How To Print Your Art

Have you decided to purchase one of my digital prints? Firstly, thank you so much! Secondly, here’s a useful guide on getting the printing process of a digital print started.

What is a digital art print?

A digital art print is a digital reproduction of an original artwork. The artist scans a painting at a high resolution suitable for printing that maintains the detail, texture and quality of the original work. Digital art prints are usually scanned at a resolution of 300DPI or higher.

By scanning an artwork at a high resolution, you are also able to resize it to bigger or smaller sizes, within its limits. My original art works are mostly painted on A5 or A4 so I would recommend not printing bigger than and A2 (16.5x23.4 in/420x594mm). In cases where the original artwork was larger and allows for bigger printing sizes, it will be indicated in the product prescription .

Where do I print my art?

You can take your digital file to a printing shop that makes ‘Fine Art Prints’, ‘Canvas Prints’ or ‘Giclée Prints’. If the printing shop does not list this as one of their services, they may not be able to help you print your artwork. Most print shops have online services and offer shipping, so even if you are in a remote area you should be able to order your print online. Alternatively, if you have printer at home that can handle this type of printing, you can use it.

How do I print my art?

A printing service will require the file you would like to print. If you are using an online service, you can upload your file when you place your order. You should upload the file in the size you would like printed, i.e. A4, A3, etc. My digital prints include a 8x10 US size file that can also be printed as a 16x20 size. If you are not sure what size to use, you can ask the printer for advice. If you find that none of the digital files are suitable for your specific print, please contact me so that I can provide you with an alternative size.

Choosing a paper/canvas: The next thing you will need to decide is the type of paper to print on. Most printing services will be able to advise you on the best fine art paper to use for your specific artwork. My advice is to print the artwork on a paper as close to the one it was originally painted on. In the product description I will mention what paper was used, i.e. 300gms textured paper. This is a thick type of paper suitable for acrylics and watercolor. When you print, look for a textured paper similar in weight to get the print as close to the original as possible. If the painting was not painted on canvas, you should still be able to create a beautiful canvas print of it. For illustrative prints, a smoother finish looks better so choose a paper that is smooth instead of textured.

Printing at home: You can print your art at home with a standard printer that is able to use card stock paper or photo paper. This will work well for small prints like A6, A5 and even A4.

Other Tips:

Digital prints can be resized to different sizes if the aspect ratio stays the same. The 8x10 file I offer, is 5:4 aspect ratio and can be printed larger or smaller if the ratio is the same, i.e. 16x20. If the aspect ratio is not the same, you will probably need the file to be cropped. Depending on your budget, check what sizes of frames and mats you can get at a home store and then decide on the file you want to print. If you are able to do a custom frame job for your print (I recommend this), the sizing shouldn’t be a problem.

Remember you are viewing your digital print on a computer monitor. Monitors have different color settings and the colors may be slightly different on the printed version, depending on the printing quality, than from what you see on the monitor. The differences should be minimal, but just be aware that the colors may differ.

Print services

South Africa: Orms Print Room, Cape Town. Easy online upload and delivery. I’ve used them to create fine art prints and the quality is excellent. See the image below for two prints I did on Hahnemuhle German Etching paper (310gms).

Pleeko Print Studio, Somerset West. I used them to create a canvas print for myself of The Red Skies.

International: Giclée Today, Shutterfly, VistaPrint

Let me know in the comments if you have used other services successfully and I will add them here.