Sorry if I am doing this wrong; I'm not aware of the 'forum etiquette' as I am new to this site.
I have been displaying prints in frames at art shows, but they take up a lot of space. I have many more photos I would love to display, but am not sure how to do it without damaging them. I love the idea of placing them in a scrapbook so people can flip through them, but I do not want them to get bent. I've also thought of simply showing 4X6 prints as proofs, offering a variety of different sizes in which the photograph can be purchased. Any suggestions?
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I use RediMat to get my mats. They have kits that come with the mat, backing boards and clear bags. They have various sizes. I also went to Michael's and purchased some crates that I spray painted with some textured paint. I used them to display my prints. You can also use different sized canvas print racks to display your work. I mat 5 by 7 in 8 by 10 mats and 8 by 10 photos in 11 by 14 mats. I also have some framed prints that are available.
Hi Jennifer. When I first started doing outdoor shows, I too thought of displaying small proofs and having folks order what they want. "Seems like it would be 'way cheaper to do that, than to make matted prints in different sizes and lug them around from show to show," I reasoned.
And then I learned the psychology of art shows by doing a few of them. ;-) In the vast majority of cases, folks want and need to see the finished product, and visualize how it will look on their walls. As Larry and others have said many times, offering two sizes in your browse bins is a good way to provide the customer with choices, but not too many. You don't want to confuse customers with too many choices, that causes decision paralysis. :-) Pick a smallish size and a larger size for your browse bins. What's a "small" and "large size"? That's going to depend on a number of things: The size your work looks best in, the market you'll be selling in, what sizes you can most easily transport, etc. You can always take a special order for a customer that just has to have a larger size. :-)
As for me, I carry two sizes in bins: 8x10s matted to 11x14; and 11x14s (or 10x15s) matted to 16x20. Keep your mat sizes standard; customers equate "non-standard mats" with "If I buy this, I've got to go to a custom frame shop and spend a fortune." (That is not necessarily true, but you'll have a tough time convincing customers of that. Perception is reality.)
Good luck!