So many of our subscribers and customers have written and requested information on where to sell or how to increase sales of their ink jet fine art and decor prints, that we decided to start a series of articles on this subject -- similar to our popular, two-part series on stock photography.
FLEA MARKETS. Our series will cover such topics as selling via art festivals, poster distributors, art galleries, and online galleries (as well as via eBay and similar services). In today's edition, we will focus on selling though "flea markets".
YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING, RIGHT? We doubt that many of our readers have ever considered flea markets for selling their fine art or decor ink jet prints. Undoubtedly, there are many who might consider this arena to be "beneath" their artistic status, but we will endeavor to educate you of the benefits of investigating this potentially lucrative marketplace for your fine art / decor prints.
WHAT IS A "FLEA MARKET"? A "flea market" is usually an open-air street market for inexpensive or secondhand articles. A flea market is a facility (indoors or outdoors) that rents space to anyone that offers items for sale to the general public. The renters are known as vendors. Flea markets are sometimes the only opportunity available for a person to start a business without a large layout of capital and long term commitments.
Albert LaFarge, author of U.S. Flea Market Directory says, "Today's American flea market is a modern version of a phenomenon that has endured throughout history in all civilized societies - wherever there is a high concentration of people, there will be market days when they assemble for the exchange of goods and services."
Some have referred to flea markets as "eBay in the park". Flea market shopping is a popular pastime for many people in the Western world (which may explain why eBay shopping has also become so popular). The United States has about 5000 flea markets, swap meets, and collectible markets, with an estimate of over one million vendors and one hundred million annual shoppers. These markets range in size from a few dozen vendors, to over a thousand vendors at popular shows that are well advertised.
WHAT ARE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR AT FLEA MARKETS? The goods offered by vendors are usually inexpensive (but prices vary greatly, depending on the popularity of the items) and range in quality depending on location of the flea market, the part of the country that you are in, or popularity/size of the flea market.
Harry L Rinkler, a national collectable expert (and author of "The Official Guide to Flea Market Prices") says that "...the vast majority who go to flea markets are there to buy something for their home or to decorate with it."
Others are looking for something to reclaim the stuff of their youth, or at least bring back the nostalgia of those days.
WHAT IMAGES SELL BEST AT FLEA MARKETS? We wish we knew! However, images with vintage or nostalgic themes often do well in flea markets. Our advice: Go slow, and test the market with a wide variety of images, until you find the images that sell repeatedly. People who are successful in this market tell us that they make most of their sales with just a few, extremely popular images (they just keep the other images in the mix to make the customer think he is making his choice from a larger selection -- when in reality, the vendor knows 90% of the time, from past experience, what is going to sell)!
It will take time to determine which images and presentations appeal to the flea market crowd, so keep your overhead low until you've discovered your top performing combinations.
Artist can also take advantage of popular and current trends. We recently saw an artist displaying photographs of penguins sliding down icebergs -- taking advantage of the popular interest generated by the recent the movie, "March of the Penguins".
PRICING YOUR PRINTS FOR MARKET: Most people who shop flea markets (or eBay) are hoping to "discover" a real deal or bargain. This is the appeal or adventure that drives most of us to shop at flea markets. Your prices should therefore be attractive -- at least lower than what they'd normally see at a gallery or art festival. (A flyer or poster offering proof that the same or similar prints are sold elsewhere at higher prices is a good way to remind or point out what a bargain your customers are getting.)
Prints sold at flea markets and swap meets need not be the highest "fine art" quality, and no one is expecting to find a limited edition print in this venue. Open edition, "decor" prints are just fine for this market, but if you decide to offer "archival" quality or "acid-free" decor prints, or tell your customers that the prints are made on "fine art paper" (see below for suggested papers), these recognizable catch words will certainly help your sales, especially when tied to inexpensive prices.
PRINTING & PREPPING FOR SALES: In our June 1st newsletter we wrote about "Fine Art Printing On A Budget", and two papers we recommended for the "not-so-fine", fine art market: the Epson Watercolor Paper - Radiant White and the Illuminata Watercolor Paper - Bright White. Both of these papers allow one to market their prints as true "acid-free" and "lignin-free" fine art papers, but without the expense of 100% cotton "rag" papers. This will greatly reduce one's cost, in order to competitively price their art, but still allow one to use all the right buzz words. Keep in mind that while both of these papers are acid-free, lignin-free, and considered to be "fine art" papers, it may be stretching it to call them "archival" papers, since they do have plenty of optical brighteners (OBAs) in them to make them "Radiant" or "Bright" White. (Wilhelm Imaging Research says the Epson Watercolor paper will not fade with UltraChrome inks for well over 100 years, but that doesn't mean the OBAs will not cause the prints to yellow during that same period.)
