What I Think I've Learned About Printing

I was a print* snob. I did not reproduce my work. My business cards are individually made, all unique. When I make greetings cards, each is a one-off.

Last year, I started to rethink my thoughts. Hand stitching takes ruddy ages, and is therefore expensive. Prints of said hand stitching are a more affordable option.

With the help of the lads at The Weavers Factory, I found Klein Imaging in Manchester. A top-drawer outfit with all the eco-creds. They took fantastic photographs**, showing every tiny thread, of my Exile Textiles (above) and RA piece. The balls started rolling for some potential sales.

Nine months later, despite having a gorgeous product, I have only sold nine. I’m yet to break even, after the rail fares to Manchester and photography.

I have not given up, and have just added a new print to my shop. I’m hoping it could enable a partial ease-off on my zero-hours, minimum wage day-jobs.

I knew sod all, but this is what I think I’ve learned:

1. Good quality giclée prints, produced in an ethical environment, are expensive.

2. You need to do a lot of marketing. Probably more than I’m comfortable with.

3. You can’t take anything for granted. The RA piece had massive publicity on the BBC with Joe Lycett. I’ve sold one print.

4. Find a photographer and printer near home. That said, I’m sticking with Klein.

5. Keep your edition run low. With my first prints I insisted on a limited edition of 500. This is considered a bit ridiculous. Even Grayson does less. My new print will be a limited edition of 50.

6. Keep it simple. I offered ALL the sizes, but only the smallest (A3, £75) has sold, so far. I’ve decided on two sizes for the new print, but already I’m thinking I should’ve committed to the bigger one, which is so much more impactful.

Buy my prints here.

*I’m talking about reproductions, not printmaking, which is an artform in itself.

**Shout out to Phil Shelly.

Image: Exile Textile 3. Copyright, Alison Aye, 2024.

Print Pricing

It’s not the done thing, but I thought it might be interesting to show how the £100 spent on my ‘I Have No Thoughts On This Matter’ print, ends up as £34 in my pocket.*

£78.00 shop price (30cms x 30cms)

- 23.48 bespoke printing = 54.52

-7.80 postage = 46.72

-10.00 Certificate of Authenticity = 36.72

-5.00 Arts Emergency donation = 31.72

-2.32 PayPal or 1.32 Stripe fee = £29.40 or £30.40 profit

£100 shop price (50cms x 50cms)

- 40.84 bespoke printing = 59.16

- 7.80 postage = 51.36

- 10.00 Certificate of Authenticity = 41.36

- 5.00 Arts Emergency donation = 36.36

- 2.90 PayPal or 1.60 Stripe fee = £33.46 or £34.76 profit

*I have not deducted photography or general day-to-day business costs. The annual fee for my Squarespace shop is £288.

Currently, I donate £5 from every print sale, and 5% of original art sales, to Arts Emergency. At the end of the financial year, I’m going to change that to a blanket 5% for everything.

Archival standard giclée print, in two sizes, with fade-resistant ink. Limited edition of 50, with a Certificate of Authenticity. Printed by Klein in Manchester on FSC-certified Hahnemühle 290gsm acid-free (and vegan) paper. During paper production, the wastewater is uncontaminated and returned to the source, and the electricity comes from 100% renewable sources. The staff at Klein are treated well and paid fairly.

Find out about the original piece here.

This is what I think I learned from my first foray into printing last year.

Buy a print here.

Photo by Ian Bruton.

Copyright: Alison Aye, 2024

I Have No Thoughts On This Matter

I Have No Thoughts On This Matter, 2020.

Hand-stitched textile.

35cms x 35cms, unframed.

Private Collection.

Copyright: Alison Aye, 2024.

It’s about ‘good girls’ putting up and shutting up.

‘I have no thoughts on this matter’ was my mantra during 2020. At the age of 53, I had moved back to my childhood home, sharing a bed with my mother, in what turned out to be the final year of her life. I left my husband and kids and went 300 miles north. A place where I am undervalued and underestimated. Everybody else's time is more valuable than my own. It was expected of me, and I did it, losing both my jobs, pretending it didn’t matter.

For the 18 months I was there, hand stitching kept me on the right side of sane.

As always, the materials are recycled.

A friend was binning the tea towel, describing it as embarrassing, the way the middle-classes do.

The orange and blue are my husband’s old clothes.

The blue, a shirt I remember him wearing at my cousin’s wedding. I was a Bo-Peep inspired bridesmaid. The evening cèilidh was a riot. We laughed and danced our socks off, except Mr S, who sat on the side-lines, unable to make a fool of himself.

The orange, boxer shorts I bought on Christmas Eve 1991, from the Next near Charing Cross Station, London.

The red fabric, used for my signature, is an old National Portrait Gallery uniform. I worked there for 12 years. Undervalued and underestimated. The date next to it was cut from Amnesty International Magazine, Issue 206.

I Have No Thoughts On This Matter is now available as a limited edition print. The original was bought by a French woman, which I took as the greatest of compliments.

Photo by Ian Bruton.

Copyright: Alison Aye, 2024.