Editor’s Key Takeaways: Top Online Printing Services for Artists
This article reviews the best online printing services for artists. In today’s digital era, connecting with print labs nationwide has become easier. Here’s a summary of the top 10 recommended services:
- Canvaspop: Specializes in canvas but also offers framed prints, print collages, and triptych canvases. They even convert digital images into paintings (pets only). International shipping available.
- Miller’s Professional Imaging: Known for high-quality prints, this is the largest print lab in the US and offers a variety of services through Mpix.
- Bay Photo Lab: Offers an extensive range of print options including canvas, metal, and wood printing.
- Candela Fine Art Printing: Focuses on fine art printing services using premium materials and high-quality control.
- LOKTAH: Specializes in hand-made, eco-friendly prints and unique packaging options.
- FinerWorks: Offers artists and photographers a wide range of paper and canvas choices along with different framing options.
- Printkeg: Known for affordability, offers various print sizes and paper types, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious artists.
- Blazing Editions: Specializes in fine art printing on unique materials like acrylic and metal.
- WhiteWall: Known for museum-quality prints with a broad range of services including photo books and custom frames.
- Prints Giclee Shop: Offers high-quality giclée prints with a focus on preserving original colors and details.
These services provide varying specializations, from eco-friendly options to museum-quality prints. Each caters to different artistic needs while ensuring top-notch quality.
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We evaluate products independently. Commissions do not affect our evaluations.
Introduction
Whether you’re a photographer, a painter, or a digital designer, having a physical copy of your work is certainly satisfying! Gone are the days of traveling across town for the only print lab in a 50-mile radius; in 2024, the internet connects creators with labs all over the country.
Therefore, finding the right printing lab to bring your artwork to life is a pretty big deal. This is our list of the best online printing services for artists, all of which preserve original colors and offer a slew of gorgeous paper options.
Printing Services for Artists:
1. Canvaspop
If you want your canvas prints done right, a specialty shop might be the best choice!
With a name like Canvaspop, you can probably guess what this company’s most popular product is! But believe it or not, Canvaspop offers much more than just canvas prints.
The print lab produces canvases, framed prints (made of archival inks on fine-art paper), print collages, and triptych canvases. Canvaspop even offers the option to have your digital images converted into paintings (although the service is limited to pet photos at this time). The company also lets you purchase wall art created by other artists, so you can always test out the products with a print or two!
Another thing that makes Canvaspop an enticing print service for artists is that you don’t need to upload a huge image. Yes, it’s always better to work with a higher-resolution file, but that isn’t a requirement at Canvaspop. Why? Because the in-house designers can help smooth the image out and make it look great. Pretty neat!
Additionally, Canvaspop offers international shipping, so if you’re in the EU, Canada, or Australia, you can still receive your gorgeous prints!
2. Miller’s Professional Imaging
The largest print lab in the country, Miller’s offers a very large selection of options (and includes a consumer division with lower prices).
Many have heard of Miller’s Professional Imaging and Mpix, but did you know they’re actually the same company?
In fact, Miller’s is the largest print lab in the country, and the store offers an impressive array of products to choose from. With a slew of papers, finishes, colors, and products, Miller’s caters to the pros of the industry.
But with pro-grade services comes a pro-grade price. For many consumers, Miller’s is just too expensive. Thankfully, Miller’s created Mpix so consumers could still access quality services at a lower rate. Sure, Mpix has fewer options and lower-grade papers and finishes, but the prices are excellent. Plus, the quality sacrifice is not really noticeable to the non-professional eye.
Miller’s and Mpix together offer a tremendous number of fine-art paper options so you can breathe life into any piece. And for those making prints for sale or for clients, both Mpix and Miller’s have extremely fast shipping and absolutely stunning packaging. It’s bound to impress any customer! Unfortunately, Miller’s only ships throughout the US, so if you have international clients, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
3. Bay Photo Lab
Like the other professional labs on our list, Bay Photo offers fantastic quality and excellent options.
Another frequently discussed name in the photography world is Bay Photo Lab. Located in Northern California, Bay Photo was established in 1976 to handle photographers’ ever-so-demanding printing needs!
Bay Photo produces 18 fine-art print options. These give artists a lot of freedom and flexibility when selecting their products and are very enticing. A personal favorite is the Hahnemuhle, a cotton paper that is rather exquisite. You can even get neat features like deckled edges, which will give your prints a nifty, hand-torn look.
The lab’s turnaround time is quick, so you’ll get your art in no time! And like Canvaspop, Bay Photo Lab does offer international shipping (though it can get pretty pricey, so just bear that in mind).
4. Candela Fine Art Printing
Candela makes selling high-quality reproduction prints a (free) breeze.
Candela Fine Art Printing entices artists with a variety of museum-grade archival prints. From turning paintings into prints to turning photographs into even more incredible works of art, Candela aims to satisfy even the most serious professionals.
Ordering prints is easy, with custom print sizes available to fit any artwork ratio. Square? You got it. A strange, off-the-wall rectangular size? No problem! Because prints are handmade and hand-inspected, you know the quality will be amazing.
Candela also offers free-to-use dropshipping print services. With Candela, you can fulfill online print orders, dropship with white-label shipping, and even create special boxes and packages. Candela’s system is uniquely tiered, and the more orders you ship out, the better the free perks become.
