Preparing for an Art Fair: Tips to Know How Much Print Inventory You Should Have

Getting ready for an art fair, craft show, or maker's market? You've got your original artwork, booth setup, displays, packaging, and pricing to think about. But there's one question that can be surprisingly difficult to answer:

How many art prints should you bring?

Bring too few, and you could miss out on sales. Bring too many, and you're left hauling home boxes of inventory that may take months to sell.

Whether this is your first art show or you're a seasoned vendor looking to plan smarter, having an inventory strategy can make your event less stressful and more profitable.

Here's how to decide how many art prints to order, which sizes to offer, and how to prepare your artwork for a successful selling season.

1. Start With Your Previous Sales (If You Have Them)

If you've participated in art fairs or markets before, your past sales are one of the best tools for planning your next event.

Look beyond your total revenue. Think about what actually sold.

Ask yourself:

• Which artwork was the most popular?
• Did customers prefer smaller, more affordable prints?
• Were larger prints popular, or did people mostly browse them?
• Did certain subjects or color palettes attract more attention?
• Did you sell more prints at indoor or outdoor events?
• How much inventory did you bring home?

If you don't have previous sales information, that's okay. Your first few events are an opportunity to learn what your customers respond to.

Keep a simple record of what you bring, what sells, and what you have left. Over time, you'll have a much better idea of what to order.

2. Choose a Variety of Print Sizes

Not everyone shopping at an art fair has the same budget or the same amount of wall space.

Offering a variety of print sizes gives customers more opportunities to purchase your work.

A good starting point is to offer three general size categories:

Small prints

Smaller prints are often easier for customers to purchase on impulse. They're also great for gift-giving, collecting, and creating smaller gallery walls.

Medium prints

These are a nice middle ground for customers who want something substantial without making a large investment.

Large prints

Larger artwork makes a statement and can attract customers looking for a focal piece for their home or office.

You don't need to offer every possible size. Start with a few that work well with your artwork and display setup.

3. Don't Print Every Piece of Artwork

It's tempting to want to bring your entire portfolio to an art show. But more inventory doesn't always mean more sales.

Instead, be intentional about which pieces you reproduce.

Consider bringing:

• Your best-selling artwork
• Pieces that represent your signature style
• New artwork you want to introduce
• Seasonal or event-appropriate designs
• A few pieces that complement one another as a collection

Think about your booth as a curated collection rather than a warehouse of everything you've ever created.

You can also display larger samples of artwork while keeping additional sizes available for customers to purchase.

4. How Many Copies of Each Print Should You Order?

This is where things get a little more specific.

If you have sales history, use it to estimate demand. If you're new to art fairs, start with smaller quantities across a selection of designs rather than ordering large quantities of just one piece.

For example, if you're bringing 10 different artwork designs, you might start with 3 to 5 copies of each design in your most popular size.

That's 30 to 50 prints before accounting for additional sizes.

For larger or more expensive prints, you may want fewer copies. For smaller prints that are easy to carry and purchase, you might want more.

Here's an example of what a starter inventory could look like:

Print category	Number of designs	Copies per design	Total
Small	10	5	50
Medium	8	3	24
Large	5	2	10
Total			84

 

This is just an example, not a magic number. Your ideal inventory will depend on the size of the event, expected attendance, your pricing, and how established your customer base is.

The goal is to have enough variety to attract customers without tying up too much money in inventory.

5. Think About Your Profit Margins Before Ordering

Printing costs are only one part of your product expenses.

When deciding how much inventory to order, remember to account for:

• Professional fine art printing
• Packaging and protective sleeves
• Backing boards or other presentation materials
• Shipping or transportation
• Booth fees
• Payment processing fees
• Your time spent preparing and selling

Once you understand your total cost per print, you can set retail prices that leave room for a healthy profit.

Ordering multiple prints at once may also help reduce your printing cost per piece.

At Prints & Repeat, orders of 20 or more prints qualify for a bulk discount. If you're planning several art fairs throughout the season, ordering inventory together may be worth considering.

6. Make Sure Your Artwork Is Ready for Professional Printing

Before placing a larger printing order, make sure your digital artwork files are ready.

If you're working from original paintings, drawings, or other physical artwork, you'll need a high-quality digital capture to reproduce them.

Professional artwork reproduction photography helps preserve the details, colors, and character of your original work.

Once your artwork has been photographed and prepared, you can use those digital files for future fine art printing orders.

If you're already working with digital artwork, make sure your files are large enough for the print sizes you plan to offer.

A little preparation before ordering can help prevent surprises when your prints arrive.

7. Choose the Right Paper for Your Artwork

The paper you choose can influence how customers experience your artwork.

A smooth fine art paper offers a clean surface that works beautifully for illustrations, photography, and artwork with fine details.

Textured fine art paper adds another dimension to the finished print. It's especially appealing for reproductions of traditional paintings and artwork where you want a more tactile, fine art feel.

Canvas is another option if you want to offer customers artwork that's ready to hang.

If you're unsure which material works best, ordering samples or comparing paper options before committing to a larger quantity is a good idea.

8. Have a Plan for Leftover Inventory

Not every print will sell at your next event, and that's pretty standard.

One of the benefits of selling art prints is that your inventory can continue working for you long after the event ends.

You can:

• Sell remaining prints through your online shop.
• Bring them to your next art fair or market.
• Offer them through local gift shops and galleries.
• Create seasonal collections.
• Bundle complementary prints together.
• Use your prints as samples to attract future customers.

Having an online shop gives customers another way to purchase your artwork, even after they've met you at an event.

Instead of thinking of leftover inventory as a loss, think of it as inventory for your next selling opportunity.

9. Give Yourself Enough Time to Get Everything Printed

One of the easiest ways to add unnecessary stress to art fair preparation is waiting until the last minute to order prints.

Give yourself time to review your digital files, choose your paper, place your order, and inspect the finished prints before the event.

It's also helpful to have a few extra days in case you need to make adjustments or reorder something.

If you're planning multiple events throughout the year, consider creating a print inventory schedule. You can plan your orders around your busiest selling seasons instead of placing several last-minute orders.

Make Your Next Art Fair a Little Easier

Preparing for an art fair involves a lot of moving pieces. Your inventory shouldn't have to be another guessing game.

Start with what you know, order thoughtfully, and pay attention to what your customers respond to. As you participate in more events, you'll develop a better understanding of which artwork, sizes, and products deserve a place in your inventory.

And remember, you don't have to figure out every printing detail on your own.

Prints & Repeat works with artists to photograph original artwork and create professional fine art reproductions on smooth and textured fine art papers, as well as canvas.

Whether you're preparing for your first market or restocking for a busy season, I'd love to help you get your artwork ready for its next audience.

Ready to start planning your art print inventory?

Explore Fine Art Printing at Prints & Repeat or learn more about Artwork Reproduction Photography.

Let's get your artwork out into the world!