Start with resolution and print size

Resolution is the first thing to check, and the only number that matters at the start. A print needs roughly 300 DPI at its final size to look sharp at reading distance. A 40x60 cm print therefore needs a source file around 4,700 by 7,000 pixels. Sellers who list DPI without stating the size it applies to are hiding something, because a file can be 300 DPI at postcard scale and still fall apart as a wall piece.

Strambu worked in Romania in the decades around 1900, and much of his painting survives in photography of variable quality. That matters for you directly. Some reproductions on the market are upscaled from small scans, which produces soft edges and smeared brushwork that no amount of good paper rescues. Zoom into any product image as far as the site allows. If the texture looks plastic or the details blur into each other, the source was probably weak. For a fuller picture of what to expect from his subjects, the guide to his most common paintings on Strambu's most common subjects helps you compare a listing against the real work.

Materials that separate good prints from bad

Paper and ink carry the next set of signals. A serious poster reproduction uses paper of at least 250 gsm with a matte or lightly textured finish, and archival pigment inks rather than basic dye inks, which fade within a few years in daylight. Canvas editions should be cotton or poly cotton blend, stretched over a frame with visible, even tension, and printed with the same pigment standard. Weight and ink type are usually listed. When they are not, ask, and treat silence as an answer.

Colour accuracy is harder to judge from a screen, because every monitor lies a little. Strambu's palette sits in warm earth tones and muted greens for much of his landscape and portrait work, so a listing that looks neon or heavily contrasted has almost certainly been overprocessed. Read reviews that mention colour specifically, and check whether the seller photographs the actual print rather than reusing a scan of the original. The same material questions apply across formats, which the comparison of canvas versus framed poster choices sets out in detail.

Reading the seller before you pay

The seller tells you more than the product page does. A good reproduction seller names the source of the image, states where the print is made, and answers questions about cropping and colour within a day or two. A poor one relies on stock language, hides behind a generic contact form, and lists sizes without explaining how much of the original composition each size keeps. Cropping is a real issue with Strambu, whose portraits and figure paintings can lose their balance when squeezed into standard frame ratios.

Price is a signal, but not the one people expect. A very cheap large print almost always means a low resolution file and thin paper. An expensive one is not automatically better. What you are paying for, at any level, is a faithful source image and materials that last. Compare a candidate listing against how established editions describe themselves, such as a canvas edition printed on cotton blend, and note what the weaker listing omits. If you are still deciding where to buy, the overview of where to buy Strambu prints online covers the main options.