Selling art prints online can be a fantastic way to share your work with a wider audience and generate income from your creative passion. But finding the right platform to sell your prints can be a challenge, especially with so many print-on-demand (POD) services vying for your attention. One popular option that often comes up is Inprnt, a platform known for its focus on high-quality art prints and a favorable profit split for artists. But is Inprnt truly worth it for artists in 2023?
This in-depth review will delve into the pros and cons of Inprnt, analyzing its key features, advantages, and drawbacks to help you decide if it’s the right platform for you. We’ll also look at some of the top Inprnt alternatives, empowering you to make an informed decision about the best way to sell your art prints online.
Table of Contents
- What is Inprnt?
- The Pros of Inprnt
- The Cons of Inprnt
- Inprnt Alternatives
- Is Inprnt Worth It?
- FAQ Section
What is Inprnt?
Inprnt is a curated online marketplace that distinguishes itself from other POD platforms by focusing exclusively on high-quality art prints and canvases. Unlike sites like Society6 and Redbubble, which offer a vast range of merchandise, Inprnt’s primary goal is to showcase and sell stunning art prints. This specialization appeals to artists seeking a platform dedicated to art enthusiasts who appreciate fine art prints.
One of Inprnt’s most attractive features is its generous 50/50 profit split with artists. This stands in stark contrast to many competitors who take a larger percentage of each sale. This artist-friendly approach, coupled with the platform’s reputation for quality, has made it a popular choice, particularly within the fantasy and science fiction digital art communities.
Inprnt maintains a curated selection of artwork through an application process. To open a shop, artists must submit three pieces for review and voting by existing Inprnt artists. This ensures that the platform features a high standard of work, attracting art buyers seeking professional-grade prints.
The Pros of Inprnt
High-Quality Prints:
Inprnt’s commitment to quality is evident in its “gallery-quality” giclee prints. These prints are created using archival inks on 100% cotton rag paper, ensuring vibrant colors, deep blacks, and exceptional detail. The paper itself is 300 gsm, equivalent to the thickness of a business card, providing a substantial and durable feel. Artists and buyers alike rave about Inprnt’s accurate color reproduction, ensuring that the printed artwork closely matches the digital files. The deep, rich blacks are a standout feature, lending a professional touch to any print. The audio review highlights these qualities, mentioning the thick paper and vibrant colors, and emphasizing the deep blacks as a particular strength.
Excellent Profit Margins:
Inprnt’s 50/50 profit split is a significant advantage for artists. For example, a standard 12×16 print selling for $18 would yield a $9 profit for the artist. This is considerably higher than the profits offered by many other POD platforms, making Inprnt a financially rewarding choice for artists seeking to maximize their earnings.
Strong Reputation:
Inprnt has established a solid reputation within the art community as a reliable and reputable platform. Its long-standing presence since 2006 and its curated selection of artwork have fostered trust among both artists and buyers. Its focus on art prints, rather than generic merchandise, adds to its credibility among art buyers.
The Cons of Inprnt
Low Sales Volume:
While Inprnt offers many advantages, selling art prints online can be a challenge due to the niche nature of the product. A limited customer base actively seeks out and purchases art prints, making high sales volumes difficult to achieve. The audio review acknowledges this, comparing Inprnt’s higher price point to Redbubble’s more affordable options, suggesting Redbubble might be a better value for some customers.
Inprnt’s $100 withdrawal threshold can also be a hurdle for artists starting out or experiencing low sales volume. It can take time to accumulate enough earnings to meet the withdrawal minimum, potentially delaying access to your profits.
Limited Marketing and Promotion:
Inprnt, like many POD platforms, does not actively promote individual artists or their artwork. Artists are responsible for marketing their shops and driving traffic to their listings. This requires a proactive approach to social media marketing, content creation, and audience engagement, which can be time-consuming and demanding for artists who prefer to focus on creating art.
Lack of Customer Data:
A significant drawback of selling through Inprnt is the lack of access to customer data. Inprnt does not share customer information with artists, including email addresses, referring platforms, or purchase history. This limits an artist’s ability to build relationships with their buyers, promote new products to their existing customer base, or gain valuable insights into their audience’s preferences and purchasing behavior. This is a common issue on POD platforms, as mentioned in the HTML content, but it’s worth considering when deciding where to sell your art.
