Where to Buy Vintage Art Online and How to Print Digital Art
Where to buy vintage art online and how to print digital art + picture frame recommendations for a designer look on a small budget.
Just like no closet is complete without a little black dress (I’ll always stand by that one), no room is ever complete without at least one piece of vintage art. Facts.
Art is a popular topic around here (and it’s trending BIG TIME)… whether you DIY wall art yourself or design an entire room around 1 inspired art piece, I’ve had an ongoing love affair with it here for a very long time.
But I realized I’ve never shared some of my favorite vintage art shops and resources in one place.
How to Find Vintage Art Online
Check Archives
I’ve mentioned my secret to finding free printable wall art online before, but searching through archives for the perfect art does take a lot of time.
However, if you’re willing to devote hours sifting through literally millions of images in public domain archives to find the perfect digital art file, it’s totally free and can be a fun treasure hunt. Just make sure they’re high resolution at 300 dpi.
Search for Free Vintage Art Printables on Blogs
You can also simply search “Vintage Art Printable Blog” in Google, toggle to the “images” tab, and find hundreds of blogs that offer free downloads of art they’ve already curated for you. Some do require you to subscribe to email lists (like my own printable library) to get access.
Purchase Vintage Artwork from Online Shops
There are SO MANY great vintage art online shops out there now where you can buy a download for as little as $2 to have printed and framed in an hour! Many shops sell digital images you can print yourself on your home printer, send the files to a local print shop, or order from a professional printer for specialty canvas prints.
If you want it quick and simple… here are some of my favorite vintage digital artwork shops so you can find the best option for your style.
Where to Buy Vintage Art Online
There are way too many beautiful online shops to list for buying vintage art, but these are my absolute top favorites where you can buy just the downloadable digital files instantly and inexpensively.
- Collection Prints
- BFF Print Shop
- Juniper Print Shop
- Vintage Supply
- Archive Print Co
- Nook Vintage Prints
- Chaos & Wonder Design
- North Prints
- Blue Jay Vintage Art
- White Moth
- Exotic Sheep Vintage
- Lacuna Printable Art
- Ever Art Prints
- Little Lief Creative
- Olive and Oak Prints
- Westwoven
- In Cotton Art
- Seven Hills Vintage Art
- Vista View Prints
- Ailish Print Shop
- Shop Home Revivals
Art Downloads (left to right): Flower Veil | Landscape Sketch Pair | Still Life Roses | Country Landscape | Michelle Portrait Sketch | Flight | Low Clouds | Vintage Equestrian | Painting of a Young Girl | Paris Map | Neutral Botanical Print | Moody Peach Still Life | Bronte Beach | New York City Street Sketch | Mountain Lodge | Horse Painting | Seascape
How to Print Digital Art
If you’ve never done more than prints at home from your personal inkjet printer, it can be really confusing where to get high quality prints inexpensively. I’ve tried many, and these locations are my go-to art printing spots.
Where to Print Etsy Downloads and Digital Art at Low Prices
Depending on what is available in your area, you can usually upload your digital art files to the photo or print services pages at any of your local stores listed above and pick them up same day if ordered by 2pm.
Keep in mind that “big box store” local printers like an office supply store or pharmacy don’t always have the best results for fine art prints. But they have the most competitive prices, if you’re on a budget.
- For small printsize – I often have my art printed at Staples or Office Depot on matte cardstock for 8×10 or smaller for about $1.
- For medium/large sized prints – For 11×14 or larger, I usually order through Walgreens Photo for same day pick up on photo paper. (Check their coupons page for a discount code. They almost always have one available to use.)
- For extra large / oversized prints – Some Staples and Office Depot locations will allow you to print art onto engineering blueprints starting at $1.89. There are some locations that have a policy against this for some reason. As an alternative, you can use Overnight Prints for inexpensive large scale art on engineering blueprints.
Where to Get the Highest Quality Print
For a specialty piece of art, it’s best to order digital art prints on fine art paper, archival paper, or giclee print using pigment-based inks, especially for larger size high-quality prints. These online printing services often have a slower turnaround time and additional cost, especially for prints with a slight texture added or deckled edge. But it is the best way to get a fine art image printed in vivid color for higher quality custom artwork to use as home decor.
Favorite Vintage Style Frames
Adding a vintage style picture frame (or even better adding a mat along with it) can make a simple $3 art print look upscale and authentic. I find gorgeous vintage picture frames at the thrift store all the time, but if you don’t like waiting around to find the perfect one in a thrift hunt, I love these frames too.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
Where to Get Vintage Wall Art Custom Framed
Got any other vintage art shops and art printing places you’d add to the bunch? I know there are many more out there and more are being added all the time with vintage art trending now more than ever in the past decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally, interior designers suggest pictures should be hung 57″ from the floor to the center of the picture frame, approximately at eye level.
Yes! I’ve sworn by the “toothpaste trick” for years! Dab a pea-sized amount of toothpaste onto the nail hooks on the back of a picture frame. Holding a level along the top of the frame, press the picture frame in place on the wall where you want to hang it. The toothpaste will be left on the wall so that you know exactly where to drive in the nails.
Where can I find the butterfly print?
Hi! I have a very similar one included in my library. I cannot find that exact one and cannot remember off the top of my head where I got it. I will continue to look and hop back over if I find it. However, the one in my library is very pretty too.
Thanks for the information. Your blog is the first I read!
Love it!
Becky, thank you for being here. We truly appreciate you.
When we sold our house in late 2021, I was able to find a great botanical print in some public domain files at the Smithsonian. And I was able to make a very large color blueprint which was amazing when staging our house! But I want to make some blueprint printouts for our new home and cannot find anywhere that will do it and it’s only been about 18 months since they offered it before. I’m super disappointed! I tried the suggestion above to use Overnight Prints but do not see anywhere on their site about ordering blueprints. This seemed like such a terrific solution, especially for large scale. I’d love to know if you have found a current (April 2023) service that is available. Staples’ and Office Depot’s offerings of printing posters as an alternative were about 4x the price.
Hi! I am so sorry you are having a hard time finding a solution. Unfortunately I do not have an immediate answer. I will look around and come back with an alternative if I find one.
Querstion about walgreens for 11×14 size and up like you referenced,: if you go to prints on the walgreens page, the biggest size is 8×10. so do you select posters? How are you printing that size from there? Thanks. I’m looking to fill a frame that is 16×20. unusual size. any rec for best place that is cheapest for that size? Thanks.
You may want to try Staples or overnightprints.com