Selling art prints: Why drop-shipping can help your art business

[@faithfindsfashion3998]

You are always so gracious to share you thoughts and experiences with others. I am in the beginning stages of building my e-commerce website. Overwhelming at times, but I’m determined! You’re a great encourager!

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

I appreciate your comment so much, thank you!

[@dawndesu6863]

Thank you for your explanation. This is the first explanation, I've come across, from an artists side. You've given me a clearer understanding. Again, thank you

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

I really appreciate your feedback, thank you!

[@angelshaveeyes]

Thank you for doing these advice blogs. I’m just getting started and it is so valuable to hear these blogs. Grateful!! X

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

I'm so glad to know you're finding them helpful!

[@livinglovefamily]

I would love to see a video on your printing and shipping process :)

[@JacquelineJax]

Are you in the US? I'm in canada and I think it's too expensive for me to try to ship to the US without a drop shipper don't you?

[@ErikaLancasterArt]

I love how honest and thorough your videos are! Super helpful! Thank you !

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

thank you very much, Erika! :) I'm so glad you're finding them helpful!

[@JacquelineJax]

I agree shes really helpful

[@lisasloane6456]

Thanks for this video! I have just started making prints available and am trying out drop shipping for all the reasons you outline.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Best of luck to you, Lisa! It was definitely the way to go for me in the beginning and took the pressure off! Thanks so much for your comment :)

[@JacquelineJax]

I am too. Are you in the US?

[@CietherStrike]

This was VERY helpful. Most modern KZbinrs speak with such a definitive tone that it makes you feel like Print On Demand/Drop Shipping is the only way. Thank you for giving the pros in cons and your reasoning for eventually switching over!

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Thank you for your kind words - I'm very glad you found it helpful!

[@umasethi8692]

Hey! Thank you so much for your advice. It was really helpful! ✨

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

You’re very welcome!

[@ExploreEmbraceExpress]

Your channel is so helpful ty! I literally just want to create art and be able to sell prints of online. I’m too introverted for anything where I have to interact in person a lot. I do live video no problem, but I’m a homebody who just wants to create and send the product off.

[@DidiArte]

Drop shipping seems an option for me. Because of physical limitations/mobility problems, other options are out, like art fairs, making gallery rounds and the like. I have the energy to paint, and the focus is good. But in physical terms, that, plus sending out paintings by having the post office pick them up, is about all I can handle. So I'm listening here!! Getting my art seen and sold is frustrating. But I can't stop painting. My apartment is getting filled up with paintings in various stages of completion. Any other thoughts you might have for people like me, who are physically challenged and trying to sell their art. Once I begin to sell and can afford the correct printer and materials, I should be able to make and mail prints from home. But first, I have to sell more art. In the years I have been painting, I have sold about six originals for around $200 each to friends on Facebook. But those are SO few and far between... I have given many other paintings away. And I'm glad to do it. But that doesn't butter my bread. :)

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Drop shipping is a great option when starting out and I highly recommend it. I'm so happy to read that you are not letting anything stop you from painting; that drive is so necessary! I believe that there has never been a better time to be a working artist than right now. I know of a few physically challenged artists who supplement their income with KZbin tutorials, being on Patreon, and using services such as FineArtAmerica and/or RedBubble- however, personally I had a difficult time selling on those platforms. I feel it all comes down to marketing your work wherever you feel the most connected and don't spread yourself too thin. Balance is key (I learned this the hard way by spreading myself way too thin). I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your comment! ☺️

[@DidiArte]

Thank you! 💗

[@JulieAllanArt]

Thanks so much Ellen. Very informative video, especially for me at the moment as I am trying to decide whether to buy stock in, print my own or set up dropshipping. You have helped me immensely!! ♥

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Oh I'm so glad, thanks for letting me know! :)

[@abigailelverd1125]

thank you for sharing, I have found your video really honest and helpful.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Thank you for your kind comment and for watching. Glad you found it helpful! :)

[@Sunandshine1234]

Excellent advice , thank you .

