Art Prints vs Posters – What’s the Difference?

The confusion about how to tell the difference between art prints vs posters is one we hear a lot. One of the main reasons for the confusion is that there are some cases where the two of them can look quite similar. Art prints and posters are both fairly large images that depict something visually interesting to the public and they are both meant to communicate a feeling to the viewer. Having said that, there are some differences between the two that are important to keep in mind when starting a new art print or poster project.

Take a look below as we examine each of these (art prints vs posters) and also discuss the differences between the two of them in greater detail.

What is an Art Print?

According to the Art Radar Journal, “An art print is a reproduction of an original work of art.”.

While this seems simple enough, this definition can mean different things to different people. 

There are some people who might envision an old piece of painted art that has been reproduced on a print. On the other hand, there are some people who might simply think of modern artists who work on physical mediums and have those works printed. 

Let’s make this simple by saying we consider an art print to be any work of art, produced on a print, that will be showcased in a more caring way. Don’t worry if that doesn’t make complete sense. We will discuss this more in the differences section of this article.

What is a Poster?

The dictionary has a couple of definitions for the word “poster”:

• The first and most relevant definition to this article is, “A poster is a large printed picture used for decoration.” 
• The second definition is, “A person who posts something”. That is an interesting definition but we can agree that it isn’t really 100% relevant for our topic.

A definition that is more clarifying for us is, “A poster is a printed message that is in photographic, illustrated or text form, or a combination of all three that is meant to communicate with a viewer or make them feel a certain way.” 

The Main Differences Between Art Prints and Posters

There are two main differences that are primary to deciding what is an art print and what is a poster. These two differences are quality and price. In addition, posters and art prints have different uses and different printing volumes but these factors have an impact on price and quality.

Art Prints vs Posters – Pricing

A big difference between art prints and posters is their cost as art prints are usually much more expensive than posters. The reasons for the difference in price comes down to the care or needs based on the factors related to print vs the poster quality and the quantity being printed. Many art prints have limited quantities while posters are usually printed in large volumes (which reduces their total cost).

Art Prints vs Posters – Quality

The difference in quality between art prints and posters is quite large. In most cases, art prints have a much higher quality than posters thanks to higher resolution, being printed on substrates of different types, and elaborate finishing that might be needed to achieve a unique look and feel to the finished print. Posters often need to be printed quickly and they usually don’t need to last as long so the overall quality can be lower. 
We realize there is not a huge amount of difference between art prints and posters. Having said that, these differences are very important to the end user along with having an impact on your budget and pricing strategy. The next time you think about starting a new project that involves a poster or an art print, we hope this explanation of their differences will guide you in making your final choice.

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