frequently asked questions
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH COORDINATING APRINT EXCHANGE?
There are three problems (for me) in coordinating print exchanges.
1. People who sign up for exchanges and don't follow through.
2. People who sign up and somehow do not pay their postage fees. I am just an artist like you, and all extra expenses come out of my pocket.
3. People who don't pay attention to deadlines.
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY MONEY TO REGISTER? The money you pay covers shipping costs back to you. I don't make any money off of these exchanges. In fact, I invariably lose money, but that's ok. I love doing it. I see some exchanges charging $40-$50 to participate, and that keeps people like me from participating. I don't want cost to be a factor in your decision to participate.
HOW DID YOU FIND ME? I search the web, blogs, and sales venues for artists whose work I like. If you got a personal email from me, I must have seen and liked your work. Some artists stumble across us through printmaking newsgroups and google-searches though, and I usually welcome them as well.
HOW MANY PRINTS DO I HAVE TO SEND? The number of prints that you need to submit depends upon the number of artists who register for the exchange. While I would love to have an exchange with 100 artists, I don't think I could handle it. Therefore, I will cut off registration at 25 participants, or whenever the deadline is reached, whichever comes first. So, simply stated, you will send 25 prints.
DO I HAVE TO PRINT A SPECIAL EDITION OF PRINTS FOR THIS EXCHANGE? No. The prints you send should all be from the same edition, but can actually be from an edition which is larger than 25. For example, my "Guitar in the Attic" is an edition of 65. I could, if I choose, use 25 of those prints.
WHY THE SIZE RESTRICTION? The reason for the size restriction is simply so I can be more efficient with shipping and packaging. I use priority mail envelopes with rigid backing, or priority mail boxes..
CAN I POST A LINK TO YOUR SITE ON MY WEBSITE, BLOG OR FACEBOOK PAGE? Yes...please do.
WILL YOU HANG THE PRINTS IN AN ACTUAL GALLERY OR SHOW? I am just like you. I am a printmaker. I don't have a gallery to hang these works, but I WILL post the prints from the exchange on this website, along with your name or website If you wish.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT TO SUBMIT? My only suggestion is that you send the best work that you can, and hopefully everyone else will do the same. Print exchanges grow their own reputation and popularity according to the quality of prints that artists receive. If I participate in an exchange and receive low quality prints, I will not join that group again.
CAN I SUBMIT DIGITAL OR PHOTOGRAPHIC , OR COMPUTER GENERATED PRINTS? No. All my graphics exchanges are open to printmakers who pull their prints by hand, either with a press, or through hand-pressure manipulation.
HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO SEND THE PRINTS? When it is time to send the prints to me, I will email you the address of my studio. I don't want to post it for obvious reasons.
HOW DO I CONTACT YOU? The contact tab at the top of this page will send your emails directly to me, without going through ETSY MAIL, or EBAY MAIL, or whatever site I found you on.
There are three problems (for me) in coordinating print exchanges.
1. People who sign up for exchanges and don't follow through.
2. People who sign up and somehow do not pay their postage fees. I am just an artist like you, and all extra expenses come out of my pocket.
3. People who don't pay attention to deadlines.
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY MONEY TO REGISTER? The money you pay covers shipping costs back to you. I don't make any money off of these exchanges. In fact, I invariably lose money, but that's ok. I love doing it. I see some exchanges charging $40-$50 to participate, and that keeps people like me from participating. I don't want cost to be a factor in your decision to participate.
HOW DID YOU FIND ME? I search the web, blogs, and sales venues for artists whose work I like. If you got a personal email from me, I must have seen and liked your work. Some artists stumble across us through printmaking newsgroups and google-searches though, and I usually welcome them as well.
HOW MANY PRINTS DO I HAVE TO SEND? The number of prints that you need to submit depends upon the number of artists who register for the exchange. While I would love to have an exchange with 100 artists, I don't think I could handle it. Therefore, I will cut off registration at 25 participants, or whenever the deadline is reached, whichever comes first. So, simply stated, you will send 25 prints.
DO I HAVE TO PRINT A SPECIAL EDITION OF PRINTS FOR THIS EXCHANGE? No. The prints you send should all be from the same edition, but can actually be from an edition which is larger than 25. For example, my "Guitar in the Attic" is an edition of 65. I could, if I choose, use 25 of those prints.
WHY THE SIZE RESTRICTION? The reason for the size restriction is simply so I can be more efficient with shipping and packaging. I use priority mail envelopes with rigid backing, or priority mail boxes..
CAN I POST A LINK TO YOUR SITE ON MY WEBSITE, BLOG OR FACEBOOK PAGE? Yes...please do.
WILL YOU HANG THE PRINTS IN AN ACTUAL GALLERY OR SHOW? I am just like you. I am a printmaker. I don't have a gallery to hang these works, but I WILL post the prints from the exchange on this website, along with your name or website If you wish.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT TO SUBMIT? My only suggestion is that you send the best work that you can, and hopefully everyone else will do the same. Print exchanges grow their own reputation and popularity according to the quality of prints that artists receive. If I participate in an exchange and receive low quality prints, I will not join that group again.
CAN I SUBMIT DIGITAL OR PHOTOGRAPHIC , OR COMPUTER GENERATED PRINTS? No. All my graphics exchanges are open to printmakers who pull their prints by hand, either with a press, or through hand-pressure manipulation.
HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO SEND THE PRINTS? When it is time to send the prints to me, I will email you the address of my studio. I don't want to post it for obvious reasons.
HOW DO I CONTACT YOU? The contact tab at the top of this page will send your emails directly to me, without going through ETSY MAIL, or EBAY MAIL, or whatever site I found you on.