[StudioDangerboy]

For those of you who sell posters and prints of your work, who do you use to print them? This will be my first time selling things at ACen and I'd like to avoid any pitfalls and poor choices of companies to use before my first showing.

Any advice on size / paper type / turn around time would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Kari]

I've only done one con prior to ACen, but Catprint.com works pretty well. Print quality is good for its price, and the customer service is excellent. Shipping is decent too. OfficeMax is pretty good quality too, but I'm not too sure about pricing for bulk orders.

Size really depends on what variety of artwork you offer. My prints are usually 8.5x11", 11x17", or 12x18". I don't really sell smaller prints since my art is quite detailed and wouldn't fit.
I do postcard size sketch commissions on-the-spot though, for customers who like my art but want something cheap.

I'm not too knowledgeable on paper types, but mine are all card stock matte, afaik.

Hope I helped =)

[StudioDangerboy]

Kari: Very helpful. Never heard of Catprint.com, will check them out as well. Thank you!

[Karmada]

I've used Short Run Poster printing, if you don't mind having the logo/name of file on the back, you can get them very inexpensively. Quality's pretty good too, but that's only if you are looking for large posters.

I myself am interested in checking out my local print shops to see what they offer.

[rei_0]

Karmada, on 21 January 2013 - 04:17 PM, said:

I've used Short Run Poster printing, if you don't mind having the logo/name of file on the back, you can get them very inexpensively. Quality's pretty good too, but that's only if you are looking for large posters.

I myself am interested in checking out my local print shops to see what they offer.

I have a poster from there and am totally going to order some for ACen for a few things.

I print most of my stuff myself. I'm looking for new paper for 8.5x11/11x17

[StudioDangerboy]

Woo hoo, conversations! Thanks for the heads up. Have you guys done this often, about how many items you guys usually sell through (not dollar amount, actual physical quantity).

Thanks for all the help!

[SamusFairchild]

Hi, there! I've been putting a bit of time into larger format stuff this year, as I was lucky enough that my bosses let me use the work printer (at a cost...) for most of my supply last year (up to 12x18, anyway)
The best deal I've been able to find so far is Sam's Club... if you have a membership. I think they run around $45, not sure.
But they have pretty high quality satin finish paper for their poster sizes, and a 20x30 is $8.97. I've been really happy with their stuff, and they get em ready pretty quick. You can order online or go to a store... the printing takes 5-10 minutes each. The paper seems to be photo quality to me, but I didn't ask the exact specs on it.

I've taken a look at short run posters, but their shipping prices were a big turn off. Seems that if you're placing larger orders, the cost balances out.

When I've printed my own stuff, I ran a glossy 80# cover weight on a laser printer, (http://www.zerbee.co...XER3R11460.aspx) and they came out great.

[Sapphy]

SamusFairchild, on 29 January 2013 - 06:24 PM, said:

Hi, there! I've been putting a bit of time into larger format stuff this year, as I was lucky enough that my bosses let me use the work printer (at a cost...) for most of my supply last year (up to 12x18, anyway)
The best deal I've been able to find so far is Sam's Club... if you have a membership. I think they run around $45, not sure.

Sam's Club is pretty good! I had my signs printed there on poster paper (which I then mounted on foam board) last year. The colors turned out excellent. My only complaint with them is that my larger sign ended up being a little blurry/pixellated. I'm fairly sure this wasn't because of the file I gave them (300dpi sourced from a vector image), but I do forget what format I saved it in and it may have been a problem with the file's compression.

Otherwise though, I've known portrait photographers that would go get their clients' photos printed at Sam's because of the price and the quality. They're great!

[SamusFairchild]

Sapphy, on 30 January 2013 - 01:30 PM, said:

Sam's Club is pretty good! I had my signs printed there on poster paper (which I then mounted on foam board) last year. The colors turned out excellent. My only complaint with them is that my larger sign ended up being a little blurry/pixellated. I'm fairly sure this wasn't because of the file I gave them (300dpi sourced from a vector image), but I do forget what format I saved it in and it may have been a problem with the file's compression.

Otherwise though, I've known portrait photographers that would go get their clients' photos printed at Sam's because of the price and the quality. They're great!

OOh! I should pick up some foam core and actually mount a few things. That's an excellent idea.

[Sapphy]

SamusFairchild, on 30 January 2013 - 01:32 PM, said:

OOh! I should pick up some foam core and actually mount a few things. That's an excellent idea.

I wouldn't advise mounting things on foam core if you're planning on selling them, though. The surface of the foam core is sleek, so over time the paper you glue onto it will start to peel off. They do sell boards with a sticky backing (which is what I used) but I'm not sure if they're acid-free and it's tricky to lay the paper down without getting air bubbles on larger posters.

Edit: Of course, mounting display-only pieces IS actually a really great idea!

This post has been edited by Sapphy: 30 January 2013 - 02:40 PM

[StudioDangerboy]

Kari: I got back my first set of prints from catprint and they're amazing! Thank you for the heads-up!

[thatreevesgirl]

http://www.uprinting...r-printing.html is a good source if you need at least 50 of one print. I use this more for my graphic design work, but I know that if you are planning several cons worth of prints it is a good resource. I am very pleased with their product. The only downside is that matte is only available for 250+ prints.