16 Amazing Reasons To Try Printable Wall Art

Discover The Magic Of Digital Downloads

The digital way of doing things has become easier & more accessible, meaning many creatives are now able to showcase & sell their work online.

But if you're new to downloading wall art, you may be asking " What ARE printables?".

These downloadable images can be photographs, copies of paintings, graphic designs & creations, vectors, text based & basically any style of artwork that can be created as, or converted to, a digital format.

What Styles Of Wall Art Can I Download?

It's probably better to ask " what styles can't I download? "

There's a style of downloadable art to suit most needs.

I've put together an article on the various types of printables & where they can be found if you're interested : An Amazing Choice Of Printable Art

How Are These Printables Downloaded?

Downloading digital art files is easy peasy.

Once payment is approved it's an instant download.

Sometimes a link will be emailed to you.

They usually come in a PDF, a PNG or jpeg, or all 3.

Simply open whichever file you wish to print from & within no time you'll have your wall art ready to display.

16 Reasons Why You Should Totally Consider Downloading Wall Art

Whether you're new to this way of shopping for wall art or you're a seasoned pro, here's 16 reasons to convince you why you should totally be incorporating this method of purchasing wall décor for your home or office.

1. Convenience

This is a major advantage of shopping for printables.

We all do our fair amount of online shopping for many different things & printable wall art is no different.

Just like physical prints, you can shop for any style of downloadable wall art too.

But ... with printables, once you've found what you like you can download it instantly.

Within seconds you have the file on your computer ready to print.

2. Affordability

For the price of a cup of coffee or 2, you can have a digital file that is yours forever & to use however you wish, depending on certain copyright or terms & conditions of course.

Most printable wall art images usually come with a non-commercial licence, but you're able to use the image for personal use in any way you like.

And of course, there's a lot of FREE printables available too.

Digital downloads are a really affordable way to create a collection of wall art that you can use for years to come.

3. Choice

Think of any style of wall art, from landscape photography, paintings, line drawings to quotation art, you'll find a downloadable version.

Not only that, it makes shopping for the right colours & tone of artwork to match your décor a breeze.

4. Print Yourself

If you have a decent printer, you're able to print out the art literally moments after you've downloaded it & have it on your walls in no time.

You can learn how to get the most from your digital downloads: A Step By Step Guide For Printing Downloadable Art

This leads to the next advantage of printables ..

5. Customise

Even with the most basic & free photo editing software, you're able to customise the final look.

Maybe you'd like to overlay some text or add a filter to create a different colour tone that better matches your needs.

You can even go down the Andy Warhol route & make a number of variations of the same image.

Any copyright is usually wavered with free printables & if you're more experienced in editing software such as Photoshop for instance, you may use the downloaded image as a starting point to create your own art.

6. Control Over The Finished Look

If you're printing the art yourself at home, you can choose from a variety of paper & card stock textures & styles to create the finished look you'd like.

You can also print to any size & even crop the image to fit a particular ratio.

This means you're able to use you're own frames & matting to achieve the desired look.

7. More Print Options

Even if you're getting the art printed, you have more freedom in which print medium, size & framing option you want.

You might like an acrylic print, or perhaps a certain frame style & colour & not all print services offer the same choices.

8. DIY Approach

If you're the crafty type, you can turn the printable into a more personalised artwork.

Perusing op-shops ( or charity stores, depending on where you are in the world ) is a fabulous way to find unusual & unique picture frames.

You can even use the downloaded images for creating personalised notebooks, diaries, birthday cards & other ideas.

Which leads to ..

9. Doesn't Just Have To Be Wall Art

Once you've downloaded the image you can use it as you wish.

So why not have it printed to a coffee mug, pillow cases, a cap or even a tee shirt.

There's many ways you can display your printable.

10. Gift Ideas

Stuck for a gift idea?

If you find an artwork or design that the recipient will love, as mentioned, why not turn it into either a wall art print or have it printed to another item they need.

Printables are great for those last minute gift ideas, especially if you can print it out from home, then you just need to duck down to the shops to find a nice frame.