5. LOKTAH
LOKTAH’s gorgeous circle print option is impressive (and the lab offers plenty of more conventional options, too!).
LOKTAH is a unique fine-art print lab that caters to the professional (although consumers are absolutely welcome, too!). You can sense the lovely quality of the work upon visiting the website.
You can be certain that LOKTAH uses excellent, archival-quality materials, though the company offers limited paper options, which is something to keep in mind. Fortunately, before you even commit to a purchase, you can order studio samples that’ll help you really get a feel for what the papers have to offer. The Japanese Washi Fiber paper is an especially unique and beautiful choice.
An interesting LOKTAH offering is the circle print. You don’t necessarily have to think of artwork as square or rectangular, and the round prints offer a brand-new way of displaying (or selling) work. These are frameless and come with mounts. You can even have smooth or rough edges depending on the aesthetic you’re going for.
6. FinerWorks
With options such as wood and textured metal, this lab really focuses on creating original art-reproduction prints.
FinerWorks is a fine option, indeed. The company offers a slew of reproduction options for artists of all stripes and produces beautiful results.
The giclee printing option is wonderful and offers a large assortment of fantastic paper. Paper is picked according to the type of print you are looking to have made (as some papers work better with photography while others do great with specific art mediums). You can even order a presentation mat folder as an add-on for any of the prints. It’s a wonderful way to present printed works to a client or an art gallery!
FinerWorks even offers some unique options, such as prints done on wood and on thick aluminum Dibond panels. The latter products are frameless and will add three-dimensional life to your creations! The textured Dibond panel option is especially great for painters as the surface is raised to match the visible paint strokes. And because FinerWorks ships outside the US, you’re free to cultivate a whole range of international clients!
7. Printkeg
If you’re an artist who sells your work, this lab will feel like it was developed just for you!
Printkeg is a business that prides itself on being dedicated to artists – and you can tell just by looking at the services it offers! The company can create anything from posters to watercolor prints. In fact, Printkeg designed its entire company philosophy and atmosphere to serve artists, not just photographers.
Printkeg is one of the most cost-effective options out there, especially for retail artists. That is why so many of the lab’s printing options revolve around art for sale. It’s quite easy to order plenty of Printkeg prints and begin selling at conventions and shows! The quantity discounts are great, as are the very fast production times. And thanks to the range of shipping options, you can ensure that all your clients (including those located outside the US) are satisfied.
You can even get full comic books printed. How cool is that?
8. Blazing Editions
If you require the best of the best, this lab is the way to go. Each job is customized to fit your needs!
Blazing Editions is here to blaze past all of the competition! No prices are available on the company website, but that’s because each job is custom-quoted according to customer needs. Though this may make the consumer wary, artists might actually be more appreciative of this approach as it means they can have a real-life human there to help guide them.
With so much of the company’s branding revolving around exquisite-quality art reproductions, you can certainly expect the best prints. Blazing Editions is frequently used by art galleries around the country and even represents various artists! The company guarantees satisfaction and continues working with the artist until the prints are pure perfection. If you’re looking for the best of the best, this is it.
Related Posts
As an added bonus, Blazing Saddles can hand-texture canvas to match your brush strokes. Talk about an authentic reproduction!
9. WhiteWall
This sophisticated print lab holds a slew of awards. Once you see their giclee prints, you’ll understand.
WhiteWall is a print lab that is sophisticated, simple, and incredibly elegant. The quality of the printing is outstanding and offers superb color reproduction. In fact, as a winner of the TIPA World Awards in 2013, 2017, 2020, and 2021, WhiteWall has achieved worldwide fame.
Arguably one of WhiteWall’s greatest print offerings is its stunning Hahnemühle Fine Art Print done in giclee. Giclee is a pigment-based printing system that ensures colors remain superbly vibrant for up to 200 years! In other words, you can buy each print knowing your great-grandchildren will still be able to enjoy the saturated colors.
10. Prints Giclee Shop
If you’re a color fanatic, then Prints Giclee Shop is the way to go.
Prints Giclee Shop is a giclee specialist, and it does amazing work. A glance at the website shows you all of the reasons that you should work with Prints Giclee; it offers plenty to be impressed by, ranging from hand-checked prints to gorgeous, large-scale printers.
While Prints Giclee Shop offers many of the same perks as the other labs on our list (such as custom print sizes and superb quality), what makes the lab really stand out is its color-proofing of all digital files before printing. This particular shop has professionals examine your files and correct any color abnormalities that may appear in the print. When you hit that “Buy” button, you know that the color you get is the color you want!
Local customers can even come into the lab and proof all the colors prior to printing. It should make the finicky color fanatics quite satisfied!
Pick an Online Service and Start Printing!
Because art is so subjective, it’s tough for us to determine the perfect service for you and your work! It’s best to order samples from the various labs on our list and see what best suits your creations.
That said, our overall favorite printer is Canvaspop, both for the quality of its canvas prints and its very consumer- and international-friendly services. Miller’s is also a great choice thanks to the variety of options and reasonable prices.
If you’re after a more unique touch, FinerWorks’ wood and aluminum panel options are pretty incredible! And for those needing the absolute best of the best, Blazing Editions is a no-brainer.