Many sales are made of just the loose, unmatted and unframed prints. These will still need to be sleeved or shrink-wrapped with a stiffer (chipboard or cardboard). Shrink-wrapping is less expensive in the long run than sleeves, but requires a larger up-front investment in equipment. Transparent sleeves or clear envelopes are preferred by many artists because of their more professional look. (To maintain your "acid-free" claim, we suggest that you place a thin, inexpensive sheet of acid-free paper between your print and the chipboard or cardboard stiffer.)
Finding an inexpensive supplier of good pre-cut mats and standard size frames will enable you to increase your sales, because many customers are looking for a finished, ready-to-hang solution; and they know that custom framing can often cost several times more than the price of the print. Offering the option of prints within a mat and/or a frame, at attractive prices, greatly increases the value-added perception. A mat and frame supplier used by many flea market artists is Cheap Joe's. Their 16x20 pre-cut single bevel cut mat (3-pack) for only $8.89, or their double bevel cut mat (2-pack) for only $10.69 is just one example of their great prices.
One of your biggest expenses in printing is ink costs. If you are printing with an Epson 1800, 2200 or 2400 (and their small, 17ml cartridges) or a smaller printer, you are paying about $2.00 to $3.00 per square foot of ink coverage (depending on the image). This expense is often more than the cost for the most expensive 100% cotton fine art papers! Upgrading to an Epson 4800 printer, with its 110ml or 220ml cartridges, will reduce your ink costs to an average of about $0.75 per square foot -- or about 1/3 to 1/4 of what you are paying with the smaller printers. (The Epson 4000, 7600, 7800, 9600 and 9800 printers will provide similar ink cost savings.)
Bulk ink and continuous ink systems can provide even greater savings, but one should be aware of the additional start-up costs, possible media compatibility frustrations and new color profiling hassles. Despite these potential pitfalls, the long-term savings can be huge.
STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD: For real custom (non-standard sizes and colors) mat and frame sizes, you'll need to cut your own mats and chop your own framing stock. Cheap Joe's and other suppliers can help you with equipment to do that; or you'll need to find a wholesale framer in your area if you prefer to let others do this. A wholesale framer can often approach the price of a pre-cut mat or frame if the volume is high enough. For instance, one wholesale framer gave us the same price as a pre-cut mat when we ordered 50 or more of the same size.
Our advice is to stick with standard sizes in order to keep costs and prices down. Where possible, suck in your pride and crop your images to conform them into standard print, mat and frame sizes. Your increased profits and hassle-free work-flow will soon heal your bruised ego.
If you want to stand out from the crowd with some finishing touches that are unique, but fast and easy to perform, take a look at item #8 on our Dual Edge Ripper page. And don't forget to make your matting and framing work simple with the ATG Tape Gun mentioned in that section.
SELLING WHOLESALE TO VENDORS: Once you found images that sell regularly at flea markets and swap meets, you may want to wholesale these prints to other vendors. Although jewelry and textiles items are more popular with vendors than flat, two-dimensional art, if you have a proven sales record with your prints, vendors will buy them for resale. One of the places other dealers look for new items is the "Wholesaler's Guide For Flea Market Dealers & Independent Retailers".
SETTING UP YOUR DISPLAY: If you plan to attend only indoor markets, many shows will supply you with a table(s) for each space you rent. However, even at indoors you'll need bins and easels to display your loose, matted and framed prints. Serious vendors selling regularly at outdoor shows will want to invest in a show canopy/tent (this canopy/shelter by EZ Up is also available at Sam's Club right now, as a seasonal item for only $203.32).
IN GENERAL: Some interesting general advice on how to sell in this market is found on HowToAdvice.com
FLEA MARKET DIRECTORY: Flea markets vary in the rental fees they charge. Small, local shows often cost only $5 to $10 per day, while large shows that are well-advertised are more expensive, many even have waiting lists for space. "Country Living's Guide to the Best Flea Markets" (published by Hearst Books for $19.95) is an authoritative book of the nation's most noteworthy markets, but is more geared for the buyer. "U.S. Flea Market Directory" (published by St. Martin's Press for $15.95), is a "A Guide to the Best Flea Markets in All 50 States", and is a better choice for the vendor because it also lists rental rates, and your contact people (with phone, email and web sites).
For those wishing to get their information from the Web, we recommend these three online directories:
Museo II offers some major changes over the original Museo paper. Not only has the coating been upgraded to improve printing performance, but this new paper is now coated on BOTH sides.
