How the Multiplier Works

The multiplier is your per-square-inch or per-linear-inch rate. It is the number that scales all your size-based pricing. Change it, and every square inch and linear inch result shifts with it.

Most artists start with a multiplier around 1 to 2. That is appropriate early on, when you are building a collector base and your prices need to be accessible. The work is building a market.

As your work sells and demand grows, you raise it. Gradually. Collectors who bought early in your career see their pieces appreciate over time. That is not accidental... it is the natural result of consistent, incremental increases as your market develops. Early collectors are rewarded for the risk they took. New collectors understand they are buying at a more established stage of your career.

Art Price Lab uses location-based data to suggest a starting multiplier based on your career stage and cost of living. Use the suggestion as a starting point. If the formula number consistently lands below what your market is already paying, your rate is due for a review upward.

There is no single correct multiplier. It reflects where you are in your career and what your market will bear. It should move as both of those change.

See How to Set Your Multiplier for the full guide on when and how to raise it.