I’ve been selling my wildlife art for years, and when it comes to making art prints, I’ve always chosen to bulk print my work through a commercial print shop. It’s worked well for me, but I’ll admit I don’t have tons of experience printing from home.
Lately, I’ve been exploring more about home printing, and that’s how I found Krystle Cole on YouTube. She’s an artist who makes and sells all her own art prints, and she shares a goldmine of practical advice from first-hand experience.
Rather than try to explain it all myself, I think it’s far better if you hear it directly from her. So I’ve put together this roundup of Krystle’s videos, each with a quick description to help you see what’s covered.
If you’re thinking about making your own prints, these videos are well worth your time.
How to Make Art Prints of Your Paintings
In this video, Krystle Cole gives you an overview of the entire process for making art prints of your original paintings, breaking it down into four key steps you’ll need to master if you want to produce professional-quality prints and sell them:
She explains that the process has four main steps:
1. Photograph Your Art
Krystle talks about how to get a good, high-resolution photo of your artwork. You can use a DSLR camera, a newer smartphone, or even hire a professional. But she recommends learning to do it yourself to save money, especially if you plan to make lots of prints.
2. Edit in Photoshop
She points out that matching the colors of your print to your painting is all about good editing. The printer alone won’t make your colors look right. Kryste mentions that she has a separate detailed tutorial on how to handle color correction in Photoshop.
3. Print Your Art
Krystle goes over different ways you can produce your prints. You could use a professional print shop, print-on-demand services like Printful, or buy your own photo printer. She shares some quick advice about printer brands, using quality inks, and choosing standard sizes so customers can frame your prints easily.
4. Package Your Prints
Finally, she briefly talks about how to package your prints for selling or shipping. She suggests using a backing board and a polypropylene bag, and she recommends a company called Clear Bags for supplies.
This video serves as a broad roadmap so you know the full process and what’s involved. The real nitty-gritty detail, like how to photograph your art properly or edit your images in Photoshop, is covered in Krystle’s other videos below.
It’s a perfect starting point if you’re new to making art prints and want to see the big picture before diving deeper.
I printed my own art a different way: How to Make Prints of Your Art: A Mega Guide
How to Photograph a Painting for Art Prints
In this video, Krystle Cole shows you how to photograph your paintings so you can turn them into art prints. Here’s what she covers:
- Equipment Setup
Krystle tells you what equipment you’ll need, including the DSLR camera she uses, her easel, and a budget-friendly lighting kit with two ring lights, plus where to buy it. - Lighting Tips
She explains how to photograph your art outside or indoors, and what kind of lighting setup gives you the best results. - Camera Positioning
Krystle shows you how to position your camera and artwork so your photo is perfectly straight and fills the frame. - Why Not Use a Phone?
She talks about why phone cameras might not be the best choice if you want professional-quality art prints. - Camera Settings
Krystle shares the basic camera settings she uses to get clear, sharp images ready for making prints.
This video is great if you want to learn how to photograph your paintings properly so you can make beautiful art prints later.
How to Photograph Your Artwork With Your Phone
In this video, Krystle Cole teaches you how to photograph your artwork using just your smartphone. It’s a beginner-friendly tutorial that works for paintings or works on paper, whether you’re shooting indoors or using window light.
- Choosing Your Phone
Krystle talks about why using the newest phone model you have helps get the best photo quality for making art prints, and why it’s better to use the back camera instead of the selfie camera. - Using a Tripod
She explains why mounting your phone on a tripod is essential for keeping your photos sharp and avoiding blurry images. - Setting Up Your Artwork
Krystle shows different ways to set up your artwork for photos, whether it’s hanging on a wall or laying flat on a table, and shares some budget-friendly ideas. - Lighting Your Art
She demonstrates how to light your artwork evenly using ring lights, floor lamps, or natural window light. She also explains why white light is better than yellow light. - Squaring Up the Photo
Krystle shows how to adjust your phone so your artwork looks straight and fills the frame without distortion. - Using a Foam Board Trick
She shares a handy trick using a foam board to bounce light and help even out shadows, especially when shooting near a window. - Taking the Photo
Krystle gives a simple tip for using your phone’s timer to help get sharper photos and suggests taking multiple shots to choose the best one.
This video is perfect if you haven’t got a DSLR camera and want to photograph your art ,with your phone, and still get good enough results for making prints.
Choosing the Best Printer for Art Prints
In this video, Krystle Cole shares everything she’s learned about picking the best printer for making fine art prints, based on her own business experience and lots of research.
- Why the Right Printer Matters
Krystle explains how selling art prints is a huge part of her income and why choosing the right printer is crucial for quality, durability, and keeping costs under control. - Key Features to Look For
She talks about the essential qualities artists should look for in a printer, like using pigment-based inks, handling different paper sizes, printing speed, durability, and affordable ink costs. - Epson vs. Canon
Krystle shares her personal experience using Epson printers over Canon, explaining why she prefers Epson for reliability and print quality, despite some drawbacks. - Understanding Epson Models
She breaks down the differences between Epson’s P-Series (professional fine art printers) and T-Series (more affordable but lower quality), and why the P-Series is better for serious art printing. - Her Printer Choice
Krystle describes her journey trying the Epson P700, why it didn’t work out for her due to high ink costs and slow speed, and why she ultimately switched to the Epson P900. - Pros and Cons of the P900
She talks about the P900’s great print quality and versatility, but also the downsides, like slower printing and potential durability issues based on her experience with a broken unit. - Her Recommendation
Krystle recommends the P900 as the best current option for fine art prints but suggests grabbing a used or refurbished P800 if you can find one, because it’s faster and more durable.
