BYO7: A Print Club Art Swap Preppers Guide
How to thrive at the CODAME Bring Your Own 7" art print sale and swap.
TL;DR
Bring 10 editions to sell/swap on August 8th in SF.
Images should be 2140 px or higher for print quality.
Print at home or a local copy shop and trim to a 7″ square.
Join the Print Club to get monthly art in the mail and reach an international audience.
The CODAME BYO7 (Bring Your Own 7”) Print Club Art Swap is IRL artist discovery in its most joyful form: a room full of people trading small prints, sparking inspiration, and connecting over exciting new art. It’s part crate-digging, part show-and-tell, part meet-your-new-favorite-artist. Come get art off the screen and into your hands.
All are welcome, whether you’re bringing art or not. Collectors and creators alike can light sparks of inspiration and enjoy the thrill of discovering new artists and connecting over exciting new work. No portfolio, no pressure. Just show up curious!
Who This Guide is For
This is primarily for artists wondering how to participate. We encourage following it and adhering to the 7″ × 7″ format so everything swaps and sleeves neatly — but let’s be clear up front: all artists and all artworks are welcome. The format is a friendly guideline, not a bouncer at the door.
As the theme of the CODAME ART+TECH Festival [2026] is The New Human, we’re especially excited to see work that celebrates the possibilities of a white mirror future: art that imagines technology making us more human, more connected, and more free, rather than less. Bring us your optimism.
How to Participate
Before the show, two easy moves:
Register for the event and share the event with friends.
Tell us you’re coming. If you plan to bring art, email printclub@codame.com so we know to save you space and can plan around who’s showing up.
Spread the spark. Promote your participation on social media. The more artists and collectors in the room, the more inspiration flying around. Mention/tag CODAME on ig, fb, tiktok, or x.
How it Works, Day of the Show
Come early if you’re bringing art. Setup and mingling happen best with a head start.
Sleeves are on us. We’ll provide a plastic sleeve to store and handle your artwork if you don’t bring your own. A single sleeve easily holds around 10 editions.
Come with 10, go home with 10. Bring 10 copies of your work and trade your way to 10 unique pieces from other artists. (More or fewer is fine, see the FAQ.)
Expect to hold your editions. Table space will be limited, so plan to keep your prints on you while you socialize, sell, and swap. Half the fun is walking up to someone, print in hand, and starting a conversation.
The Nitty-Gritty: Making Your Print
New to print? Set your canvas to 7″ square, 300 DPI, CMYK; add bleed; and trim to size after printing. That's the whole idea in one breath. Any medium is welcome: this format is a friendly guideline, not a rule.
Want the full click-by-click walkthrough in Affinity including canvas setup, bleed and safety margins, color, exporting a print-ready PDF, and printing at home or a copy shop? Read The BYO7 Field Manual.
FAQ
How many different images should I print?
As few as one, and as many as you like. One strong piece is a perfectly good showing.
How many editions of each artwork should I print?
As few as one, and as many as you like. It’s a personal choice about how many editions you want to exist in the world. Good form, though: don’t print more of a piece that’s already had a limited-edition run. If you’re unsure, around 10 is a safe, comfortable number. If you have extras after the swap you can bring them to the next one!
Is AI artwork allowed?
Yes, but please disclose your use of AI tools. Fans love knowing the process behind your work, so it’s good form to include details of your process, tools, and materials alongside the piece. Placards aren’t required; it can be enough to simply explain it in person.
Does my art need to be color?
No way. Go black & white for that raw punk-zine energy or timeless monochrome-photo aesthetic. Fun fact: babies are obsessed with high-contrast patterns, which means you’re technically creating fine art and a 10-minute infant distraction tool. Win-win.
Does my art need to use AI or code?
Not at all. CODAME celebrates the widest possible definition of ART+TECH, so every medium is welcome. Want to 3D-print a 7″ lithophane? Cool. Digital collage or drawing? Neat. A 1:1 hand-painted piece? Absolutely. Bring what you love.
What if I'm not located where the Print Club Art Swap is?
Sign up for the CODAME Print Club program, where you can submit art. Subscribers vote, and the top piece each month is printed in a limited edition, mailed out, and profits are split with the artist. You can also get in touch to run a CODAME print swap in your own city: we're excited to celebrate ART+TECH around the globe!
BYO7? What’s that?
Borrowed from the classic BYOB party concept (Bring Your Own Beemer: UK slang for a projector), BYO7 is our open-ended, come-as-you-are swap format. Low barrier to entry, high serendipity.
Why 7" square?
While our monthly Print Club subscription delivers heavy-hitter 12" prints right to your mailbox, the 7" format for the Art Swap is built to travel. It gives that nostalgic 7" vinyl record feel and is way easier to toss in a tote than a 12” record. Going square gives a nod to classic album art and breaks us out of screen-shaped rectangles we stare at all day. Bonus: did you know San Francisco is 7 miles square? We can't promise your 7" print has the same real estate value, but it's definitely easier to fit in your apartment