At BSLprints we actually keep several useful items in stock for our artists that do art markets and festivals. We lend them out at no charge to our clients that have purchased at least $300 in prints and services in the last 60 days.
Our clients who borrow them often end up getting their own - and we get frequently asked where to get them. Here are the two most popular, which compliment each other well. Links to purchase are at the bottom of the article.
Five-Tier Magazine Stand
The most popular of the ones we have are these, which are sold as 5-tier magazine stands, and are great for works that are 8" x 10", 10" x 10", 11" x 14", and 12" x 12".
Pardon the cheap camera phone photo in the dark, but you can see several of them here at our annual setup at the Last Minute Mall at the Hall, Y'all where we showcase works from a variety of artists that we work with.
Positives
Works great for the most popular print sizes (11" x 14" and 8" x 10")
Attractive and professional looking
Can fit four prints deep, with foamboard and sleeve, in each basket.
Durable - ours have been lent out around fifty times and show only minor signs of wear.
Portable - folded up, you can fit several of these in the back seat of a compact car.
Does pretty well in the wind. The pocket deisgn helps keep prints from flying out.
You can use the rack on the bottom for weighting the stand itself down if at a windy art market, or use it for storing extra inventory.
Negatives
The mesh pockets can make it hard to fully see prints that are 8" x 8" or smaller.
People often won't look at the bottom basket, or at least wont bend over to pull a print out of it. Its pretty close to the ground.
Carrying them while folded up can be a bit unwieldy
Baskets can fall off during transport, but clip right back on. Some small zip ties may help here... for some reason I never thought about that solution until typing this out
12" with sleeve and backing is the widest they can fit, so 11"x14", for example, only fits in portrait orientation, you would have to put landscape orientation prints in sideways. Landscape 8" x 10" fit, but will be a bit too covered up by the mesh, so will be harder to see.
Taller prints, like 11" x 17" or 12" x 16" do fit, but will cover up whatever is in the basket above them (if not in the top basket).
Crazy price fluctuations. Sometimes they are $45/ea and sometimes they are $120/ea and everything in between. If you don't need them right away, check back on them every so often and get them when the prices are lower.
Six-Tier Table-Top Literature Rack
Here is one in use by local gyotaku and mixed-media artist Holly Garvin
Positives
No horizontal dividers - can hold prints up to 28" wide and abuot 20" tall, depending on which tier
Portable, though a bit awkward to deal with when transporting
Great for landscape orientation and larger works (such as 10" x 20", 12" x 24", 16" x 20")
Also good for smaller works, down to about 4" x 6" - no mesh blocking the view.
Durable - ours have been lent out around fifty times and show only minor signs of wear.
Fits easily on most fold-up tables commonly used for art markets
Negatives
Displaying larger prints will mean giving up practical use of some of the tiers, which can get blocked easily.
Not great in the wind, especially with larger prints.
Here are some Amazon ads for these - if you purchase anything using these links we get a small sales commission. This doesn't increase your price. This is also let you easily see the current prices on both of these.
What are your favorite racks for displaying prints at art markets and festivals? Let us know in the comments!