Fine Art Printing in Melbourne: What Artists Need to Know Before Printing
Written by the Creffield Digital Print team, Melbourne · Reviewed for accuracy September 2026 · Drawing on our day-to-day experience printing fine art reproductions for painters, photographers, and printmakers across Melbourne and Geelong.
The first time you print your own artwork is different from ordering a poster or a photo print. There's more riding on it your name is on the piece, a buyer may be paying a premium for it, and a bad first run can mean reprinting an entire edition at your own cost.
This guide covers what actually matters before you choose fine art printing in Melbourne: how to prepare your artwork, what to look for in paper and ink, how editions and certificates work, and what questions separate a printer who understands fine art from one who's just running a standard digital press.
What "Fine Art Printing" Actually Means
Fine art printing almost always means giclée printing reproduction using pigment-based inks on archival paper or canvas, with careful colour management to match the original as closely as possible. We've covered the technical side of giclée in detail in Giclée vs Poster vs Canvas Print: What's the Real Difference? worth reading first if you're new to the terminology.
For this guide, the short version: pigment inks and archival substrates are what separate a reproduction that can be sold as a limited edition from a print that's really just a poster of your work.
Step One: Capturing Your Original Artwork
Everything starts with how you digitise the piece, and this is where most quality problems begin not at the printer, but before the file ever arrives.
Scanning is generally the more accurate option for flat, smaller work paintings on paper, drawings, prints up to roughly A2 or A1, depending on the scanner. It produces consistent, even colour without the lighting variables a camera introduces.
Photographing is usually necessary for larger canvases, textured or dimensional work, or anything too large or fragile to scan. It demands more care: even, diffused lighting (not direct sun or household bulbs), a camera on a tripod shooting straight-on to avoid distortion, and ideally a grey card in frame for colour reference.
For anything you intend to sell as a limited edition not just share online professional capture is worth the cost. A poorly lit phone photo might look fine on Instagram and still fall apart at A1 print size.
A note on resolution
You'll see "300 DPI" quoted everywhere as a hard rule, but it's more nuanced than that in practice. What actually matters is having enough pixel dimensions for your intended print size 300 DPI is the right benchmark if you're printing close to the original's physical size, but large-format prints viewed from a normal gallery distance often look excellent at 150–200 DPI, since the viewer naturally stands further back. Chasing an unnecessarily high DPI on a file that doesn't have the underlying pixel data to support it doesn't add detail it just inflates file size.
The practical rule: aim for enough resolution to comfortably cover your largest planned print size, and don't assume a higher DPI number alone fixes a low-quality capture.
Step Two: Colour Correction
Once you have a digital file, it almost never matches the original exactly straight off a scanner or camera. Colour correction is the process of adjusting the file brightness, contrast, saturation, individual colour channels until it genuinely matches the artwork in front of you.
The most reliable way to do this: place the original artwork next to your screen in consistent, indirect daylight, and adjust the file until the two match as closely as possible. Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons a first print run disappoints not because the printer did anything wrong, but because the file itself was never accurate to begin with.
Step Three: Choosing Your Paper or Canvas
This is where artists have real creative choice, and it's worth understanding the main categories rather than defaulting to whatever a printer suggests first.
Substrate | Texture & Feel | Best Suited For |
Cotton rag (hot press) | Smooth, matte | Detailed work, photography, line-based pieces |
Cotton rag (cold press) | Textured, toothy | Paintings, works with visible brush or media texture |
Canvas | Woven texture, stretched | Paintings reproduced for a gallery-free, frameless hang |
Photo rag / baryta | Smooth with subtle sheen | Photography wanting deeper blacks and richer contrast |
Paper weight matters too fine art cotton rag typically runs from around 300gsm to 350gsm, noticeably heavier and more substantial than standard poster stock. Heavier stock resists cockling (rippling) over time and feels appropriately premium in hand, which matters when a buyer is paying a fine art price.
Step Four: Proofing Before the Full Run
Never approve a full edition without seeing a physical proof first. A test print printed on the exact paper you've chosen, in the exact file you'll be using is the only reliable way to catch colour or detail issues before they're baked into every copy of a limited edition.
Bring the proof and the original into the same indirect daylight and compare them side by side. If something's off, this is the point to fix it not after 30 numbered prints have already been produced.