[@ancianw1827]

Thanks for all the great info and advice!

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

You are most welcome, Ancia! :)

[@mbwildlife]

Your a god sent Thank you....

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Thank you for your kind comment; I'm happy to know you found this helpful! :)

[@SerenityStudioArt]

Great advice😍❤️😍

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

So glad you found this helpful! ☺️

[@JacquelineJax]

I agree. Its a great video

[@sl2608]

I was using a "pro" lab that everyone has heard of. They could never send me a print with even white borders all around. If I ordered an 8x10 with a one inch white border on all sides, the left border would be wider than the right and the top wider than the bottom. They did so many remakes because of this and the remakes weren't right either! I finally said enough, bought a printer and started doing my own. And this was not the only well-known "pro lab" that I had this experience with. If I ever get an order for a print larger than 13x19" I'll have to find a lab to print it for me that can print even borders. This is all just to say that for me, at least with this "pro" lab -- a VERY well known one -- i kept saying to myself, thank goodness I never drop shipped a print! Don't think I ever will either. I want to see what my customer is going to get. Interesting video, Ellen!

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

it is still difficult for me to send off prints without seeing them first, and comes down to trust in whomever I partner with - but still difficult! lol

[@hilarywhite2953]

Hi, I'm just now starting to look into creating prints. I'm looking at a California based fine art printing/shipping company with good references. I just wondered if a solution to not getting to see your material is just to buy one yourself and get them to ship it to you.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

I highly recommend that if it is a company you have not used before. Samples are always a good idea so you can be confident in the items you are having sent to your customers 🙂

[@patricialintner8284]

Yes I too would love to know what printer you have. I have been drop shipping for quite some time but my profit margin is fairly low and am looking at doing my own printing.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Hi, Patricia :) I have a Canon Pro-100 series printer which prints up to 13x19 inches. Drop shipping is wonderful but I really needed to have full control over my images. Best of luck to you!

[@patricialintner8284]

Thank you Ellen! I will definitely look into this one!

[@doloreslott7135]

Thank You for being so kind and generous with sharing your acquired knowledge so many do not sadly. Now here is my question please what is the best paper to use for prints? Would it be an archival matte? Just have no clue. So appreciated Dolly

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

thank you for your kind words, Dolly 😊 I have been using Lexjet archival matte paper for years now; it is the only brand I use.

[@doloreslott7135]

@@EllenBrennemanStudio I meant all I said and your quick response was also very kind and appreciated. Have a Great 2022. Dolly

[@barbarajane543]

Just wondering Ellen...do you sign your original painting? You then upload the scanned original to the company that is making the prints? Great video...thank you for all the information.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Hi, Barbara ~ I didn't do it that way but you certainly could! I scanned my signature and then superimposed it onto my final image for printing. I did this so that I could place it in different locations depending on the image and where I thought it looked best. An added benefit to this was that I could make my signature bolder or more faded because my signature sometimes became lost when I scanned the finished painting.

[@barbarajane543]

Ellen Brenneman Studio Thank you for taking the time to explain...this sounds like a much better way to go about it. I have had prints made, and my signature then looked distorted (I had signed the original.)

[@lilou_dawn_illustration]

thanks so much! I was looking for drop shipping company to print my paintings and your video helped me! I have a quick question, if you don't mind, so what time line did you set (the time someone order, then you order the print to send it to the client) Was there any issue about it? Thanks!!Goodluck and more sale!!:-)

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Thank you, Mae! I order the print as soon as the customer pays. The timeline I set is based on how long it takes the printing company to send out the print (they will have that information on their website).

[@prgemini40]

Love your videos. 😀 What kind of printer do you have? And how big is the print size?