This video is perfect if you’re serious about selling art prints and want real-world advice on choosing a professional printer without wasting money.
I wrote this while researching a while back: Printing Art Prints DIY – Epson ET 8550 vs SC-P700 – Hobby vs Pro?
How to Color Match Your Art Prints
In this video, Krystle shows you how to color match your art prints so they look as close as possible to your original paintings. It’s a practical tutorial packed with Photoshop tips for artists who want professional results.
- Starting in Photoshop
Krystle explains how she opens her raw photos in Photoshop, crops the image, and uses the white balance tool to get the colors closer to reality. - Printing Test Swatches
She talks about printing small test sections instead of full pages to save paper and ink while checking color accuracy. - Adjusting Exposure and Color
Krystle shows how she tweaks exposure, gamma, and black levels in Photoshop to brighten her prints and match them to the painting. - Comparing Prints to the Original
She demonstrates why it’s important to hold your test prints next to your actual painting to check for color differences instead of relying only on your memory or your computer screen. - Dealing with Difficult Colors
Krystle shares her struggle with matching fluorescent pinks in her art and how she uses tools like hue, saturation, and replace color in Photoshop to adjust specific colors. - Final Fine-Tuning
She explains how she makes small adjustments, increases saturation for more vibrancy, and prints another test to get as close as possible to the original artwork. - Managing Expectations
Krystle reminds viewers that prints will never be identical to the original painting, but with careful adjustments, they can come very close.
This video is perfect if you want to learn how to edit and fine-tune your photos in Photoshop to produce beautiful, color-accurate art prints.
Which Paper Should You Use for Art Prints?
In this video, Krystle explains the differences between glossy, luster, and matte papers for making art prints. She shares what she uses in her own art business and the pros and cons of each type.
- Glossy Paper
Krystle shows how glossy paper creates vibrant colors but warns it’s prone to fingerprints, glare, and can be tricky for customers to handle without damage. - Luster Paper
She talks about how luster paper has less shine than glossy, includes a subtle texture, and performs better in humid conditions, making it a good choice for outdoor art fairs. - Matte Paper
Krystle explains why matte paper is her favorite for most prints, highlighting its vibrant color, easy handling without gloves, and more affordable price compared to glossy and luster papers. - Paper Comparisons
She displays side-by-side examples of prints on glossy, luster, and matte papers, showing that matte can look just as vibrant if printed correctly. - Budget-Friendly Options
Krystle mentions a lower-cost matte paper alternative for smaller prints and shares tips on controlling humidity in your studio to avoid paper rippling.
This video is perfect if you’re confused about which paper to choose for your art prints and want real-world insights from someone who prints and sells their own artwork professionally.
Should Your Art Prints Have Borders?
In this final video, Krystle explains the pros and cons of printing your artwork with or without white borders. She shares practical tips for artists selling both online and in person.
- Why Borders Matter
Krystle talks about how prints with borders can help protect the artwork from damage, especially when stacked in bins at art shows or handled by customers. - Selling Prints In-Person vs. Online
She explains why borderless prints are often better for online sales, since customers expect prints to fit perfectly into standard frame sizes without trimming. - Choosing Border Sizes
Krystle discusses the choice between thin and thick borders, and how thicker borders are useful for signing and numbering limited editions, but increase printing costs. - Balancing Quality and Cost
She shares her personal strategy of using thin borders to keep costs low while still giving customers flexibility for matting and framing. - Communicating with Customers
Krystle emphasizes the importance of clearly describing the print size and border details, so customers know exactly what they’re buying and aren’t surprised when framing their prints.
This video is perfect if you’re deciding how to format your art prints and want to avoid customer confusion while keeping your work looking professional.
Find Krystle here: https://krystlecole.com/
How to Make Art Prints at Home: Final Thoughts
I hope you find Krystle’s videos as helpful as I have. There’s so much to learn about making art prints, and it’s great to have guidance from someone who’s actually doing it day in and day out.
If you’re interested in taking things further, I’ve also written a book all about how to sell your art and build a sustainable art business. It’s packed with everything I’ve learned over 20+ years selling my art prints and originals from a market stall.
Check it out if you’d like a first hand insight into the business side of being a full-time artist.
If you want to know more about selling your art, read these:
- Art Business Checklist
- How to Price Art Prints: A Practical Guide For Beginners
- Where and How to Print Art Prints From Etsy (Downloads / Printables)
- What Are Limited Edition Prints? 12 Things You’ve Got to Know
- How to Negotiate the Price of Your Art: Prints and Originals
- How to Make Prints of Your Art: A Mega Guide
- What Kind of Art Sells Best? The Popular Subjects Revealed
- What Size Art Sells Best? Prints and Frame Sizes
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Hi, I’m Kevin Hayler
I’ve been selling my wildlife art and traveling the world for over 20 years, and if that sounds too good to be true, I’ve done it all without social media, art school, or galleries!
I can show you how to do it. You’ll find a wealth of info on my site, about selling art, drawing tips, lifestyle, reviews, travel, my portfolio, and more. Enjoy