Artwork printing is a great way to further your career as an artist. Traditionally, artists have been worried about creating prints but the world has shown that prints can make a lot for an artist. Today we are going to explore some of the ways that you can go about printing your artwork. From elaborate to basic.

 

Offset Lithography
The process of offset lithography is not what most people think of when you hear printing. In this process ink is applied to a printing plate and then transferred to a piece of rubber. That rubber blanket then is pressed against the paper to create a final product, that of the print.
You may be wondering where your image comes from. The plate is a metal that is produced through a photosensitive process similar to that of creating a traditional photograph in a lab. The image is transferred to the plate then finalized with a chemical process.

A negative, the start of a printing plate, is produced through electronic means in the modern world. A digital copy of the artwork is created then the negative is printed out.

Cost-wise, offset lithography is going to be expensive, unless you print in bulk. At the same time you need to remember that offset lithography will get you a fabulous quality print at a relatively low price. Ordering in bulk you can often get prints down to less than $2 per print.

Giclee Printing
Starting with a high quality digital image, the process of Giclee printing uses sprayed on ink from a printer. The print medium is a substrate. With this printing method you can print either one time or multiple runs. While offset lithography printing plates will deteriorate with both use and time, Giclee uses a digital scan of the original artwork that can stay true to form as long as the file is safe.

Because of the true colors you get out of Giclee printing and the fact that the prints are all produced equal, these prints are more a work of art to match your original.

Overall you are going to spend some money getting into Giclee printing. A minimum of $100 is the best you will find and it can go upwards depending on how many prints you want to make. After starting, you will run around $25 for a small copy and more for bigger prints. With Giclee you can create prints of any size due to the high resolution scan that you start with.

 

Laser And Inkjet Copies
There is always the option to make prints with a tradition inkjet or laser printer. Both of these printers are standard things that you find in a home. Prints with at-home or even most store level printers are going to be much lower quality than the other two methods of creating prints listed here.
What you are creating with one of these printers is more of a copy than a reproduction. Printer made copies should be used with extreme restriction. You want to make sure that you are selling your artwork, not knock off copies.

Inkjet and laser copies are great for using your art to create products such as postcards, letterhead, and the like from your art. This is a great way to get your art out there and give people cheaper options to have one of your works.

Any artist spends hours producing their works. Crafting each piece with creativity and care that will produce something remarkable. Consider these various printing processes in order to expand your ability to sell your art and to create both reproductions and copies to sell. You would be surprised by the amount of people who will want this type of work.