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:
Good quality giclée prints, produced in an ethical environment, are expensive.
You need to do a lot of marketing. Probably more than I’m comfortable with.
You can’t take anything for granted. The RA piece had massive publicity on the BBC with Joe Lycett. I’ve sold one print.
Find a photographer and printer near home. That said, I’m sticking with Klein.
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.
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.
*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.