Whether it’s your first time selling your art, or you’ve already been in the game for a while, it’s important to understand and utilise best practice when it comes to digitising and preparing your artwork file for printing.
Without proper preparation, you run the risk of ending up with poor quality renditions of your art. This means your customers won’t be receiving your artwork at its best, which can negatively affect your business, and does a tremendous disservice to your original artwork. It’s so important we have created this ‘how to prepare your artwork file for printing’ article to guide you.
But don’t worry – getting it right doesn’t have to be hard! That’s why we’ve pulled together this list of our top tips and tricks to help you to prepare your artwork to perfection before it makes its way into our portal. Once your properly prepared art file has been uploaded onto the PrinTribe portal, your masterpiece is in expert hands, and you can rest assured knowing that it will be printed, framed and finished to the highest quality standard.
1. To Scan or Not to Scan – That is the Question
When it comes to digitising your artwork, we generally recommend that artists scan their art, rather than trying to photograph it. When you take into consideration the additional time and equipment (not to mention the complicated set-up required!) scanning is a lot simpler to achieve and will give you a print-ready artwork file in no time! With a good quality scanner, you can also guarantee you’ll be getting the most accurate reproductions of your art.
Depending on the type and quality of your scanner, you can either scan your piece at home, or you can choose to partner with a local, professional scanning service. This is a great option for ensuring your artwork maintains its integrity, and they’ll also be able to assist you in making sure your file is set-up correctly. Double win!
Scanning at home is best for artworks that are A3 size or smaller, but if you’re scanning anything larger, then it’s best to head to a commercial scanner. In terms of texture, it’s best to scan artwork that’s produced on smooth materials. Heavily textured paper makes it more difficult for the scanner to pick up on details.
If you’re unsure of whether or not your at-home scanner is able to produce the high-resolution images that are required for print files, then it’s best to consult with the manufacturer directly. Our recommendation is that your scanning specs are set at a minimum of 300 DPI, in a CMYK colour space.
Refer to these tips to help you during the scanning process:
- Clean your flatbed glass between each scan.
- Make sure your artwork is square and aligned correctly on the scanner.
- Check that your screen colours are calibrated correctly to reflect the colours used in your original artwork.
- Make sure your scanned image files are saved as either JPEG, PDF or TIFF.
- If you have a larger artwork and you’re in doubt about whether your scanner will get the job done, try partnering with a commercial scanner. This way, you can guarantee that your artwork is scanned professionally, and the file is set up correctly.
2. Finding Your (File) Type
If you’ve been in the print game for a while (or for any time at all) you’d be well aware that not all file types are created equal. Knowing which file format to use will not only save you precious time when you’re uploading your artwork, but it will also ensure that your saved artwork maintains all the important information necessary to produce the best quality print.
At PrinTribe, we accept JPEG, PDF and TIFF files. During the upload process, we will convert your file to JPEG. This allows us to offer all the magical file manipulation options available in our real-time Image Editor. While we also accept RGB file types, we recommend ensuring your artwork file is edited and saved in the CMYK colourspace to ensure the best colour accuracy and representation. "But why?" you may ask. The reason is that he RGB model is designed to be used for screen displays - it's not possible to print in RGB. Our giclee printers use the CMYK colour mode. Therefore, to ensure your artwork is reproduced as you intended, we suggest converting your RGB files to CMYK before uploading. However, if you prefer to leave your file as RGB, it can and will still be converted to CMYK as part of the printing process.
A brief word of caution! Particularly energetic or vibrant colours able to be achieved in RGB are difficult (sometimes impossible) to reproduce using CMYK. See the electric blue featured in the images below for reference.
It's important to note that, if you upload an RGB image for us to convert to CMYK, we will not know if the converted result is not what you intended.
3. Let's Talk About Size, Baby!
Part of knowing how to prepare your artwork file for printing is understanding image size and DPI. Although it’s generally recommended to use a 300 DPI file as the industry standard, our sophisticated digital printing techniques mean that we can handle images with a resolution as low as 150 DPI at PrinTribe. Any images with a resolution lower than 150 DPI, however, will produce a warning and will begin to negatively affect the quality of your print.
In terms of file size, we recommend that you set up your artwork file to match the finished print size. If you are intending to create and sell multiple sizes of the same artwork, we’d suggest uploading your file in the largest size you’re offering.
For instance, if you’re producing your artwork in sizes 50 x 70cm, 75 x 100cm, and 100 x 120cm, then make sure the artwork file you’re using is uploaded at the largest 100 x 120cm size. You can then be sure that your uploaded image is large enough to handle all of your selected sizes, without any loss to the resolution quality.
