I've been researching software that offers the ability to manage the editioning and establishing a provenance of work, create and send invoices, track exhibit history, etc.  but have found a dearth of reasonably priced offerings.  There are several that look very well done, but they are on the order of several thousand dollars. There are some low-budget offerings, but they don't really measure up.  I haven't found much in the middle, save one: GYST.  I purchased the Pro version, but am finding it buggy, and the support is, well, not supportive enough for real-world use. Granted it is a small company, and I understand the difficulties, but I need something that just works.

Do any of you know of a product that does the job for a reasonable price?

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  • I was just looking into this for myself. I am in need of something simple but focused on the needs of an artist. I was looking into this option...  ARTsala

    This is a monthly fee based plan and no software to purchase.

    I haven't had a lot of time to really look at all the features but at first glance it seems easy and set up to meet the needs of an artist.

    • Hi Kim,

      I've been exploring ARTsala, and it's probably premature, but I don't think it's going to fill my needs. I do like the subscription model, and their integration with Xanadu gallery in Scottsdale seems like it might have some potential to generate sales, but I don't really know anything about them beyond what I've seen on their site.

      eArtist is another one I'm looking at, and it looks like a pretty full-featured program.  The developer (Richard assures me that it is under active development, and so far he has been responsive to my questions.  You might consider taking a look at it as well:  http://www.artscope.net/eArtist/index.html  It costs $125, but if it will do what I want, that's not much.

      Still working with (as I already bought the Pro version) of GYST as well.  Karen is very open to suggestions for improvements, and is working on a Certificate of Authenticity module at present.  If you sell limited edition prints, especially in CA or NY (there are other states with regs I'm sure, but those seem to be the ones with the highest standards) for more than $100 (I believe that's the price point), you may be required to provide one...

      If you get a chance to look at any of these, I'd be interested in your take on them.

      • Sorry Jerry but with 3 events in September and this old laptop giving me a headache with all of its issues I have yet to really check them out other than a quick peak.
        At first glance they seem to fit all the specific needs. I like the idea of not having to buy software and then the backups are covered too. I liked the fact that with ArtSala the inventory can work with their website but do I want to change? I really like my current site. I would like something that I am not doing double the work with entering all the information for my records and my website. I will do more research in October when I have more time.

        • Thanks, Kim.  I spent quite some time with eArtist, and I don't think it's going to work for me either.  It creates a list of separate records for each work in the edition, which it should, but then it displays each and every one in a list complete with a thumbnail image and all the other details.  That's all well and good, but it doesn't, so far as I can tell, have a way of collapsing/rolling them all up into one (like a drop-down menu or separate folder).  It's just way too "busy" for me.

          I'm continuing to work with GYST, and while they are trying hard,  I don't think they have the resources to be nimble enough for my needs (which aren't all that great...).

          Most of these "software" programs are build using Filemaker, so I am looking at that.  You will benefit from having a familiarity with it even when using one of these outside solutions (eArtist, GYST, even some of the multi-thousand dollar art gallery management one), so I am thinking of (shudder) creating my own and that way I can customize it to my needs.  Sigh... who has time, though...?

          • What if you contacted someone like  - Kelly Sanford - Artist BFF and get a price for creating something or finding something specific for you. While I have not used her I have heard her talk on blog talk radio show - Artists helping Artists. She may be able to offer some different suggestions.

    • That looks very interesting, Kim.  I hadn't come across that one. A lot of folks don't but I like the subscription model.

      I couldn't tell if they support multi-size editioning or COA's, but I submitted a request for that info.  Their support chat wasn't available (which is a minor concern)...  Chatting up support is a MAJOR plus with any software.  I have to hand it to ADOBE for having world-class support with ready access to very knowledgeable support personnel.  It's hard for a small company to provide service of that level, but when they do it makes your life SO much easier...

      Thanks for the heads up...!

      • I want to revise my review of GYST's support.  Karen, who is the developer, is really bending over backward to help me sort out the issues I'm experiencing, and she's even adding some features I suggested.  She runs a small shop (can you relate?), and she really strives to put out a good product.  The product is under active development, and I believe she recently hired a programmer to help her.  It's definitely worth a look...  Check it out here:  http://www.gyst-ink.com/

  • I haven't found one that does everything but I use Quickbooks for invoicing and tracking sales, customers, etc.  I have to update inventory as I make it but it allows me to run a report tells me what I have and takes it out of inventory when I put it on an invoice.  I could also download my bank checks and deposits but that costs extra and I enter by hand.  It does have a reconcile function that I use to reconcile my accounts.  I don't track who bought what edition so I use an excel spreadsheet for tracking which just has the title and the next number to be used.  I also track my show schedule from year to year on an excel spreadsheet which is color coded for accepted, applied, rejected so I can look back at previous years.

    • Thanks, Alison.  I'm not sure I have the discipline to keep up with all that.  I guess I'll keep looking for an all-in-one.  GYST comes close...

      Thanks,

      Jerry

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