Is Gelato Worth It for Artists? An Honest Print Quality Test
Like many artists and creators looking to scale their businesses, Social media has been flooded with ads for Gelato and I wanted to give it a go.
*Disclaimer : Even though the products were gifted from Gelato, this is my 100% honest review.
So, does Gelato actually live up to the hype for artists? Let's take a look at the products I tested!
The Mug
Delivery Time: About 2 weeks (which felt a bit too long for my liking).
Packaging: Packed securely in a box and arrived completely intact.
Quality: The mug itself is great quality. However, I'm not entirely sure about the print quality. That being said, it might have been my fault since I used a digital watercolor design.
The Tote Bag
Design & Color: I chose one of my best-selling designs. Unfortunately, the actual tote bag looked much whiter in person compared to the digital mockup on Gelato, which looked more beige.
Print & Details: The printing didn't line up correctly on both sides (definitely my mistake during setup), but the 100% cotton fabric feels nice.
The T-Shirt
This was actually one of the highlights of the test!
Fit & Quality: I ordered an extra-small unisex tee made of 100% cotton, and it feels really nice.
Print: The print looks good. The only minor downside was that it arrived quite wrinkly from shipping, but overall, I’m really happy with this one.
Art Prints – The Ultimate Paper Test
As an artist, this was what I was most excited about. Since I usually print my art at home using Canson Infinity Rag (which is museum fine art quality paper), my standards are pretty high. I tested three different paper types from Gelato:
Premium Matte: Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed. The color difference compared to my own prints was huge, and the fine lines in the artwork came out very blurry.
Archival Matte Poster: This one didn't hit the mark either. The pink tones in my design were completely off compared to the original, making me suspect this is a printer issue rather than just a paper problem.
Fine Art Paper: This was the most expensive and highest-quality paper option I tried. The paper is thicker, whiter, and the quality is noticeably better. Even so, when compared side-by-side, it still had a slight purple tint and couldn't match the accurate pinks of my home prints or iPad drawings.
Framed Art Prints
I’ve wanted to sell framed art prints in my shop for a long time, so I was eager to try Gelato’s museum-quality matte poster with a wooden frame.
The Good: It came nicely wrapped in bubble wrap, the frame is actually real wood, and it uses plexiglass so it won't shatter in transit.
The Bad: When I opened it, I found dust and small wood chips trapped inside the frame, alongside permanent scratches right on the plexiglass. The whole point of ordering pre-framed prints is to save time, so finding these flaws was pretty frustrating. If I use Gelato in the future, I definitely won't be offering finished framed posters.
Conclusion: Is Gelato Worth It?
Gelato has fantastic customer service, and setting it up and connecting it to my online store was an absolute breeze. Their t-shirts and mugs are definitely worth considering.
However, when it comes to art prints and framed posters, I was unfortunately let down by the color accuracy and sharpness. For now, I'll be sticking to printing my own art!
One more downside for me is that there is currently no option to include business cards or custom brand labels in the packaging for my region.
Want to see the full unboxing, more in depth and side-by-side comparisons with your own eyes?
Check out the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8dVbJEv3A0