I've been invited to the local Comic Con near me as an artist with a booth. I'm trying to get my name out there so I'd like to print some of my art into 3 different sizes the biggest being 16x20 and hand them out for free to people who'd like them.
How do I go about starting this? I have a month left until the convention. What printers should I look into buy and what is the average cost of them? I would go to the local FedEx Office store and ask them to print a couple batches but 5 of the 10 pieces I'd like to print are somewhat NSFW pinups, so I don't think they'd like that. Thanks in advance.
Also, what kind of paper should I use? I'm assuming a glossy.
Bumping this, I'm curious about making prints/ getting them made. Sorry I'm of no help, OP. If anyone has an opinion on scanning vs dslr photo of large oil paintings for prints, I'd like to hear it.
Also, I don't think you should worry about the nsfw stuff. Their job is to copy/print, not to judge.
>>2307116
Aside from them giving me the stink eye, if I was printing 1 of the images with is topless and a customer in the store saw it I'm sure they'd raise a stink.
>>2307120
maybe if they all were like that..., but since it's not, you can have them placed somewhere in the middle, just the one printing them will see and why should he care anyway
The people that work there are human beings and could be the same kind of people you'll be selling to at Comic Con. If you're comfortable enough selling lewd pictures to people at a con then you should be able to ask the employees at the print shop if they're willing to take this job. The worst thing that will happen is they'll say no.
The large-format printers are in the back anyway so it's not like it's going to be on public display.
>>2307113
I wouldn't worry about the nsfw. Also bump.
>>2307113
If this is your first con, don't buy a printer.
Take them to a place like Office Depot (or whatever is the equivalent in your shit stain country/state) and get them printed on non-glossy card stock.
Don't get glossy anything, they don't flatter digital art.
Don't sell NSFW work. You will probably get a sale or two from the doritos shirt guy, but you'll make loads of other customers uncomfortable, and instead of browsing your work and chatting with you (which raises the chance of a sale) they will think you're some greasy basement dweller (because you are) and leave.
Don't buy more than 10 of any print. You will not even sell the 10 you buy. I once made about $500 at a one day show, and I only almost ran out of 1 print. You are better off with less prints of more images.
If you are selling original work and not fan art, your images better be shit normies really, really love: Amy Brown fairies, or very well rendered dragons. If you are not selling either of those or fan art, and you aren't a household name, you might as well not even show up.
>>2307513
>Don't sell NSFW work. You will probably get a sale or two from the doritos shirt guy, but you'll make loads of other customers uncomfortable, and instead of browsing your work and chatting with you (which raises the chance of a sale) they will think you're some greasy basement dweller (because you are) and leave.
Is this why the American adult comic scene is so dead? People are too uncomfortable with sex? Why not just label it as 'adult only' and card? If they are uncomfortable with looking at it then they don't have to. That's it.
Also, it would be cheaper to print them out yourself. Only get the printer if you plan on doing more cons in the near future, because then it would pay itself off. Going to a place like Kinkos cost more money in the long run.
>>2307524
Yea I've been to a few anime/furry conventions and the way they did it was having the adult-only images censored on the booth display, but then having a binder/portfolio on the desk marked Adult or something, and they would ask for your ID if you looked too young.
I got a few NSFW prints done for my artist friend at Kinkos and Costco and it was a bit awkward, but if you use the self-print kiosk it should be fine.
And OP, prints don't sell as well as you think unless you're making fanart like >>2307513
said. People like what they know.
My suggestion would be to have NSFW for sale but make it censored and not the most prominent part of your booth. Really emphasize your SFW stuff on the Y axis and maybe have a few NSFW prints laid out on the table cause most of the traffic will only see the stuff pinned up on the booth and if they like what they see they will come up to the table.
I just finished selling at an artist market in my small city last night. I sold 8x10, 12x12, and 12x16 prints for $15, $20, and $25 bucks respectively. It was my absolute first time doing this too - I've never sold prints in person before. The booth was $250 to get, and I spent a good chunk on paper, ink and supplies. Totaling around $600. To my surprise, I ended up making around $1000.
My first question is - why aren't you selling them? You're going to spend an insane amount of money buying prints and giving them out for free. You will lose so much money and it won't be worth a few followers.
