How to Create Reproductions

Reader Question: Can you tell us how you go about getting reproductions (*) made?

(*) Reproductions nowadays are usually called giclees (zhee-clay) which means they use archival inks and paper.  Because they're printed digitally, you may order any quantity, from as little as One.  In the Olden Times, we ordered Lithograph prints which were not archival and we had to order quantities closer to 1,000 in order to offset the high upfront cost of using a 4-color printing press.

- Decide if your painting is reproduction-worthy.  Sometimes I just want a professional image that I can use for competition entry (this is the first step, anyway, in getting a reproduction). Other times, I actually do proceed to print either because someone asked for that print specifically, or to shrinkwrap them for a bin at an upcoming art show, in the hopes of selling them.

- Name your painting.  That's how you'll refer to it in the future...more details about this below. (Start a spreadsheet with the names of your paintings along with a brief description of it so you can "remember them").  

- Take your painting to a reputable digital printer, preferably in your own area (so that you can have a 1-on-1, face to face, discussion about what's important to you).  I use Inkpressions/Photographiks in my town of Summerville, SC.  They do a great job for me. Please tell them I sent you! (If you're lucky enough to have more than 1 printer in your town, compare prices.  They can vary dramatically.)

- The printing company will guide you through your options of paper for your prints and they'll discuss your pricing options.  There's an initial setup fee, a scanning fee (depending on the size of your painting) and printing fees (depending on size and type of paper).

- They'll scan your painting and show you a proof for approval, printed onto whichever paper you chose above.  If, during your 1-on-1, you told them what you expected from the result, your proof should be ready for sign off.  (A digital printer can never 100% capture all the nuances of a painting which is typically created on non-totally-white watercolor paper, using any number of pigments.  So I might say to them that "obtaining that special orange I used for the dress on this commission is critical", or I might say "I want the highlights to pop"...things like that).

- If you're truly not happy with the proof, tell them why.  If it's fixable, they'll do it.  If not, they'll tell you why not.

- After approval, they'll save the file on their system under the name you gave the painting, so you can just call them and order "x" number of prints at a future date.  

- I go the extra step, and I always ask them to save the high resolution Photoshop file onto a thumbdrive I provide them with at time of approval. I also ask for a small proof, which is a duplicate of the one I signed off on.  (There's an extra charge to do this.) If the printer ever goes out of business, I have my high rez file and a proof to give to the next printer so they have something to color match to.

- I create a low resolution image, using the hig rez, so I can file the low rez in a folder on my computer for a quick visual.  They're saved in alphabetical order in that folder.  If you don't know how to create a low rez, ask your printer to save one on your thumbdrive for you (be courteous and do that on the front end so they don't incur extra hours).  I then post my low rez to social media as well.

Hope this helps!  I love your questions so feel free to ask me anything! 
Helen