Hence, you must know how to prepare your art for printing. You can’t just print your artwork right away, and you can’t either go to a printing shop directly.
If you are working on a 13 in (33cm) by 19 in (48 cm) image, you can stick to the standard resolution of 72 dpi.
Once you’ve adjusted the resolution, it will automatically affect the color of your work. Hence, you need to tweak the color and texture of your print from the color menu, so it will go back to its original color.
If you are going to print your digital art for posters, banners, and other similar huge projects, consider using tools like Perfect Resize and Blow-Up.
Figure out how you can change the contrast of your artwork since photo-editing software has different ways where you can adjust this element from the toolbar.
Increase your work’s contrast until it looks really sharp on the screen. Most often, what looks sharp on the screen won’t be as sharp once it is printed out on paper or whatever material you are printing it on.
Go to the “layer” menu on Photoshop, and right-click on “Art Layer.” After this, you have to duplicate the layer and then choose “filter,” “other,” and “High Pass.”
And then, just choose 3 on the “radius” drop-down menu and click “Ok.” Once you are done with these steps, choose the “Overlay” or “Soft Light” from the drop-down menu on the Layer Palette.
Tweaking the sharpness this way gives you a different effect from just adjusting the resolution directly. It helps in making the edges of your work sharper. Hence, emphasizing the outlines of your artwork.
However, you should remember to only save your file as JPEG once you are done with all of your changes. Saving your file as JPEG repeatedly will diminish the quality of your work once it is printed.
On the other hand, you can save your file as TIF if you don’t want to lose the quality of your work after saving it repeatedly as TIF.
Your choice of ink and paper plays a crucial role in the success of your digital art’s printed output. Below are some considerations that you need to look into as you tread on this essential step:
If you are leaning more towards producing more vibrant colors, dye-based inks would work best for your project. These inks are also great if you are using glossy paper.
So, if you want your print to last for a longer period (up to 150 years), your best option is to use pigment-based inks.
On the other hand, it can still be managed – you just have to buy the inks directly from the manufacturer of your printer.
Your paper is equally important as the ink that you will use. When it comes to printing digital art, it’s always an excellent choice to go for acid-free paper or paper that is listed as 100% rag or cotton.
Avoid a glossy paper if you have texts on your artwork as the paper will make it harder for the text to be read.
If your printed output would be displayed in a frame without glass, the best option would be a semi-glossy finish. This type of paper doesn’t reflect too much light, and it will cause your artwork to really stand out.
For black and white prints, the best option would be a matte paper. It’s also an excellent choice if your printed artwork will be displayed behind glass.
Gallery WallUnless you are printing for your thesis or other school requirements, you should stay away from using #20 to #24 paper.
If you are creating a poster from your digital art, you can go with a paper that is at least #28.
However, if your print is going to be displayed at a gallery, then, you should certainly go for a paper that is around #50.
This is important since your end goal is to sell your artwork. You certainly don’t want your reputation to be ruined by making the wrong choices as far as your printing options are concerned.
Once the settings of your printer are all set-up and the materials are ready, you can then print a test image before you proceed in printing your final output.
As such, the first step in making art prints of your original artwork is producing a high-quality image of the original piece.
Some artists have their artworks professionally scanned, while others just simply take a high-quality photograph of their artwork. Some would scan their artwork by themselves using a reliable scanner.
Some artists have their artworks professionally scanned, while others just simply take a high-quality photograph of their artwork. Some would scan their artwork by themselves using a reliable scanner.
If you don’t have a scanner, yet, and you are planning to buy one, it’s important to purchase the one that can scan up to 600 dpi (dots per inch).
As with the third option, most art business websites also offer framing services, and they can also ship the finished output to your clients directly.
Taking photographs of your original artwork can be tricky, so it does take some learned skills to pull it up successfully.
However, there are tons of resources and tutorials that you can learn online. Take a look at this guide for instance.
And the same as with scanning your artwork, you also need to adjust the resolution, color, and other elements of your photograph on Photoshop.
Because, if you are planning to create your prints by yourself, you should invest in a high-quality printer that uses pigment inks.
However, this can also increase your cost since you will need to have a couple of test prints until you are satisfied with the final output. If you won’t print it by yourself, the printing company will charge you for every test print that they will produce.
Although everything will be charged if you are going to hire a professional printer in your city or online, it won’t be as expensive as you think it will be.
Considering that these people are experts in this field, your overall cost would also be reduced since you don’t have to go through several test prints before you can arrive at the final output.
