13 Websites For Free Printable Wall Art – Interior Designer Hack
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Free printable art has become super popular over the last few years, and I totally get why! You don’t have to pay shipping fees, you can get almost any size, and it’s free! Minus printing and framing costs, of course… but you can’t beat a free art print!
Since there are so many different websites to find and download free printable art, I thought I’d give you a list of my favorites, plus a few key tips for printing printable art!
Just a warning, it’s a lot of info to get through, but I’ve broken it up, so hopefully, it’s easy to digest!
What is printable art?
Printable art is a digital file that you download and print yourself, either at home or by using a professional printing service! It’s an easy way to get high-quality artwork for less money than a physical art print, and sometimes you can even download prints for FREE!
Where can I find & download free printable art?
To get your hands on some free printable art, you gotta know where to look…so, I’ve rounded up ten of my favorite sites for you to check out.
The first six are sites where various artists/photographers upload their work for you to use for FREE! Cool, right?
The last four are free resources with historic prints, photographs, and drawings. If you fancy some classic art, look no further!
13 Websites to Find & Download Free Printable Wall Art
- Libre Stock
- Unsplash
- Pexels
- Gratisography
- National Gallery of Art
- Life of Pix
- Kaboom Pics
- The Met Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Nasa
- Old Book Illustrations
- The New York Public Library
- USDA
Where to Print Printable Wall Art:
You can print your art at a local printing shop or online. If you aren’t the most tech-savvy, I highly suggest you head to your local print shop. They’ll be able to help you from start to finish. Just be sure to bring the file with you on a thumb drive!
If you want to go the online route, here are a couple of companies to check out:
- Shutterfly– I know you’ve heard of them and there’s nothing wrong with going this route. They’re simple to use, inexpensive and it’s a pretty straightforward process. They print on archival paper so it won’t yellow over time, and offer a few different paper finishes. When I order from them, I always opt for the matte finish.
- Artifact Uprising – Their site is super straightforward to use, and their prints are priced competitively. They offer giclee prints and use non-archival paper, so you know that the quality is great.
- Catprint – If you want something a little more special, be sure to check out all the papers that Catprint has! There are a ton of beautiful options. And if you’re not sure what paper to pick, they’ll send you a free sample pack!
- Giclee Today – They are Etsy’s production partner and they specialize in giclee prints. In short, giclee is just a term for the specialized process of spraying ink on canvas or paper. This process is the best if you need super high-quality archival reproductions and photographs.
Tips for Printing Printable Art
First things first. After you download the free art, you need to find out how large the image is in pixels.
This is to figure out the maximum size you can print the image before it gets blurry.
Are we on the same page? Ok cool…
To find out the image size in pixels:
- Download the image you want to use
- Open the file up. It’s most likely a VERY high-quality .jpeg or .png. (If your picture isn’t high quality and the resolution is very low, then reference this blog post that Shutterstock wrote. It’s super informative on the topic.)
- Right-click and choose “File Info”
- Look for the dimensions & make a note of them.
- Next, look at the chart I made below and find dimensions close to the ones you wrote down. Remember to scale down, not up. This will ensure there is zero blurriness when you print it!
DESATURATE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS:
These photos will look quite different in person (printed) than they do online because of the different color profiles used for digital images and printed images. When printing black and white photos, I usually desaturate it, so I’m only left with a grayscale image. From experience, black and white photos can print with a blue or purple hue and it totally ruins it!
Most online printing services have built-in photo editors, so you can do this on the spot, but if they don’t then either use Photoshop or a free online photo editor like Adobe Spark.
GO FOR A TEST RUN:
Just printing the dang thing can be the best way to test out these tips! And honestly, this is the best tip I can give you. You’ll know if it’s blurry and if the color is off right away. If you’re trying to match something or the photo you’re printing has a ton of color, this is a non-negotiable.
You don’t have to order a huge-sized test print, just get a small 4×6 printed to start!
Ok, dangggg…
I think that about sums this one up! That was a TON of information to get through! I hope you have a way better idea about how to get your hands on some free printable art and how to print it!
By the way, I wrote a blog post featuring 16 different printable images to download for free, so be sure to check that post out after this one!
And if you’re looking for a couple of ideas for how to frame your art, check out a couple of other posts, How to Float Mount Art and The Art of Floating, Matting, and Mounting Pictures.
Until next time,
Cheers!
Thank you for the information. If you are looking for high-quality prints of classic Art on canvas, please visit Poppins shop. They deal in three products: Print on canvas, Framed Paper Print and Oil Painting Reproduction. You can try any one of them and they give you the best results.