deviantART prints - what is the quality like?

[SixAcreMeadow]

There are tons of prints I want to buy but wondering what the quality was like, has anyone ever purchased prints there?

I do of course check out the artist website/blog etc to see if they're selling independently (so they can keep all the cash!) but you'd be surprised at how many don't!

[TheAlteredDiaries]

I don't really sell on Deviant Art because their pricing is so low and they will put items on sale without asking. Some things to conder.
-300 DPI at the current size
-For Etsy you might want to ask if it is printed at home and what kind of printer. Not the brand, but how many ink cartridges there are. Also what kind of ink. Pigment inks are the best (archival quality).
-Also the type of paper. Good, archival paper is pricey. I doubt DA uses that.
So check out the original size and DPI. Then find out about the paper and the type of processing they use.
Hope this helps.

[MixdJuxt]

DA has a lot of options, canvas prints/fine art/etc. Even printing on mousepads and mugs, which you can get done at CafePress... But Cafe Press looks lousy to me. I am unsure of DA quality, I bought a print of my art for a friend. He assured me it was beautiful, but I don't know how well he knows quality printing.

I used to work for Ritz camera and was very familiar with different prints and such (though I have no experience with canvas prints, etc). I printed quite a bit of artwork via the regular photo lab.

If you want to do something like that, shop around different locations of local photo labs in your area. I recommend Fujifilm labs like Walgreens uses. Kodak has thinner paper and really skimps on quality for profit margins. Also, look into your local darkroom processing labs and print shops.

A lot of people I've know use Vistaprints. At least for things like business cards and postcards. Unsure of anything like art prints. A friend uses them and sent me one of her postcards. The DPI print out looked pretty good and cardstock was nice and thick.

Guess, my information is kind of useless for buying prints from DA. I kinda went off subject there, I'm tired. I ramble.

Suggestion, purchase a small inexpensive print, 4x6. If you are satisfied with the quality, go ahead and buy the big one. If you feel that it is of poor quality, contact the artist, let them know their print didn't come out well and see if they use another service.

I haven't been able to afford any prints yet, but will look into printing elsewhere, as I feel DA prints are costly to the artist. their cut is too large of a percentage... ;P

[NeverDieArt]

I posted a poll on my DA before I started selling my prints here. I asked "Have you ever gotten prints from DA, what was the quality?
For the ones of them that said yes, half of them said the quality isn't up to par.
So then I just decided to get them made myself at a local printery and sell them on etsy : )

[TeaFoxIllustrations]

nuvonova :: All of my prints I have for sale on my etsy site are from devianart.com. I mainly purchase either matte or lustre prints (I don't recall ever purchasing glossy), but I find their quality to be better than other places I've seen. If the file the artist uploads is high quality, then the prints come out beautiful, at least in my opinion. A few people have bought these prints off of me on etsy, and no one has complained about the quality thus far.

I personally like their matte prints because it has a slight sheen to it; the color isn't dull or looks like it has sunken into the paper and its perfect for dark images. Quality of the work also depends on the file the original artist uploads. I personally upload my pictures @ 300 dpi and typically in a large format, such as 9x12 inches. When I buy smaller prints, no quality is lost, and same goes for buying a size up.

Over the summer I had looked at different places, comparing base prices for buying prints to resell. Deviantart has so far been the cheapest for the highest quality. I don't like keeping my prints up for sale through deviantart.com because I don't like their payment options. You have to wait until you sold $20 worth of merchandise to receive the money. If you're just starting out, it could take a year or more to see that money.

[missHAQU]

I don't know about deviant art prints either, I think one of my friends have gotten a few and they were fine. Even if I had gotten some I'm not sure about how to tell good quality aside from the paper weight and that there's no color cast.

saragraybill, at least DA's is only $20 I put some of my photos up on imagekind (the paper quality there looks great but it's way too expensive). and then I just sort of forgot about it and was thinking about taking my stuff off it when someone bought a few prints but there you have to make $50 to get paid! and I'm at $12 lol so who knows if I'll ever make $50! also I think DA will let you take it out as points whenever, but I could be wrong.

[GingerKellyStudio]

DA Prints are excellent quality. I have a few prints in different sizes & finishes, all excellent. My parents bought me a framed giclee art print on paper for Christmas, it is beautiful.
Of course, quality of image depends on the artist but the quality of printing is great. Shipping to Australia takes a long time, but thats nothing new ;)

The photo prints are great value and the framed prints... I really get my own artwork framed locally at dA prices so you are getting a great deal. It might be different for framing in US...but it is REALLY expensive here.

I dont understand why dA doesnt have more info about their printing on the website... Closeup images of the actual print surface & frame would certainly be helpful for shoppers

As far as the artist commission... artists are getting a slightly better deal now via dA though its not the option for everyone. I always offer my prints directly from me (which I have printed locally) but i could never offer framed prints at a competitive price so I sell those via dA.

Hope this helps :)

[GingerKellyStudio]

Sorry, Typo:

"The photo prints are great value and the framed prints... I really * CANT * get my own artwork framed locally at dA prices so you are getting a great deal. It might be different for framing in US...but it is REALLY expensive here."