5 Problems Automated Print on Demand Solves
Creating your work is challenging enough. Actually selling it, printing it, and shipping it turns the alluring prospect of creating art into a serious, full-time job.
Some can handle the workload - to a certain point. But serious growth in order volume would require bringing in additional help - turning that dream of living the artist lifestyle into something more like a managerial position at a print studio.
Anything that can stand in the way of artists creating a sustainable art business is something we give very serious attention to. And so automated print fulfillment was a top priority when we launched Art Storefronts.
If you haven't heard, we partner with carefully vetted print studios to offer our customers a direct, integrated connection.
When an order comes in to one of our members' websites, the order is automatically sent to their print partner, who then prints the order and ships it - all without the artist having to lift a single paint-stained finger, or take their hand off the camera. Day or night, it's all automatic.
We recently polled our members, asking - what is the number one problem automated print on demand solves for you? Here were the top 5 responses:
#1 - More Time to Create
For artists and photographers, time is the most precious of commodities. You can only create so much work, so every minute you can earn to do that is incredibly valuable.
Removing printing and shipping orders from the equation entirely can be a massive boon to your creative potential.
#2 - Sell Like a Big Business
Automated print on demand allows you to accept unlimited orders.
No quantity or type of prints sold can interrupt your schedule because you don't personally handle the production process.
It also allows you to offer a wide range of print media - from various fine art and photo papers, to canvas, to metal and acrylic. All of these media and more are available at all times through your store.
You'll earn more sales when your buyers can get the exact look they want.
#3 - No Inventory!
Beyond the workload associated with self-fulling your art, it can be a problem to simply hold the inventory.
Many artists are either living with a garage, basement, or spare bedroom crammed with unsold inventory, OR are engaged in a constant losing battle to try and accurately predict what quantity of which pieces they should produce for art shows.
Forget the guesswork. When your work is printed on demand, you hold 0 inventory and can reclaim your space (and sanity!).
And let's talk about drop shipping. "I don't want to carry the print around all day" is one of the top objections standing in the way of sales at art shows. The ability to drop ship a print direct to the customer's door with a few taps on an iPad , laptop, or phone, is another huge sale generator.
#4 - Put an End to Printer Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Printing your own work can be fulfilling - when things go perfectly. But between ink replacement, ICC profiles, and general maintenance woes, it's often a headache - one you don't need to be taking on.
#5 - No Worries, No Details, and Extra Time for Marketing
We offer our members unlimited access to our marketing consultants because a proper marketing strategy is typically THE make-or-break factor in an artist's career.
If you're too busy to work on marketing because you're fulfilling orders, you're likely spending your time in the wrong area and standing in the way of your own growth.
At the end of the day, this may be the most important benefit you gain from automated POD: when you don't have to worry about shipping your work, you can focus on SELLING MORE OF IT.
Automated Print-on-Demand at Art Storefronts
These 5 problems, altogether, illustrate why automated print-on-demand is such a big deal for our members.
But you may be surprised at this point to hear that we allow our customers to self-fulfill if they want.
If you want to take on the 5 problems above because self-fulfilling is still worth it to you, then by all means go for it. Your Art Storefronts membership provides you with a top notch business management hub to ensure tracking your orders, managing your taxes, and more is easier than ever. Get in touch with us.
But, if you feel that removing that obligation would result in fewer headaches and free you up to create, market, and sell more work, our automated print-on-demand service is surely the right next step for your art business.
NOTE: Automated print-on-demand is a service offered exclusively for use with Art Storefronts websites and cannot be attached to other, existing websites.
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