It's actually astounding that you think that would be a good idea. I'd go as far as saying it's downright stupid to think that you should give away free prints as a way to promote yourself. Did you think that buying hundreds of prints is going to be cheap? Even if you bought a good printer, ink and larger paper is very expensive.
A better (and much more obvious) alternative is to buy a bunch of business cards (or postcards if you want to spend a bit more) with an image on the front and info on the back. You can get these for MUCH cheaper than buying full-sized prints.
Combine that with selling larger prints, and you'll actually be able to cover your costs.
Pic unrelated.
>>2307535
Yeah, when I was doing anime cons I always had 18+ comics and fanart out. I just carded. Also, my buyers ranged from young women to older men. I even had a mother buy 18+ yaoi for her daughter. For images that were a little risque we always put cute censor images on them and they were labeled as for older teens in my print book. Though, at some point, I was the only one selling adult work at the anime cons I attended.
No big deal.
I'm not sure how this is handled at comic cons themselves though, because I feel I don't see enough adult comics at them? If I did I would buy them if I saw them. I only really see them at, super, indie comic cons.
Most of you are glossing over the fact that OP is planning on handing out these prints for free.
>free
>free
>free
>>2307524
americans dont like weirdos who use sex as a mcguffin to perpetuate thier twisted idea. NSFW artists here are synomous with emotionally inept people who think pedophilia should be legal and are too arrogant to admit that futa is a sign of thier homosexual tendencies. it has nothing to do with sensitivities to lewd stuff it has to do with nobody wanting to read that pycho-drama shit.
I've seen some really shitty artists sell fanart like pic related
if you pander to the faggots you will make money, but if you art is good im sure you could sell a couple of prints
just dont be like that one faggot I saw at a comic con that was selling dr who and invader zim mashup fan art, jesus christ he made me sick
>>2307584
You don't even have to be good. You just have to have an idea they really like. I see crappy artists make money all the time because they'll mix two popular IPs.
What I don't see is people selling original work at cons. Oh sure, its for sale, but nobody fucking buys it because 90% of people suck, and people bring LIMITED amounts of money for the stuff they recognize and are fans of.
If it makes you money and helps you spend more time making art, then do it. And if that bothers you, then go be "pure" in the fucking corner because nobody cares.
>>2307549
I glossed it over because that is dumb, and he will eventually change his mind when he ends up dropping $100 on prints, gas, parking, etc etc
>>2307597
>$100
A cheap online bulk printer will make a passable fine-art print, 8x10" at ~$6 a print.
Printing them yourself is cheaper. For reference - I have an Epson R2000 printer, buy bulk 88lb. polar matte paper and use high quality inks. An 8x10" cost me about $2.00 to print including paper, ink & a plastic sleeve.. A 12x16" cost around $3.25 to make.
Even printing them yourself, $100 won't get you that far.
Bump for home printers you can buy.
If I go to a self print Kiosk and want something like 16x20 or poster size. What should the resolution of the image be so its not blown up?
Also, OP don't give away your art for free. Not a good idea.
>>2307597
im not saying selling fan art is bad
just dont be that fucking guy who draws only the most popular IP's for quick dosh.
actually now that I think about it, I cant really blame him for wanting to rip off Dr.who and invader zim faggots
>>2307616
>Bulk printing
He shouldn't be buying bulk anything for his first con
>An 8x10" cost me about $2.00
its like $0.65 for an 8x10 at Office depot, and a bit cheaper if you bring your own paper. An 11x17 is around $1.25. The quality is about as good as any other printing place I have been to.
>>2307649
Go into photoshop New image> enter 16"x20"> under resolution type 300> pray you have the ram for it.
You can go lower than 300 and get a good print (150 also works,) but 300 is a pretty standard resolution to work in if your work ever needs to be printed. You can always make it smaller but not the other way around
>>2307597
I have never heard that once in my life.
>>2307682
>its like $0.65 for an 8x10 at Office depot
Opinion discarded. You're an absolute fool if you think you can get good print quality at Office Depot, or anywhere for $0.65.
>>2308019
You certainly can.
There's a couple blocks in my city dedicated to industrial printing, marketing items etc. And there's a lot of smaller business there that produce industry-standard products for cheap because of surplus.
Tabloid size printing on high quality cardstock is $0.80 a piece, $0.60 if you go past 100 pieces, $0.45 if you go past 500, $0.20 if you go past 1k.
There should be a at least one place like this in every big city.
