I'm worried about quality when using large fulfillment companies. How do I know the quality will be good?

The best large fulfillment companies use the exact same Epson printers you could buy yourself, the same Epson archival inks, and the same branded media types from reputable manufacturers. They’re producing state-of-the-art quality, often better than you can achieve at home because they have perfect color calibration, professional technicians, and optimized workflows with minimal waste. The key is working with reputable companies that are transparent about what printers, inks, and media they use - showing you brand names and archival certifications. You want to look for ‘premium’ quality (think Mercedes/BMW level), not ‘premium plus’ (Ferrari/Lamborghini) because that last 5-10% of quality costs significantly more but consumers can’t tell the difference and won’t pay extra for it. The cheap companies importing canvas from China are obvious to avoid, but the good fulfillment partners maintain the same high standards as boutique printing.

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Asked by an artist concerned about print quality · Answered by Nick Friend · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-02-27