Best print services?
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Hi there, any favorite places to have designs turned into prints or posters?
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Hi Martha!
I'm actually in the process of opening a print shop myself so I've done quite a bit of research! You have several options depending on how you want to handle it. If you want to order your prints in bulk and sell them in person or mail them yourself, then the best option is to look up a local print shop and go there in person. You'll be able to see samples, compare and negotiate prices, etc.Personally I didn't want to take care of the shipping myself, I did that a few years ago and Canada Post was driving me nuts, plus I wanted more professional and sturdy packaging and better shipping rates than what I was able to offer. So I went with a company called Printful. They are online and are a print-on-demand service that specializes in drop shipping - that means they fulfill and ship all your orders for you. There are several companies that do this, I chose Printful because I heard really good things about them and because they have 2 facilities, one in the US and one in Europe, meaning they can ship to Europe much faster and cheaper than other companies I looked at. I have ordered samples from them to check the quality and packaging and should receive them next week, I'll keep you posted on how it turned out! So far I'm impressed - the website says it can take 1-3 days for the order to be processed and printed but mine was fulfilled in less than 24 hours!
vanessastoilova.com
instagram.com/vanessa.stoilova/Check out my Youtube channel for tips on how to start your career in illustration! www.youtube.com/c/ArtBusinesswithNess
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@nessillustration Yay! Thank you so much. I'm somewhat curious about both. If anyone is from the Bay Area I'd love to hear your print shop experiences.
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@nessillustration Wow that's super helpful info, I have an epson artisan so I have been doing a few smaller art prints for local events myself but I was wondering about drop shipping as an option if I ever wanted to expand.
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@nessillustration
So curious - did your samples come in yet? I was looking into their services too - would love to hear your thoughts on their quality
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@kaitlinmakes They actually haven't arrived yet
They're coming in from the US and the tracking stopped at the border when they handed my package to Canada Post, last Friday. Canada Post has some rotating strikes right now so I don't know what's going on... I'm getting really worried because my launch is soon! Anyway, that's quite off topic... I will post again to let you know how the prints are when they get here, and I was also planning to photograph the packaging -
@Martha-Sue @kaitlinmakes @StudioLooong
My prints came!! Pheeew, just in time! So, let's see let's see...Overall I am very happy with my samples!! The paper is a thick cardstock, the printing crisp and beautiful, and the texture on the front is really nice - matte and soft, almost velvety more than a paper texture! The prints do come in a tube so I had to put them under some heavy books to flatten out a bit. But I assume most of my customers will want to frame them (they're nursery prints) so they might even skip this step. The cardboard tube is nice and sturdy, with a custom sticker with my logo on it - very cool! Inside, the prints are rolled into a sheet of white tissue paper, with an additional ball of tissue paper on each end so they can't move around. There's a little packing slip inside with my logo and details, my email address and a custom note I wrote (thank you for shopping, hope you like it, here's a coupon, blah blah blah). This all looks very nice and professional!
