Format’s new Print Marketplace gives photographers their own shop window

(Image credit: Format)

The website building platform Format has launched a Prints Marketplace facility, which lets artists sell and ship their work worldwide with automatic fulfillment.

Prints Marketplace is the latest in a line of new features Format has been steadily developing to help creatives do everything they need in one place. The company recently announced Workflow, which helps photographers create branded client galleries, transfer files of up to 10GB, manage contacts and project notes and add digital client contracts.

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While the company does not appear to have publicized the launch of its Prints Marketplace, the facility is publicly available and anyone can access it to browse photographs from different photographers across the world, with shipping available to more than 170 countries.

In its introduction to the feature for current users, the company explains that it handles all aspects involved in the sale for current users, from marketing to printing and shipping, a service similar to Redbubble, Zazzle and other print-on-demand online marketplaces.

Although Format doesn’t currently have an option to search or filter categories, it does allow users to click through different product types – including fine art prints (custom 264gsm paper with archival, acid-free pigment based inks), professional prints (printed on Kodak ENDURA professional photo paper) and metal prints – for which it generates a collection of available listings. If a buyer is interested to see more listings from a particular photographer, they can then click on their profile to see more.

Users can upload high-resolution images that they want to sell and can choose which products they want their photographs to be available on. As well as fine art, metal and professional prints, other options available on Prints Marketplace include different styles of canvas prints, as well as sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hoodies.

Photographers who sell their products can choose a percentage of markup they want to add which will be reflected in the final price that the customer sees.

Laurence is an NCTJ-trained journalist with nearly 20 years' editorial experience gained on a wide range of publications, from The Beirut Times in Lebanon to The Sunday Times, and including recent freelance engagements with Future's cycling and automotive portfolios, Outdoor Fitness, and The English Home. He has recently been undertaking a sports broadcast journalism MA at Southampton Solent, gaining valuable TV and radio experience, and am currently videographer for Frome Town FC soccer team. He is the author of Bikepacking (Wild Things Publishing, 2016).

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