Museo II is made in the United States by Crane & Co., a worldwide leader in 100% cotton papers. Crane considers Museo II the world's finest acid free, double-sided, fine art inkjet paper. Available in two weights, the totally new Museo II is made from 100% cotton fibers (the purest source of cellulose), which are processed with micro-filtered, naturally occurring, Artesian well water. This fine art paper is also buffered with calcium carbonate to prevent environmental acidification (e.g. yellowing). All Museo II papers meet the demanding needs of the finest image makers, galleries and museums, plus Library of Congress and ISO standards for permanence (ISO 11108 requirements for permanence and durability for archival paper and ISO 9706 requirements for document permanence).
Because no fluorescent brighteners are used (unlike other so-called "photo-rag" papers) long-term color and grayscale performance is outstanding. This means that Museo II is less subject to yellowing or other color shifts over time (a brightened paper or coating may look great today, but it will undoubtedly yellow or shift color over time - in fact, the Library of Congress defines an archival paper as being OBA-free). The lack of optical brighteners also means that this inkjet paper will not fluoresce in mixed light environments that may contain UV illumination. Crane claims this new line of paper to be superior to virtually every other cotton rag inkjet paper available worldwide, including the most premium, professional brands from Europe.
Although long-term stability is great, artists want to know how good images look on the new Crane Museo II. InkjetArt tests showed this paper to have exceptionally smooth gradients, a very wide color gamut, and a Dmax of 1.66! Compare these maximum densities (all printed using Epson UltraChrome Matte Black ink in an Epson 2200 printer):
1.66 - Crane Museo II
1.63 - Epson Enhanced Matte
1.60 - Hahnemuhle Photo Rag
1.52 - Arches Infinity
NOTE: For comparison purposes, let it be known that a Dmax densitometer reading of "1.60" is twice as dark as a reading of "1.50" (in other words, if you took a reflective light meter reading off of a 1.60 "black" patch, it would show a reading of one full "F" stop less reflected light coming off of it than a 1.50 "black" patch).
Higher Dmax can be achieved with the use of dye inks, but long-term stability will be less than with pigment inks, i.e. the Epson UltraChrome, and new UltraChrome K3.
Crane Museo II Fine Art Paper has a brightness of 91, which is pretty amazing for a non-brightened paper. Although it is not quite as bright as Hahnemuhle Photo Rag (which did have the appearance of OBAs in our tests), and certainly not as bright as Epson's Enhanced Matte (which is heavily brightened), it was still brighter than Arches Infinity or Epson's UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper (both of which claim to be OBA-free). Crane claims that Museo II will produce the purest blacks and whitest whites of any available inkjet paper without optical brighteners. We think they have succeeded.
The two printable surfaces of this fine art paper are optimized for handling and to minimize particle flaking, abrasion and other physical damage. The ³felt² side has a subtle Velina finish, and the ³wire² side has a little more even, and slightly smoother surface - both of which are ideal for fine art photography images (but we personally liked the felt side best, because of the character of the Velina texture).
InkjetART is both a dealer and a distributor for Museo II. Dealer inquiries are welcome. To help our customers get acquainted with the new Museo II, InkjetART is offering a 5-sheet sample pack (10 printable surfaces) at a price that is below dealer costs:
Epson has notified InkjetART that they are on schedule to begin delivery of the Epson Stylus Pro 7800 and 9800 printers in September. As one of Epson's leading dealers, we plan to receive a large share of these printers. To order your printer and insure an early position in our priority queue, you'll need to make a $100 deposit:
When InkjetART began its business in 1998, we were pioneers in researching and the bringing to market of photo-realistic and archival ink jet products that photographers and other artist could rely on for their printing needs. Until Epson came out with their first pigment inks (and the Epson Stylus Photo 2000P) in July 2000, artists had to rely on various dye ink formulations that were often quite susceptible to quick fading. Even after the introduction of pigment inks, many artists continued use dye inks because they were much more brilliant and saturated than the early pigment ink formula, which were awful, compared to the Epson UltraChrome and especially the newest K3 formula.
Epson has hitched its ink jet ship so much to the development of better pigment inks, that less is being said anymore about the improvements we think they have quietly made on their photo dye inks -- at least for the R300 series printers. This ink is used in the R200, R300, R300M and R320 printers along with the RX500, RX600 and RX620 printer/scanner combos.
We recently talked with developers of third-party inks that say that Epson's original UltraChrome pigmented ink typically delivers a Blue Wool Scale reading of "6-7" (on a scale of 1-8) with the better ink jet papers -- this compares to the "over 100 years" that Wilhelm Imaging Research gives for this product, using other testing methods. (The BWS test is an old standard in the print and textile industry for light caused fading.) Most ink jet dye inks in the early days of our industry, rarely hit a BWS reading of "1-2", which is why many of those early prints showed signs of fading within a year or two.
