AI Art for Design & Printing: Pros and Cons

Whether you love it or hate it, AI Art seems to be here to stay.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made creating artwork easier and more accessible than ever. Whether you’re a designer, a business owner, or just someone looking to print a custom piece, AI-generated art offers new possibilities. However, it also comes with ethical and technical challenges.

If you’re thinking about using AI art for your next print project – whether it’s posters, merchandise, or marketing materials, it’s worth considering the positives and negatives of this approach.

So how does it work?

We used OpenArt to create an image from scratch using the default settings. Asking for ‘a painting in the medieval style of a large fluffy Irish collie enjoying a pint of beer in a traditional pub’, we then hit ‘create’ and voila, it gave us two images to choose from. If this doesn’t quite work, you can refine your prompt and regenerate images until you achieve the desired result. As you can see, whether the dog itself or the patron is drinking the pint remains to be seen, and there is something a bit weird about the dog in the middle… or is it a mop head?

It’s worth noting that this image came out at 1mb in size, and would propably not be suitable to be printed at anything larger than A4. If you want high resolution results, there’s a paywall….

Most AI image generators, including OpenArt, require payment in some form. Some platforms offer free trials or limited free generations per day, but for frequent use or higher-quality images, you may need to purchase credits or subscribe to a paid plan. Other AI art tools, like Midjourney and Adobe Firefly, also have subscription-based models. Free alternatives exist, but they often come with restrictions like lower resolution, watermarks, or limited customization options, not an option for printed work.

Midjourney has been the favourite for many image generators and was even the first image generation tool to win an art competition, an contentious issue in the art world!

Adobe Firefly was used to create the main header image, this took some trial and error. The idea was to have a robotic hand reaching out to a human hand to convey the relationship between human art and artificially generated art. This was easy to generate, however to push the narrative we wanted it in the style of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. This proved awkward until we actually downloaded a cropped image of the painting and asked Firefly to generate in this style and composition, giving much better results!

The positives of using AI for design and printing

1. Fast and cost-effective design

AI-generated art allows anyone to create unique designs in minutes, often for free or at a much lower cost than hiring a designer. If you’re on a budget, this makes it easier to create professional-looking prints without spending a fortune.

2. Unlimited creativity and customisation

With AI tools, you can generate countless variations of a design in different styles, colors, and compositions. This means you can quickly experiment and refine your artwork before choosing the best version for printing.

4. Experimental art

AI can generate experimental and abstract designs that may not be possible with traditional methods. This opens up new artistic styles for people looking for something different in their art.

5. High-resolution and scalable images

Many AI platforms now offer high-resolution outputs, which are essential for printing large-format items like posters, canvases, or banners. This helps your final artwork look sharp and professional.

The negatives of AI art in printing

1. Copyright & Ownership Issues

One of the biggest concerns with AI-generated art is who actually owns the design. Many AI models are trained on existing artwork, often without permission. If you plan to sell or distribute AI-generated prints, the artwork should be legally safe to use. It’s not always possible to be sure that this is the case.

2. Lack of originality and artistic depth

AI art is impressive, but it sometimes lacks the depth, emotion, and storytelling that real artists bring. For businesses looking for truly unique, one-of-a-kind artwork, AI is not a good option.

3. Print quality can be unpredictable

Not all AI-generated images are optimized for printing. Some designs might look great on a screen but appear blurry, distorted, or pixelated when printed. Always check the resolution and file quality before sending your artwork to print.

4. Ethical impact on artists and designers

The rise of AI-generated art has raised concerns among artists and designers who feel their work is being used without credit or compensation. If you value supporting original artistry, you might prefer to work with a real designer rather than relying on AI. While AI can be a helpful tool, over-reliance on it could impact job opportunities for professional designers and devalue real art. The bottom line is that it reduces demand for traditional creative work.

5. Over-saturation of generic designs

Because AI can generate massive amounts of artwork quickly, the market may become flooded with similar-looking, generic designs. This could make it harder for businesses and individuals to stand out with truly unique printed products.

Final thoughts: should you use AI art?

AI art can be a powerful tool for printing designs quickly and affordably. However, it’s important to be mindful of copyright issues, print quality, and originality when using AI-generated designs.

If you’re printing artwork for personal use or small projects, AI can be a fun and useful option. But if you’re creating commercial or branded prints, you may need to refine AI-generated art manually or use a designer who can give you high-quality, legally safe results.

This BBC article goes deeper into the question “Is AI art the end of creativity or the start of a new movement?” What do you think?