We’ve created the tables below to assist you in correctly setting up your artwork file:
Classic Frames | Image Pixel Size (300 DPI) |
|---|---|
51 x 66cm | 6024 x 7795 |
64 x 64cm | 7559 x 7559 |
64 x 80cm | 7559 x 9449 |
80 x 80cm | 9449 x 9449 |
80 x 101cm | 9449 x 11929 |
102 x 137cm | 12047 x 16181 |
Premium Frames | Image Pixel Size (300 DPI) |
|---|---|
38 x 38cm | 4488 x 4488 |
38 x 50cm | 4488 x 5906 |
50 x 50cm | 5906 x 5906 |
50 x 75cm | 5906 x 8858 |
75 x 75cm | 8858 x 8858 |
75 x 100cm | 8858 x 11811 |
100 x 100cm | 11811 x 11811 |
100 x 150cm | 1181 x 17717 |
Premium Canvas | Image Pixel Size (300 DPI) |
|---|---|
40 x 50cm | 4724 x 5906 |
60 x 60cm | 7087 x 7087 |
60 x 90cm | 7087 x 10630 |
75 x 100cm | 8858 x 11811 |
90 x 90cm | 10630 x 10630 |
90 x 120cm | 10630 x 14173 |
100 x 100cm | 11811 x 11811 |
120 x 120cm | 14173 x 14173 |
120 x 160cm | 14173 x 18898 |
Rolled Prints | Image Pixel Size (300 DPI) |
|---|---|
A4 | 2480 x 3507 |
A3 | 3507 x 4960 |
A2 | 4960 x 7015 |
A1 | 7015 x 9933 |
A0 | 9933 x 2232 |
20 x 25cm | 2362 x 2953 |
40 x 50cm | 4725 x 5906 |
50 x 75cm | 5906 x 8859 |
60 x 90cm | 7087 x 10630 |
75 x 100cm | 8859 x 11811 |
90 x 120cm | 10630 x 14173 |
100 x 140cm | 1181 x 16536 |
120 x 160cm | 14173 x 18898 |
120 x 180cm | 14173 x 21260 |
130 x 195cm | 15354 x 23032 |
140 x 200cm | 16536 x 23622 |
150 x 225cm | 17717 x 26575 |
200 x 300cm | 23622 x 35433 |
25 x 25cm | 2953 x 2953 |
40 x 40 | 4725 x 4725 |
50 x 50cm | 5906 x 5906 |
60 x 60cm | 7087 x 7087 |
75 x 75cm | 8859 x 8859 |
90 x 90cm | 10630 x 10630 |
100 x 100cm | 11811 x 11811 |
120 x 120cm | 14173 x 14173 |
140 x 140cm | 16536 x 16536 |
150 x 150cm | 17717 x 17717 |
200 x 200cm | 23622 x 23622 |
Remember to check your flatbed and make sure that it can perform high-resolution scans. Scan your artwork at a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.
4. PrinTribe's Purpose-Built Image Editor
At PrinTribe, we’ve developed our very own real-time Image Editor. This handy little tool allows you to customise your artwork in situ to make sure it fits perfectly inside your chosen frame. Just like magic!
Here are our top tips to make sure you are getting the most out of the PrinTribe Image Editor:
- Use the “Rotate” and “Scale” tools to position your artwork accurately within the print area.
- Keep an eye on DPI within the Image Editor to ensure your artwork file never drops below 150 DPI.
- Use the “Add Signature” tool to put the finishing touches on your artwork and truly make it your own!
- IMPORTANT TIP: We will only print what’s inside the red dotted line. Any artwork element that extends beyond this line will be cut off during production, so please make sure to check your art carefully to make sure you don’t lose any important details.
Got More Questions? We've Got Answers!
If there are still some parts about the scanning and printing process that you’re unsure of, check out our answers to some frequently asked questions below.
What at-home scanners do you recommend?
Epson Perfection V850 Pro A4 Scanner - Artworks are able to be scanned at 1200 x 2400 DPI, allowing you to enlarge your A4 art file to up to 100x150cm.
Epson Expression 12000 XL A3 Scanner - Artworks can be scanned at 2400 x 4800 DPI, allowing you to create print files at over 200cm.
What is CMYK?
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. It’s a colour model that refers to the ink plates that are used when you print in colour. While there is also the RGB colour model, this is primarily used in the digital space, and can lead to losses in accurate colour representation. We advise using CMYK as it will ensure the most accurate rendition of your artwork.
What does DPI mean?
DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and is a measure of the density between dots in a digital image. DPI is important when it comes to scanning your art because it affects the resolution and quality of the final image. A minimum of 300 DPI should be used, but we can handle files as low as 150 DPI without having any major losses in resolution. We do not recommend uploading any artworks below 150 DPI, as we cannot guarantee the quality. Choose your DPI level while scanning, and don’t try increasing it in any photo or image editing software afterwards.
What is a TIFF file?
TIFF stands for Tag Image File Format and is a type of file format alongside JPEG and PDF. TIFF is generally used more by artists as it ensures the highest image quality, since it’s centred on the CMYK colour system that printers use.
Do you have quality control for my prints?
At PrinTribe, we take quality very seriously. All your artworks are produced at museum-grade, premium quality level, and we perform consistent colour tests to ensure we maintain this level of accuracy.
Followed all our tips, and tricks and still not sure if your print files are up to scratch? No worries! Get in touch with our friendly Customer Success team, and we'll give your files a once over.