Expensive International Shipping:
While Inprnt offers reasonable shipping rates within the USA, its international shipping costs can be prohibitive for many buyers. This can be a significant barrier for artists seeking to reach a global audience, limiting their sales potential and discouraging international customers from purchasing their prints. The audio review confirms this, stating that Inprnt’s prices are higher than Redbubble and Artstation, and recommending Redbubble as a good value option.
Limited Edition Prints:
Inprnt’s options for offering limited edition prints are not clearly stated. This can be frustrating for artists seeking to leverage scarcity and exclusivity to boost sales and income. This aligns with the HTML content, which mentions the difficulty of offering limited edition prints on Inprnt and speculates about potential negotiation processes.
Inprnt Alternatives
Building Your Own Website:
For artists seeking greater control over their brand, pricing, marketing, and customer relationships, building a dedicated website offers a compelling alternative to Inprnt. Integrating POD services like Printful with your website allows you to handle printing and fulfillment without managing inventory or shipping logistics. This approach empowers you to create a unique brand identity, offer promotions and discounts, collect customer data, and foster a direct connection with your audience. The HTML content advocates for this approach, highlighting the benefits of integrating a service like Printful for better control and profit potential.
Other POD Platforms:
If building a website is not feasible or desirable at this stage, several alternative POD platforms specialize in art prints:
- Fine Art America: Fine Art America offers a wide range of print types and sizes, extensive framing options, and a strong artist community.
- ArtStation: Integrated with a popular artist portfolio platform, ArtStation provides a convenient way for artists to offer prints alongside their digital artwork. It is mentioned in the audio review as a decent option, although more basic than Inprnt or Redbubble.
- Society6: Known for its wide audience and extensive product catalog, Society6 offers a larger potential customer base but with lower profit margins and increased competition. It is also discussed in the HTML content as a platform similar to Inprnt but with lower artist profits.
Each alternative has pros and cons, so it’s essential to weigh your individual needs and priorities when evaluating the best fit for your art business.
Is Inprnt Worth It?
Inprnt can be a valuable platform for artists seeking a relatively hands-off approach to selling high-quality prints to an established audience, potentially as a supplementary income stream. Its excellent profit margins, ease of use, and strong reputation within the art community are attractive features, especially for artists with an existing following. The audio review suggests Inprnt is favored for its quality, despite being the most expensive option.
However, the low sales volume often associated with selling art prints online, the limited marketing support, the lack of access to customer data, and the expensive international shipping can be significant drawbacks for artists relying on print sales for substantial income or seeking full control over their brand and customer relationships. The HTML content reinforces this, suggesting Inprnt might not be ideal for generating substantial income and recommending artists consider their own websites for long-term success.
Ultimately, whether “is Inprnt worth it” depends on your individual goals, resources, and priorities. If you’re looking for a simple way to offer high-quality prints with a good profit margin, Inprnt is worth exploring. But if you’re seeking to build a thriving print-selling business with greater control and higher sales potential, building your own website or exploring other “Inprnt alternatives” might be a more rewarding path.
FAQ Section
How does Inprnt’s application process work?
To apply to Inprnt, artists must submit three high-quality artworks for review. These artworks are then voted on by existing Inprnt artists. If the artworks are approved by a majority vote, the artist is granted access to open a shop and sell their prints. This process ensures that the platform maintains a curated selection of high-quality artwork.
What are Inprnt’s default minimum prices for various products?
Inprnt sets default minimum prices for its products, which artists can choose to increase. These prices vary based on the product type, size, and framing options. The specific default minimum prices can be found on the Inprnt website.
How long does it take for Inprnt to process and ship orders?
Inprnt’s processing and shipping times vary based on the product type, the customer’s location, and the shipping method chosen. However, based on the audio review, Inprnt tends to have longer shipping times than Redbubble or ArtStation, potentially taking up to a couple of weeks.
Can I offer discounts or promotions in my Inprnt shop?
Inprnt has specific policies regarding discounts and promotions. Artists can create coupon codes for their shops to offer discounts to customers, but they must adhere to Inprnt’s guidelines for discounts and promotions.