FAQ

Photo by Ami Vitale 

What organizations is this supporting?

The Vital Impacts 2023 Annual Print Sale is in support of Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Africa's first indigenous-owned elephant sanctuary.

Reteti is the first community owned and run elephant sanctuary in Africa and the first to hire indigenous women to be elephant keepers. They understand that the best protectors of wildlife are often the people living closest to it. Browse prints and stay tuned as we share more stories about how Reteti is doing things differently. Funds raised will send 13 orphaned elephants back to the wild. 

 60% of profits will support these initiatives. 40% of the profits will go to the photographers. 

Do you use Artificial Intelligence to create these photographs? 

All images on the Vital Impacts website are the original creation of our photographers. No Artificial Intelligence content generation was used to create these images. We believe in the importance of authenticity and AI generated content will never be used or accepted through Vital Impacts print sales or as part of our grants and mentorship program.

What is the duration of this sale?

The offerings of our Winter Collection will ends on Jan. 31, 2023. The images in this sale will no longer be available after the conclusion of this sale.

Where do you ship from? 

We have labs around the world so for most countries, VAT or import duties will not apply. Please contact us with specific questions.

What are the sizes of the prints? 

Open edition prints are available at 11x16 inch and 16x24 inch sizes. A handful of 8x12 inch prints are occasionally available. Our quoted dimensions are for the size of the paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ration, nor do we crop the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.

Limited edition prints are available at the sizes determined by the artist.

What is the price of the prints?

Prices for each print are noted on its sale page. Open edition, unsigned fine-art prints range from $275-$675. Limited edition, signed fine-art prints are priced individually. 

A small selection of 8x12 inch prints may be available for at the deeply discounted rate of $100 during flash sales. No coupons may be used during flash sales.

Can I order a print in a different size?

Prints are only available at the sizes listed on the page of the individual image. 

Where are your labs? 

Our photographs are printed by the fine-art studios of Paper and Ink in Missoula, Montana and by The Print Space with locations in London and Dusseldorf.

I'm a photographer. Can I submit an image to be a part of the sale? How can I get involved?

Participants are locked for this round, but we look forward to expanding our collection for future projects. Please submit your interest via our Contact Page

What is the paper type of the large format prints?

All open edition images are printed using with archival inks on Canson Infinity Edition Etching Rag 310 gsm, a 100% cotton Fine Art paper with a subtle texture and beautiful grain, reminiscent of the original genuine etching and printmaking papers. The paper has an excellent white point, without any Optical Brightening Agents. Canson Edition Etching Rag offers a high paper shade stability and a resistance to aging by using natural minerals.

This museum-grade paper provides deep blacks, excellent image sharpness, optimum color graduation, and its unique slight grain makes it ideal for printing detailed work, color photographs, and exceptional black-and-white portraits.

Limited edition photographers prepare their images according to their own specifications. Please reach out if you have questions about a particular limited edition work. 

Will the finished print have a border?

All of our prints have a minimum of .5 inches to allow framing. 

Will the prints have a matte? Will they be framed?  

All prints are sold unframed and unmatted. The "matte" in the description is referring to the photo finish. The prints are matte as opposed to glossy.

Are prints signed by each artist?

Limited edition prints are signed by the artist or shipped with their official certificate of authenticity, as determined by the artist.

Open editions are shipped with a certificate of authenticity from Vital Impacts but they are not signed by the photographer. We have elected to include a generic certificate in order to ensure the highest percentage of your purchase is donated.

Please reach out at hello@vitalimpacts.org if you would like a courtesy digital certificate with details specific to the individual prints you ordered.

Is my purchase tax-deductible. 

Print purchases are not tax-deductible. These prints have a value of the price they are sold at or greater. Many of our photographers sell their work for significantly more. We are able to offer these prices because the photographers are donating their work. When we provide tax receipts, we are required to say "No goods or services were provided to you in return for your gift." That cannot be said if you receive a print. 

Vital Impacts is a 501(c)3. Donations to Vital Impacts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law when a print is not received.

How should I open my archival print? 

Very carefully. With prints purchased in the U.S. that arrive in tubes, there should be a folded over end to the shipping tape that says ‘Paper & Ink’ to make it easy to unroll the tape. Once you peel off the tape the tube opens up very easily. Please reach out with any questions.

How should I care for my archival print?

With regard to archival properties, the environment where your print is displayed matters. Prints that are exposed to direct sunlight will fade more quickly than prints that are not exposed to direct sunlight. We recommend that when framing, always ask for UV protected glass or plexiglass.

What is the cost of shipping?

Shipping for open edition prints is $20 per print. Shipping for limited edition prints is calculated at check out as determined by weight, the location of the photographer's studio, and the shipping address.

When and how will I receive my print?

Your print will ship within 5-7 days of receiving the print order. 

Orders in the United States will ship via UPS. Orders shipped to P.O. Boxes will be shipped via USPS.

Orders in the rest of the world will ship via Royal Mail in the U.K. and DHL for all other locations.

We are not able to accommodate rush production or shipping at this time.

Please note if you are choosing to ship internationally, duties and taxes may apply upon delivery. Recipients are responsible for paying any import duties, customs or fees, as they are not included in the price at checkout. We have no control over when or for how much these fees are charged (it varies by country, city, and package), and we are not able to take care of them on your behalf.

Keep in mind that production timelines are full business days. For example, if an order is placed on a Tuesday, the first full business day in production is the following business day, Wednesday and does not include Saturday or Sunday.

Refund Policy

Please review our Refund Policy here. 




Canson Infinity

Canson is commited to creating a better world for coming generations. Canson paper mills are certified for their low emissions of fossil CO2 into the atmosphere.

They have an ISO 14001 environmental certification, and take particular care to preserve water by moving treated water through a high-performance, eco-friendly purification station and by progressively decreasing the amount of water used.

Paper & Ink Studio

Our domestic printer,Paper and Ink Studiobased in Missoula, Montana, is fully carbon neutral. It offsets all carbon emissions it produces and is striving to become carbon negative. It partners with One Tree Planted to plant a tree with every order printed and uses only sustainable packaging materials that are carefully designed to reduce their size and weight to help offset their environmental impact with shipping.

The Print Space

Our international printer, The Print Space, with locations in London and Dusseldorf, is fully-audited, gold standard, 100% carbon neutral entity. They offset all emissions due to deliveries, energy usage, cloud storage and staff communites by investing in renewable energy projects. 

Additionally, from recycled packaging to biodegradable bubble warp, all materials used in their printing and shipping process have been carefully selected to reduce environmental impact.

Shopify

Our website is build usingShopify, an ecommerce solution which is 100% carbon neutral and boasts a $5 million annual sustainability campaign investing in the most promising solutions to fight climate change.