How to Make Prints of Paintings

Many artists choose to sell reproductions and prints of their work. Some print shops have large scanners and can make prints of paintings, but many artists choose to save money by making prints themselves.

Things You'll Need

• Digital camera with image stabilization
• Tripod
• Black velvet fabric
• Large-scale scanner
• Photo editing program

Instructions

From a Painting to a Print

1. Take pictures of your paintings. Find a well-lit room and tack a piece of black velvet to the bottom of an open wall. Lean a painting against the wall in front of the cloth. Take three or four pictures without using a flash. Check the results. You may have to make the light in the room darker or lighter for a better picture.

2. Load the photos onto your computer and use photo editing software to enhance the images. You can brighten, crop, enhance, repair and modify images. Open the files from the camera of scanner in Photoshop, and modify them as required. Remember not to shrink the images in size. After you have made adjustments, click "Save As" to save the new version and retain the original.

3. Load your images onto a disc or flash drive, or upload them to a photo-printing Web site. Print shops, whether they are brick-and- mortar or virtual, can print your pictures in the size you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can afford to spend more, have a printing service scan the paintings and make the prints. Typically this is the way to get the best quality prints.

Resources

• CafePress.com
• Yellowbook.com