Creative Entrepreneurs: How to Profit from Print Online

As the artist and owner of Lyrical Artworks, Mary Arneson creates customized prints that feature graphic art and song lyrics. From The Beatles and Bob Marley to The Avett Brothers and Tom Petty, her unique designs are both whimsical and dramatic, colorful and stark.

For creative entrepreneurs like Arneson, inspiration comes straight from the music. “When I hear a song, I’ll see colors and feel a vibe and that’s what I try to recreate in my artwork,” she said.

Giving customers the option to order her prints as-is, framed or matted, Arneson works primarily with Small Posters: “I’m partial to the format because I absolutely love the feel of the Soft Touch coating.”

Along with Soft Touch coating’s velvety smooth feel and protection, Small Posters let you personalize your art with size, stock (including recycled), ink and laminate options. Something essential for Arneson. “Smartpress allows me to have total control over print size, paper options and quantity,” she said.

It’s a quality Arneson’s customers appreciate, too. “They say the finished product is better than they expected and love the Soft Touch coating,” she said.

Arneson’s online printing strategy is one any business owner can implement, no matter your product. Experimenting with stocks, sizes and finishes is a simple way to stay relevant to your customers and keep them engaged with your work.

Erica Neal, owner of Isis Ella Jewels, is in the business of inspiring women. How exactly? With subscription boxes full of custom scrapbooking supplies “to help women heal and love themselves.” One of the main ingredients is Neal’s soulful stationery, designed with Smartpress’ Sell Sheets.

“The Sell Sheets help inspire women to create projects that they can put in their journals, planners and crafting projects,” Neal said. “[They’re] used to create folders, envelopes, book coverings and much more.”

Drawing from her own love of art and desire to live life to the fullest, Neal’s exclusive designs show up throughout her specially-curated “Jewel Box” subscription boxes, noting “the pattern papers are a fan-favorite.”

With online printing services like custom sizes, paper stocks and weights, inks, coating and perforating, Sell Sheets give Neal free reign to create stationery that encourages and motivates women in their daily lives – and keeps them coming back.

“Being able to create patterns that encourage self-reflection on a consistent basis has helped to increase my audience,” Neal said, maintaining that Smartpress’ affordable pricing has ensured that consistency.

Receiving feedback from her customers about the impressive quality of the paper (and how they actually don’t want to cut it), Neal’s strategy of leading with her heart is proving to be the right one.

Artist Rachel Eskandari seized the opportunity to turn her passion into a full-time occupation. Specializing in watercolor and oil painting, Eskandari opened her Pink Puddle Studio store on Etsy, offering delicately-designed decor and stationery. The store lets Eskandari express her own creativity while helping others do the same with beginner’s guides made with Spiral Coil Booklets.

“The booklets focus on beginner’s painting lessons and then transition into painting botanicals ranging from bright florals to contrasting cacti,” Eskandari said. “I teach a looser style that encourages people to embrace painting outside the lines and pushing boundaries.”

With vibrant illustrations, quirky calligraphy and easy-to-follow instructions, Eskandari’s guide books easily translate to spiral bound books and all their customizing options. “The spiral is really important because while the students paint they are able to lay their book flat for easy learning,” she said. “They don’t have to worry about it flipping closed in the middle of a lesson.”

That, along with the option to design them in a convenient travel size, order in exact quantities, print double-sided and result with a product where colors accurately represent Eskandari’s designs, made the Smartpress collaboration an easy one – and one that’s paying off.

“[Using print] has expanded my audience and allowed me to teach my skills to students in a structured, clean format,” Eskandari said. “These guide books have helped set a new direction for my business.”

Working closely with Smartpress enables creative entrepreneurs and artisans to turn their business strategy into a work of art.