It’s one of the most common questions I hear from people who are interested in buying art: should I get the original or a print? It’s a good question, and the honest answer is that both are excellent choices — they just serve different purposes. Let me break down the real differences so you can make the decision that’s right for you.
What Makes an Original Painting Different
An original painting is a one-of-a-kind work created by the artist’s hand. It exists nowhere else in the world. When you hold an original watercolor, you’re seeing the actual paper the artist touched, the actual pigment that flowed from their brush. The texture of the brushstrokes, the slight variations in the paper surface, the way the paint pools and blooms — these are physical qualities that exist only in the original.
There’s an intimacy to owning an original that’s hard to articulate but easy to feel. You’re not looking at a reproduction of someone’s creative act — you’re looking at the creative act itself, preserved on paper or canvas. For many collectors, that connection between their hands and the artist’s hands is what makes original art so meaningful.
Originals also have financial characteristics that prints don’t. As an artist’s reputation grows, the value of their original work tends to appreciate over time. An original purchased today from an emerging artist may be worth significantly more in ten or twenty years. This isn’t guaranteed — art is not a conventional investment — but it’s a well-documented pattern in the art market.
What Makes a Good Print
A high-quality giclee print is not the same thing as a poster. The difference is enormous. A giclee is produced using professional-grade inkjet technology with archival pigment inks on premium fine art paper — typically the same type of cotton rag paper that artists use for original watercolors. The result is a reproduction with extraordinary color accuracy, tonal range, and detail.
When I look at a giclee print of one of my paintings side by side with the original, the color match is remarkably close. A casual viewer standing several feet away would have difficulty distinguishing the two. Up close, the differences become apparent — the original has physical texture, depth of pigment, and the unique imperfections that come from a handmade process — but the print captures the essence of the image beautifully.
The practical advantages of prints are significant. They’re far more affordable than originals, making it possible to own multiple pieces by an artist you love. They’re available in multiple sizes, so you can fit a favorite image into different spaces. And because prints are reproduced from a digital scan, your favorite painting can be available even after the original has sold — which is exactly why many of my sold originals remain available as giclee prints.
When to Buy an Original
Buy an original when you want something truly unique — a painting that no one else in the world will have. Buy an original when the physical texture and handmade quality of the piece matters to you — when you want to see the artist’s brushstrokes, the way the paint interacts with the paper, the subtle imperfections that prove a human being made this.
Buy an original when you’re building a collection and you care about provenance, investment potential, and the story of the piece. Buy an original when you find a specific painting that moves you emotionally and you don’t want to risk someone else buying it first.
And buy an original when you can afford it comfortably. Art should bring you joy, not financial stress. If the original is within your budget and makes your heart beat a little faster, get it. You won’t regret it.
When to Buy a Print
Buy a print when you love an artist’s work but the originals are beyond your current budget. A good print allows you to enjoy the same image, the same colors, the same emotional impact at a fraction of the price.
Buy a print when you’re decorating multiple rooms and need several pieces that work together visually. Prints allow you to curate a cohesive collection without the investment of multiple originals. Buy a print when the original has already sold — if a painting captured your imagination but someone else got to it first, a limited edition print is the next best thing.
Buy a print when you want art for a space where you’re less concerned about investment value — a child’s room, a vacation home, an office — and more concerned about simply having something beautiful on the wall.
And buy a limited edition print if you want something closer to the exclusivity of an original. Limited edition prints are produced in small quantities, signed and numbered by the artist, and once they sell out, they’re gone.
The Best Strategy: Both
Many collectors do both — and this is the approach I recommend for anyone who wants to build a meaningful art collection over time. Start with prints from artists whose work you love. Prints let you live with an artist’s aesthetic, understand how their colors and compositions work in your home, and develop your taste without a large financial commitment.
Then, when you find a specific original that truly speaks to you, make the investment. You’ll know the artist’s work well enough to be confident in your purchase, and the original will hold a special place in your collection precisely because it’s surrounded by prints that you also love.
A Note About Quality
Not all prints are created equal. The term “print” covers everything from cheap poster reproductions to museum-quality giclees, and the difference in quality is vast. When evaluating a print, ask about the paper (100% cotton or acid-free archival paper is best), the inks (archival pigment inks, not dye-based), and the print method (giclee/inkjet from a high-resolution scan).
I go deeper into what separates a good print from a great one in my guide: What Makes a Good Giclee Print?
Explore Both Options
Original paintings: Browse my originals →
Giclee prints: Browse my prints →
Every original ships with a certificate of authenticity. Limited edition prints are signed and numbered. And everything ships free within the US.
