There is much so information today about printers - all kinds of printers - from printing machines to print companies. Both are discussed here. Depending on how you will create your marketing materials, i.e., letterhead, brochures, business cards, tags, post cards, etc., you will need to have the right printer for the job.

1. Outside Print Companies

Wherever you live there are print companies to serve every level of print pricing and quality. But which is right for you?

Only one rule of thumb here...see their work before putting any money down. Request to see samples of work similar to what you will be printing. If it is a full-color business card ask to see some cards. If it is an 8 1/2 x 11 in. brochure request to see what they have already done.

Just as no two artists are alike, no two print companies are alike. One will promise you the moon and give you a stone, others will be quiet and give you the best work you've ever seen.

a. Always get an estimate based on your quantity, paper selection, etc.

b. Ask about how long it will take. Today most printers can turn jobs around within a couple of days, while others still take two weeks to produce a simple project.

c. Ask about guarantees. You want them to make good on any errors they make by reprinting your project at no cost to you. That also means that you need to provide the best camera-ready art or instructions to them as possible. Otherwise you will be responsible to pay the bill for any reprints.

2. Online Print Companies

I have been a corporate graphic designer and illustrator (in addition to my fine art work) for over 30 years. I have worked with printers from top to bottom, from one end of the U.S. to the other.

Today, there new competition to conventional local printers is being driven by online companies. They may be totally virtual or offer a combination of local and online services.

One advantage to good online services is that they offer free templates for even the most inexperienced at designing marketing materials. And for a nominal fee they will design for you (see my article on Graphic Communication for the Fine Artist in our Reading Room.)

Of all the online companies I can wholeheartedly recommend one: VistaPrint.com. The reason I can say this with confidence is because they print with the highest quality for the lowest price. More importantly, I use them for all of my own printing! They offer steep discounts and free printing particularly to repeat customers. I recommend you give them a try.

It is so easy to use their templates, upload files and best of all they are FAST! You need it now...they can do it now. I have their ad and link here for you to review. Many online businesses use VistaPrint as well and have links to the printer.

Art.com for instance, one of the largest print/poster companies today, uses VistaPrint offering the Art.com company brand with the artist's name applied to business cards that the artists can purchase at a reduced rate.

Here are some specials for you if you'd like to give them a try:

3. Doing-It-Yourself

You are all setup with a great computer, laser, color ink-jet or laserjet printers. You are fairly handy at design and perhaps are already doing everything in-house yourself. That is great!!

However, there may be times you want to use a service as mentioned above. The reason? Cost and quality. Cost, because I did not even realize until I did the numbers, but it cost me more to print certain things in my office than at a print company. I am now more selective about what is printed here and what is outsourced.

For instance. You may only need ten fliers for a show. It is definitely more reasonable to print in-house. But if you need larger quantities of anything, do a cost analysis to see if you are really saving time (your time is has a value) and money.

As with printing your marketing/sales materials so it is with printing posters or high-end giclees. There is so much on the Web about these two topics. But to keep things simple let's just address the printing aspect rather than the design, file formats, etc. that are required.

1. In-House

You can print prints on your in-house printer. However, do some research. Unless you are willing to spend quite a bit of money for an archival quality printer, paper and inks, or are willing to settle for and sell prints that will not last even a few weeks it is recommended that you seek out an outside printing service to do the job.

It certainly is fun to remaster your paintings or artwork from your office printer. This is especially true if you create cards or small items for friends. But when it comes to selling to collectors, your reputation must also be considered.

If you make even small prints on non-archival printing equipment, once those prints begin to degrade in quality (rather quickly) you may lose the very trust and integrity you worked so hard to build.

The other consideration is distribution. How are you planning to package and sell your prints? It is a huge undertaking to not only be the painter of a work but also the entire distribution channel for your prints!

2. Print Publishers

Print publishing houses are a great alternative to doing it yourself (see my article Publishing Limited Edition Prints) for more.

The two greatest advantages to using a print publisher is there is no cost to you to print and they can distribute and sell your prints faster and in greater quantity than you might be able to.

Once again, as with your marketing materials there are online services where you can do this for free or a nominal fee. For example, Art.com makes it easy for artists to submit their work and sell as low-end posters or high-end giclees. They have a global reach for customers and many artists do well using this service. It's just one of many you can consider using to maximize your time and the images you've already created. They will even market your originals.

If someone is interested in purchasing an original the client contacts you directly and Artist Galleries at Art.com does not require a commission. Makes good business sense and another venue for you to market your art.

Another company, Canvas on Demand will print your photos to canvas. Ordinarily printing photos is only good for families from trips, weddings and the like. But you can also have you paintings printed to canvas from your photos. It is a low-cost way to print your pieces. See their Canvas on Demand Techniques page for more info.

We've just briefly covered the topic of printing. There is so much more and I will be writing more about it for your benefit as the days go by.

L. Diane Johnson