Six Mistakes People Make Buying Art Prints Online

Most online print purchases go wrong for the same handful of reasons. Here is what buyers of Somov and similar artists most often get wrong, and how to avoid repeating it.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

The most common mistakes when buying art prints online are misjudging scale, trusting low resolution previews, ignoring paper and finish, skipping the return policy, and buying from sellers who cannot state the print's origin. Checking measured wall space and asking one question about source files prevents most of them.

The scale problem comes first

The single most frequent error is buying a print that is the wrong size for the wall. A thumbnail on a phone screen gives no sense of physical presence. Somov's portrait heads and small genre scenes, which often read as intimate on screen, can look lost above a sofa at 40 centimetres wide. Measure the wall. Mark the intended dimensions with masking tape and live with the outline for a day before ordering.

The second mistake follows from the first. Buyers fixate on the print's dimensions and forget the frame adds bulk. A framed poster can gain five to eight centimetres on each side once moulding is included, which matters in a narrow hallway or a tight gallery arrangement. Anyone weighing a framed piece against a canvas version can see how the two formats differ in practice choose between canvas and framed poster. Both errors are cheap to avoid and expensive to reverse.

Trusting the preview image

A screen preview is a compressed, backlit approximation. It cannot show paper texture, ink density, or how a muted palette actually sits under room light. Somov's work is a particular case, because his pinks, greys and powder blues sit in narrow tonal ranges that cheap reproduction flattens into something chalky. A seller who only offers a small JPEG is telling you something about the files behind the print.

Ask for the source resolution and the print dimensions together. A rough rule holds that the file should be at least 300 dpi at full size, which for a 60 by 90 centimetre print means a very large original scan. Reputable sellers state this without prompting. The checklist below covers the questions worth asking before money moves.

Questions before you buy

Confirm the print resolution is high enough for the size you plan to order, not just for the sample image.
Ask what paper or canvas stock is used, and whether the finish is matte or gloss.
Check that the seller names the source of the artwork file rather than leaving it vague.
Read the return policy in full before paying, since colour disappointment is the most common reason for one.
Look for real photographs of finished prints rather than rendered mockups alone.
Verify the stated dimensions include the frame if one is part of the order.

Retailer trust and the return path

The third cluster of mistakes is about the seller. Marketplaces hosting anonymous print shops make it easy to buy an image that has been resized, recoloured or cropped from a poor scan. With an artist like Somov, whose work is out of copyright and widely available as digital images, anyone can list a print. That is not automatically a problem, but it means quality varies enormously and the burden of checking falls on the buyer.

Look for sellers who answer questions about materials and turnaround plainly, and who photograph actual stock. Made-to-order printing takes days rather than hours, and a seller promising instant dispatch of everything is usually drop-shipping blind. It also helps to know the format before you shop, since the choice between framed and canvas changes what to check what size print fits the room. For a sense of how a specialist handles the process, the FAQ covers materials and turnaround Auvrique FAQ.

A print bought on a phone screen is a print bought twice.

Mistake	What it costs	The fix
Guessing the size	A print that drowns or vanishes on the wall	Masking tape outline before ordering
Trusting the preview JPEG	Flat colour and lost tonal detail	Ask for source resolution and dpi
Ignoring the frame's added bulk	A piece too wide for the space	Check overall dimensions, not print size
Skipping the return policy	No recourse for colour disappointment	Read terms before payment
Buying from an anonymous listing	Cropped or recoloured reproductions	Buy from sellers who state their sources

Where online print purchases go wrong

Key takeaways

Measure the wall and tape out the dimensions before you order anything.
A screen preview hides paper texture, ink density and true colour, so ask about materials directly.
Check that stated dimensions include the frame, which can add several centimetres per side.
Prefer sellers who explain their source files and photograph real finished prints.

Related questions

Is it safe to buy art prints from large online marketplaces?

It can be, but quality varies widely because many listings come from independent sellers using different files and printers. Check reviews that mention print quality specifically, ask about paper stock, and confirm the return policy. A seller who answers material questions clearly is usually a safer bet than one who only shows mockups.

Why do prints sometimes look different in colour from the website image?

Screens emit light and prints reflect it, so some shift is unavoidable. Wide tonal ranges survive this better than narrow ones. Ask whether the seller calibrates proofs and whether they accept returns for colour mismatch. A matte finish also tends to hold subtle palettes more faithfully than gloss under household lighting.

Are older artworks like Somov's prints legally sold by anyone?

Works by artists who died more than seventy years ago are generally out of copyright, so many sellers can reproduce them legally. That means the differentiator is not the licence but the quality of the scan and the printing. Focus your checks on resolution, materials and the seller's return terms rather than on authenticity.

From the Auvrique collection

Made to order · Every size