What are 'samples' and why do I need them if I'm selling online?

Samples are small physical examples of your work printed on every medium you sell—fine art paper, canvas, metal, acrylic, wood—ideally in small sizes like 4x6 or 5x7 inches. You do not sell JPEGs; you sell physical products that non-creative buyers need to see and touch to understand. Keep a sample stack with you at all times: in your studio, in your car, at client meetings, at shows. Use them to demonstrate differences between materials, finishes, and framing options. Most buyers have no idea what gallery-wrapped canvas looks like versus metal versus acrylic, or that you can even print on wood. Samples let you show, not just tell. If you were selling knives door-to-door, you’d bring the knives—same principle applies to art.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-05-07