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Thank you, Jacqueline :) I have a Canon 100 pro series printer and the max printing size is 13x19 inches.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Hi, Rhonda - thanks for your question. I am sure this is true of some printers, and there are a lot of factors to think about as well: what types of ink you're using, paper type, how the print will be displayed (under glass vs. unprotected), etc. If an artist feels that lightfast prints (lasting more than 50 years) are an important selling point, it's my opinion that this is where Giclee prints should be offered. I personally don't have enough experience with FAA so I cannot comment on that, however, an artist selling online should always brace herself with the possibility that this could (and likely will) happen at some point. It has happened to me numerous times and part of the darker side of the Internet, BUT the pros FAR outweigh the cons in my opinion. And I am sorry, but I don't personally know of a Canadian drop ship site.

[@anna-nn4ix]

Ellen, do you copyright each image with the US copyright service? is this necessary? if so.. can one send multiple images for one price.. or is each design charged individually? thanks for your great videos.

[@shadowwarrior2683]

Hello, I have been searching for a while now for a quality Drop shipping printer for artistic work. I enjoyed how you speak through your experiences, as well as the pros and cons of the drop shipping process. The puece that caught me the most is customers wishing for a hand signed signature. That is definetly something to concider! I wished to ask if you could let me know which drop shipping company you have used or could recommend? I have researched it and found Printful and Printify among a few. Though my location doesnt offer me the opportu ity to get their samples very easily I thought I would ask you which one you have used.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

For prints I use Finerworks.com and for POD I use Printful. I'm very happy with both!

[@shadowwarrior2683]

@@EllenBrennemanStudio Thank you for the help!

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

@@shadowwarrior2683 you're very welcome!

[@naomiwitzke]

Ellen, thanks for this information, and also for sharing what printer you use (in the comments below). I'm wondering, what is the best paper you recommend for printing with on that particular printer? I want to move from drop shipping to printing my own, and I want really nice paper for my prints. Thanks!

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Naomi, hi! You're very welcome :) I have tried several and keep coming back to the archival matte paper from Lexjet. It holds ink incredibly well, the whites are crisp and the paper doesn't buckle. I get it directly from their website.

[@naomiwitzke]

@@EllenBrennemanStudio That's really helpful! Thank you so much!

[@RobMutch]

Thanks Ellen. :-)

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Robert, you're welcome - and thanks for watching! :)

[@GLPvillainess]

Great video! When you say you can ship from Etsy, do THEY print from from your image and ship it to the customer? I thought you had to have your own inventory in order to use Etsy.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Great question! I create and sell all of my smaller prints from my home studio. For sizes 16x20 and up, my printer cannot handle those so I outsource to a printer in Dallas. I have them drop-ship those orders. Etsy will allow a seller to seek outside help in the production of items as long as the seller is transparent about it - so, to answer your question, no - you do not have to have your own inventory in order to use Etsy. I hope this is helpful!

[@sk-er8lb]

Hello , I have a question please Can you help me , about international shipping is there any problème or issues , or does it works normaly

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Right now, International shipping is running slow due to the pandemic. I am finding that my work takes anywhere from 14-21 business days to arrive to an international destination.

[@Tiendadescrapbook]

Can you provide names of the best quality of Dropshipping Print brands?

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

I personally use finerworks.com for my larger prints, and Printful for merchandise (though, the also do prints).

[@brittanymarie9923]

Is lumaprints good for dropshipping?

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

I have used Lumaprints in the past, however, not for drop shipping services. I was happy with how my prints turned out, though :)

[@JacquelineJax]

Nice video. Very informative. I'm in canada so I need someone in the US to drop ship for me.

[@EllenBrennemanStudio]

Jacqueline, try artofwhere.com - I have a friend who uses them and she lives in that area :)

[@MotoMapperMe]

Hey did you get your answer yet? I am in Toronto and I am wondering about the same.

[@JacquelineJax]

@@MotoMapperMe I didn't but I used Red Bubble for designing tee shirts and merchandise so I could get things sent anywhere.

[@MotoMapperMe]

@@JacquelineJax oh yeah, I'm looking at that as an viable option too. How has your experience been so far?

[@Valikillenni]

That's print on demand, not dropshipping

[@HauteAcademia]

i love you ellen :))))