Epson's "Lightfast" dye ink improvements, along with introduction of the Epson Stylus Photo 1270 printer in February 2000, produced prints that approached a BWS reading of "3". (And in the summer of that same year, the awful ozone gas "orange-fade" problems brought home the fact that light was not the only factor to ink jet fading, causing Epson to quickly add ozone gas inhibitors to their ink jet papers that contained RC barrier layers.)
Back to the Epson R300: These same developers of third-party archival inks have mentioned to us that their tests of the Epson ink used in the Epson Stylus Photo R300 series printers has produced a Blue Wool Scale reading of "5", and to date, they had never seen an Epson dye ink (or any other major ink jet brand that uses dye ink, i.e. H-P, Lexmark or Canon), achieve a Blue Wool Scale reading of greater than "3"!
So we ask the question, why isn't Epson bragging about this achievement? We believe it is because their professional photo marketing is tied so much to the UltraChrome K3 product, and the R300 series is an consumer photo product. Epson has also marketed heavily the 4-color pigmented DURA-Brite ink (in the C80 series) as a consumer "archival" product. This has pretty much left the R300 series of photo dye ink printers without anyone to champion their benefits in increased color saturation and superior Dmax -- and now a lightfastness that no one else can beat, except for less-brilliant pigmented inks!
While supplies last, you can buy an Epson Stylus Photo R320 printer and get a free box of our Duo Brite Matte Deluxe (letter size - 50 sheets). NOTE: When you order this printer, it will automatically add the free paper promotion to your order:
While supplies last, you can buy an Epson Stylus Photo R1800 printer and get a free box of our Duo Brite Matte Deluxe (13x19 size - 50 sheets). NOTE: When you order this printer, it will automatically add the free paper promotion to your order:
We're blowing out the doors several overstocked (or discontinued) ink jet papers at our actual costs, plus 10% to cover our free shipping policy (when your total order is over $99)! Take advantage of these specials while supplies last (no "rain checks"):
Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss Paper 24"x100' Roll
Epson Presentation Matte Paper (36"x82') roll (S041221)
Epson Glossy Paper - Heavyweight (36"x65') roll (S041227)
Epson Smooth Fine Art 36"x50' roll (S041432)
Epson Smooth Fine Art 44"x50' roll (S041433)
Epson ColorLife Photo Paper Semigloss (44"x100') roll (S041666)
InkjetART often receives inquires as to where an artist can get high-quality digital scans of their fine art originals that are too large to fit on their own flatbed scanner.
There are two ways to photo/copy/scan your original art:
Make a film photo/copy, then scan the film
Make a direct digital camera scan
The second method is preferred because it eliminates a generation, and because digital can capture a longer range of tones than film. The problem with the second method is that not too many photographers or studio/service bureaus are set up yet with the equipment and know-how to properly make these scans.
It is important to choose photographers, studios or digital photo labs that have had training in how to light (preferably with Polarized light) and photograph (copy/scan) flat art work, so that your images are evenly and correctly lit. Professional copy stands are also useful so that the camera is squarely positioned to the art work to prevent image distortion. "Macro" type lenses are also preferred over regular lenses, because they usually have less barrel or pin-cushion distortion.
For best results, fine art originals should be photo/scanned with a high-resolution digital camera in the "RAW" mode, to capture as much tonal data as possible. (Although images will be converted to 24-bit color for final printing, it is useful for the printer technician to have the 48-bit color file if color corrections need to be made before final printing.)
The minimum resolution we'd recommend for scanning an original painting up to 24" x 30" is about 11 megapixels (for optimum results go no larger than about 16" x 20"). The following professional "35mm" digital cameras meet this minimum requirement:
Canon EOS 1Ds
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II
Nikon D2X
Kodak DCS 14n
For larger originals (or optimum results), we recommend medium or large-format cameras with even higher resolution digital camera capture backs, i.e.:
Phase-One
Imacon
Leaf
Better Light
Cruse (a complete, large-format scanning system)
Here's an example of three studios that offer direct scans of your original artwork:
Many artists are reluctant to ship their original art back and forth to a studio/service bureau, and would prefer to find someone local for this service -- hence the reason InkjetART is setting up this referral service. If you have the knowledge, skill and equipment for making direct camera scans, then fill out the following information and we'll soon post a Web page with your contact information, categorized by geographic location:
All longevity estimates should be treated as such, Inkjet Art Solutions is not liable for pre-mature fading of prints or damage to printers through use of our products. Be sure to properly research your purchase and follow the directions given. If you need help, please contact us.
For more information regarding our policies, including our return policy, please visit our Policies Page
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