbered by the artist, and often dated.
- The number is a fraction: 7/100 is print number 7 in an edition of 100.
- It goes in pencil in the margin under the image, with the number on the left and your signature on the right.
- Artist's proofs (AP) and printer's proofs (PP) are prints made in addition to the edition, for the artist or the printer.
Keep the proofs few. MyArtBroker notes that artist's proofs have traditionally been limited to around 10% of the total number of prints. For an edition of 50, that means about five proofs. Mark each one AP, so no one mistakes it for part of the edition.
Then record every print: its number, the paper, the date and who bought it. If someone asks years from now whether their print is genuine, you can answer.
Decide who prints: you, a print studio or print on demand
Print them yourself
You control every sheet and can print one at a time, as orders come in. You also buy the printer, the inks and the paper, and you learn to manage color. It suits small editions and artists who enjoy the process.
Work with a print studio
A fine-art print studio prints the edition for you. You pay per print, sometimes with a minimum order. Before the edition runs, ask for a proof on the paper you plan to use, and compare it with the original in daylight. Ask whether they can capture the original too, since a print is only as good as the scan or photo behind it.
Use print on demand
A print-on-demand service prints and ships each order as it comes in, so you hold no stock. You give up control over color, paper and packing, and the service's cut leaves you a smaller margin on each sale. It suits open editions better than limited ones, because you can't sign or number a print you never touch.
Choose the paper, ink and sizes, and say what they are
A buyer can't feel the paper through a screen, so describe it. Name the paper and its surface, the type of ink, and who printed it.
Many prints are sold as giclée. The word has come to mean fine-art printing by inkjet, usually archival, but it's also used loosely for prints of varying quality, as Wikipedia's entry notes. So say what your giclée is: which paper and which ink.
For sizes:
- Keep the proportions of the original, so nothing gets cropped.
- Offer a few sizes that fit ready-made frames, so the print is easy to hang.
- Leave a white border for the number and signature, and for the framer.
- If a limited edition comes in more than one size, say whether the limit counts each size or all of them together.
Price prints below the original
Prints sit on a ladder below your originals: an open edition costs less than a limited edition, and a limited edition less than the original.
Start from what one print costs you: printing, paper, packaging, shipping and any platform fees. Add your margin on top. Then check that the price still works if a shop or gallery takes its share.
Within limited editions, a smaller edition or a larger print can carry a higher price. You can also raise the price as an edition sells, so the last prints cost the most. Don't lower it: the collectors who bought early will notice.
Give limited editions a certificate
A certificate tells a buyer exactly what they own. List the title, your name, the print's number, the edition size and the number of proofs, the year, the print size, the paper and ink, and who printed it. Sign it, and keep a copy with your record of the edition.
Show your prints where buyers will hang them
A buyer choosing a print wants to know two things: how it looks framed, and how big it is on a wall. A photo of the print alone answers neither. Our earlier post on gallery mockups shows the idea.
With Canvy's Room Mockups, your artwork hangs at its real dimensions in a room, so the scale is right. There are more than 2,000 rooms, and more than 20 frames with an optional mat. Show each print size in its own room, so buyers see the difference between a small print and a large one.
For an online shop, crop a room to Etsy's listing photo and shop banner sizes. On Pro, Export to Etsy sends a room photo straight to a listing, whether it's active, inactive, a draft or sold out. You can use the room photos on Etsy and on other marketplaces such as Bluethumb and Fine Art America. What you can't do is sell or redistribute the room images themselves.
On your Canvy portfolio website, you choose whether an artwork's price shows, and you can hide its dimensions when you sell prints in several sizes.
Selling prints of your art: a checklist for your first edition
- Pick a work that people already ask about
- Decide open or limited, and the edition size
- Choose who prints it, and order a test print
- Settle the paper, ink and sizes, and write them down
- Price each size, starting from your cost per print
- Sign, number and record every print, and every proof
- Photograph it framed, and list it with the paper, size and edition
Questions artists ask
Can I sell prints of a painting I've already sold?
Usually, yes. Under US copyright law, selling the original doesn't by itself transfer the copyright. A transfer of copyright has to be in writing and signed, so you keep the right to make prints unless you sign it away. Laws differ from country to country, and a contract can say otherwise, so check yours. Tell the buyer before you print: it's their painting on the wall.
Should I sign open edition prints?
You can: editions may be signed or unsigned. MyArtBroker notes that artists often make one edition of signed prints and a larger edition of unsigned prints, with a lower value. Signing only the limited edition keeps the difference clear.
How big should a limited edition be?
There's no rule. A small edition sells out sooner and feels rarer. A larger one keeps the print available for longer, at a lower price. If you're unsure, start smaller: you can't add prints to a limited edition later.
Want buyers to see your prints framed, on a wall like theirs? Show them in rooms and list them in your shop. Canvy is free to start.