Editions, Artist Proofs, and Certificates of Authenticity
If you're selling your work as a limited edition, there's established practice around how editions are run and buyers increasingly expect to see it followed. The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) publishes clear guidance on this for Australian artists, and it's worth following closely if you're planning to sell rather than just print for yourself.
Edition size — decide this before you print a single copy, and don't increase it later. A print numbered "12/50" tells a buyer there are only 50 in existence; quietly printing another 20 after the fact undermines the value of every print already sold and is considered poor practice within the industry.
Artist proofs (AP) — a small number of test prints made to check quality before the numbered edition begins. These are kept separate from the numbered run and marked "AP" rather than with a number, so they don't count against your stated edition size.
Certificate of authenticity — should accompany every limited edition sale, stating the work's title, the edition size, the specific print number, and the artist's signature. This is what establishes provenance if the work is ever resold.
A quick note on copyright: in Australia, you generally retain copyright over your own artwork even after selling the original piece or a print of it, unless you've specifically signed that copyright away in writing. This means a buyer owning a physical print doesn't automatically gain the right to reproduce it themselves. This is general information, not legal advice if copyright or licensing is central to how you sell your work, it's worth a conversation with an arts-specific lawyer or NAVA directly, since they offer member advisory services for exactly this.
What Fine Art Printing Actually Costs
Giclée printing costs meaningfully more than standard poster printing, for reasons that are mostly about the inputs: pigment inks are more expensive than standard ink sets, archival paper costs more per sheet than poster stock, and the process is typically slower and more hands-on, with closer colour checking throughout.
Expect fine art prints to cost noticeably more per square metre than an equivalent-sized poster exactly how much depends on paper choice, size, and whether you're ordering a single proof or a full edition run. If you're budgeting for a show or a new body of work, it's worth getting a quote on your specific sizes and substrate before setting retail prices, rather than estimating from poster pricing.
Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Melbourne Printer
Not every printer who offers "canvas prints" or "art prints" is set up for genuine fine art reproduction. Before committing an edition to anyone, ask:
What ink do you use pigment or dye? Pigment is the standard for anything meant to last.
What paper or canvas options do you stock, and what weight? A printer who can only name one generic "canvas" option, with no further detail, likely isn't running a dedicated fine art line.
Can I see a physical proof before the full run? If a printer resists this, that's a warning sign, not a convenience you can skip.
Do you colour-correct files, or print exactly what's submitted? Some printers offer colour matching as part of the service; others expect you to arrive print-ready. Know which you're getting.
Print With the Confidence Your Work Deserves
Printing your own artwork well comes down to a handful of decisions made early: a careful capture, honest colour correction, the right substrate for the piece, a proof before the full run, and proper documentation if you're selling a limited edition.
Creffield Digital Print works with artists across Melbourne and Geelong on fine art reproductions, from single proofs through to full limited editions, with pigment inks and a genuine cotton rag and canvas range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I scan or photograph my artwork for printing?
Scanning is generally more accurate for flat, smaller work. Photographing is usually necessary for larger canvases or textured pieces, but it needs even lighting and a straight-on angle to avoid colour or perspective distortion.
Do I really need 300 DPI for a fine art print?
Not always. What matters most is having enough pixel dimensions for your intended print size. Large prints viewed from a normal distance can look excellent at 150–200 DPI; a higher DPI number on a file without enough underlying detail won't improve the result.
How many prints should I include in a limited edition?
There's no fixed number smaller editions are generally considered more valuable. The key rule is to decide the size before you start selling and never increase it afterward, as that undermines the value for buyers who already own a numbered print.
What's the difference between a numbered print and an artist proof?
A numbered print (e.g. 12/50) is part of the official, counted edition. An artist proof (marked "AP") is a test impression made to check quality before the numbered run begins, and isn't counted against the published edition size.
Do I need a certificate of authenticity for every print I sell? For limited editions, yes it's standard practice and what buyers typically expect. It should state the title, edition size, the individual print number, and carry your signature.
Sources & Further Reading
National Association for the Visual Arts — Limited Edition Prints — best-practice guidance for Australian artists on edition size, artist proofs, and certificates of authenticity
Biggest Misconceptions Artists Have About Digital Files for Giclée Printing — on resolution, DPI myths, and file preparation
Giclée vs Poster vs Canvas Print: What's the Real Difference? — our companion post on ink, substrate, and process differences
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