I wrote in a previous post, Selling Fine Art Prints On ImageKind, recommending the service to any photographer wishing to dip their toe in the water and get started attempting to sell Fine Art prints of their work online. So far I can definitely have no complaints about the quality of service provided by Imagekind. I mentioned in the previous post that I wasn’t too sure how much promotion Imagekind could actually provide for individual artists on their roster but have so far been pleasantly surprised. A couple of days ago I had my day in the sun as their “Featured Artist Of The Day” and they were also kind enough to post a glowing recommendation of this blog on their blog. So far reaction has been good and when I factor in their slick presentation of their range of print media, matting and framing alternatives I have to say that Imagekind are definitely up there with the “best of breed” if not the best of such services. Great value for money and still very highly recommended.

However, where things are not so rosy in the garden is to do with the inherent realities and drawbacks of selling prints online. I’m going to mention some of these so that anyone contemplating trying this for themselves will enter into it with their eyes open.

The first drawback - and the most obvious one if you stop for a moment to think about it - is the “if I build it they will come” (yes I know that “Field Of Dreams” quote again, as A Brit I know little or nothing about Baseball but I sure do love that movie!) syndrome. The brutal truth is they won’t - not right away at any rate. That means that all the usual caveats about any online venture apply. It takes time for you to register a blip on the radars of Google et al and, anyway, there is plenty of competition for those same coveted spots on Google page one so don’t hold your breath for visitors to your gallery to come flooding in via that route. Believe you need lots of eyeballs on your work to make sales. Even those who having seen your work go out of their way to contact you and tell you how much they love your work aren’t always (or even often!) sales prospects. Of course, starting your own blog, like this humble one, can help considerably to raise your profile but be prepared - it’s not an overnight fix. The reality is that you will be looking at a very long term prospect and you need to in it for the long haul. How long? Months - if your lucky - probably years to really build a solid online presence.

The other really big drawback for me is a technical one - if your work tends towards quiet subtlety and relies on print quality, with the “presence” that such prints seen in the flesh, as it were, have then you are already severely restricted. Face it, a small online reproduction of your work is not going to do it any favours - unless, perhaps, your work is of the kind that whacks your viewers between the eyes at any size. Of course, an instant wow factor doesn’t always last and your prospective buyers may decide that that type of image, though instantly stimulating, may not be what they want on their wall to have to face every day.

Most of the online “Print On demand” services like Imagekind have to tread a fine line between showing the work to its best advantage without providing the viewer with a downloadable version they can print themselves. You could, of course, watermark your work but Imagekind, though providing such a service, don’t really recommend it and I heartily agree with them. Actually, I’m quite sanguine about such “online piracy”, maybe I’m a rarity but I wouldn’t lose much sleep over it because I figure that anyone who wants to do that is certainly not much bothered about print quality and is hardly a lost sale - they were never a sales prospect in the first place.

Well, this is still all a learning curve for me too and something I will definitely return to in future posts.

Feedback from others with experiences to share would also be very much appreciated.