Is CafePress.com for Artists?

Is CafePress the right service for you if you're looking to sell prints of your art? Dan, from Empty Easel recently reviewed CafePress in this article, CafePress.com: Where Art Becomes. . . Stuff, giving a less than ethusiastic endorsement.

Dan later reviewed a CafePress competitor, Zazzle, in this article, My Review of Zazzle.com: Printable Products and Posters on Demand, in which he rated the site slightly above Cafepress but still not ideal.

In both reviews I agree with his conclusions since he is coming from the perspective of sites and their suitability for selling framed art prints. In both reviews he recommends Imagekind or Red Bubble as better options with more choice for buyers.

However, I do think his review of Cafepress came across a little more harshly because he did limit his conclusions to what the site offers in the way of framed prints and posters. Dan made no mention that some types of art might be better suited to Cafepresses entire range of products than others making it a better option.

For example, if you're like me, and much of your art is quirky, humorous or whimsical characters that appeal to children then these may translate more appropriately to a T-Shirt, mug, or sticker and have greater appeal than a fine art print.

For myself, it was the Premium (i.e. paid) shops that attracted me to Cafepress. Visit my Gallery Shop here. Neither Zazzle, Red Bubble nor Imagekind offer customized shops in any kind of equivalent capacity.

Premium Cafepress shops allow such a level of template customization that they can integrate into the look (right down to the help and checkout pages) of your web site. That ability to keep people within your site template gives you far more control over how you upsell or tempt buyers to purchase related products.

It also doesn't split your marketing efforts between two sites - even though technically you are. People can browse your shop without feeling like they've left your web site. Such customization allows you to make your Premium shop more than just page after page of products. You can include everything, right up to embeded video of you talking about your art, on your product pages if you wish.

Don't discount Cafepresses free shops either. Yes they are limited in products (one design per product) but this is easy to circumvent by using multiple free shops linked to your web site. It may sound cumbersome but it isn't. I speak from experience. I initially paid for the first three months of Premium Cafepress shop from the money I made from ten free shops all linked to one web site featuring my art.

Although Cafepress is known more for humorous slogans and political themes there are still thousands of artists using the site with varying degrees of success. With over 6.5 million members, getting your art noticed in the Cafepress marketplace is much like getting noticed on ebay. Pay close attention to your design tags, category placement and use keyword rich product titles and descriptions.

As I said from the outset, I agree with Dan's conclusions about Cafepress from a fine art print perspective but do take into consideration the type of art you make. Cafepress might make your art more accessible if your market prefers something more fun, portable or functional than a framed print.

Book Review: Brand It Purple by Ashley Knoote-Parke

Ashley Knoote-Parke. Image: Facebook It seems almost redundant to review Brand It Purple given you probably won't find a hard copy edition without digging into the second hand market. The book's author and publisher, Ashley Knoote-Parke, seemingly, disappeared off the face of the Earth around about 2015. Which is a story in itself. However, the book is still a very informative guide and, while not specifically targeted at women, many may relate more to a book written by an experienced female entrepreneur. Brand It Purple is a personal marketing and branding guide released in 2009 by then, star on the rise author, Ashley Knoote-Parke, an English born, South African expatriate, who made Adelaide, South Australia her home. There she started her own publishing company releasing a photographic, coffee table book of South Australian sights, along with books showcasing female, then male, entrepreneurs. As well she published 'Brand It Purple'. I came across the b

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Are Ion Thrusters the Future of Flying Cars? Spoiler - Probably Not But... Hover Boards... Maybe?

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Amy has no idea who that guy is and Monique forgot to tell her. Last week comedian Amy Schumer participated in a very awkward interview with Mamamia , Columnist/Journalist/Senior Editor (sorry I'm not sure which job description is most appropriate) Monique Bowley . The interview went so badly that Monique simply had to just own it and write about just how badly it went , and podcast about it as well. Even better the whole interview was captured on video which you can watch below as a precursor to my thoughts on the aftermath.

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

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