You can also use the downloaded images for creating personalised birthday, wedding or other cards.

11. Seasonal Use

Printables are perfect for those seasonal decorations & displays.

Whether it's Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving .. you name it .. there's a printable to match any theme.

Whether you're printing out artwork to display on the walls or other decorative items, once the festivities are over, you still have the downloaded file to use next year.

12. Longevity

I always recommend keeping digital files & images to at least 2 separate hard drives.

Although the digital file itself may not degrade, hard drives can & computers do crash.

But that said, your digital wall art is going to last you a lifetime & you're able to make as many copies as you like .. which follows on nicely to ..

13. Print More Than Once

Accidents can happen & your favourite print can get ruined.

An accidental spillage, smoke or nicotine staining & sunlight can all degrade a print.

But, all you need do is print it out again.

You might of even changed your mind & prefer a framed photo print instead of canvas this time around.

If you decide to change your décor, you're able to still display the same artwork, but on a different print medium.

14. Create A Digital Display

Downloadable images can be used for a unique wallpaper on your phone or computer.

There's even digital photo frames where you can use your downloaded images to make your own artful slideshow.

15. Support Independent Artists

The Internet has allowed many creatives to be able to showcase their work to a wider audience & create a sustainable business doing what they love.

Producing original printables in the form of graphics & vectors, photographs & even paintings that can be scanned & sold as a digital product.

When you purchase downloadable art from independent artists, you're helping to maintain art & creativity as a viable income source & support new & upcoming creatives.

16. A Sense Of Satisfaction

Last but not least, it's really satisfying when you've created, or had a part in creating something.

It's wonderful to find a ready made print that you love & is just what you've been looking for.

But it's even more gratifying if you've had a hand in printing, framing or making wall art for yourself.

Are There Any Disadvantages To Printables?

I'm not sure I'd call them disadvantages, but there's a few reason when a printable or downloaded artwork may be best purchased as a physical print.

Final Look

Sometimes a particular artwork or photograph will suit a particular print medium.

An obvious example would be printing an impressionist painting to HD acrylic, it's simply not going to suit the artwork or do it justice.

Certain photographs look better printed to canvas, whereas others will look fabulous on HD acrylic or metal prints.

Although printing your own artwork gives you the freedom of choosing a print finish, you want to make sure you choose an appropriate medium.

Print Quality

Professional print labs use expensive inkjet printers with top quality inks.

Your standard home printer, inkjet or laser, won't be able to match the final look that these printers produce.

If you're someone that enjoys printing your own wall art on a regular basis, really good inkjet printers can be found for around $1,500.

In the long run it may be a worthwhile investment, as you'll be able to produce high quality prints to a large size & save on professional printing costs.

But many printables such as quotation art & certain graphics are perfectly fine printed out on a decent home printer.

Print Cost

Although the initial cost of a download is just a few dollars, you'll still need to pay if you want a physical print.

Although you do have the option of shopping around to find a print service within your budget, you don't want to sacrifice quality over price.

If you've fallen in love with a particular downloadable image that you feel requires a higher print quality than you can provide, then using a good quality printer will result in a product you're happy with.

Remember, you'll always have the digital file should the physical print get damaged.

Don't Become A Hoarder!

It can be tempting, you find all these lovely printables for just a few dollars each, so why not buy a load of them.

Sometimes sellers offer bundles, 10, 20, I've even seen over 100 printables & images for just a few dollars.

It's easy to end up with a huge collection of digital downloads that you'll probably never get around to printing!

Final Thoughts

Printables are a great way to obtain not only wall art, but images & designs for your own creative projects.

If you've never tried digital downloads before, I think once you do you'll be hooked!

They're a simple, convenient & risk free way for adorning your walls with unique artwork & exploring you're own creativity & style.

I really enjoy the process of creating images for download, but I do also offer them as physical prints.

So feel free to check out my shop as I'm always on the hunt for for new artworks to make available.

I also enjoy giving discounts to subscribers as I appreciate the support of this site .. so feel free to sign up too!