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Primer art software helps art galleries and artist studios sell more artwork & complete admin in less time. Easily track artwork, contacts (CRM), transactions, locations and exhibitions with elegant previews, price lists, invoices, consignments, online viewing rooms and more. Every document can be fully edited -- no Word or Adobe needed. Unlimited records, images & viewing rooms. iPhone/iPad apps, back-ups, cloud hosting, & caring customer service are also included at no extra charge. No start-up fees or time commitments. Everything included -- they is no "upselling" or artificial limitations on features to get you to spend more. Beautiful, personalized offers take seconds — not minutes (or hours) — to create. Developed by art world professionals who saw a need for a better way of working every day whether in an art gallery, artist studio, at an art fair or other setting. Primer is visually oriented, comprehensive, easy to use and cost effective.
Provider
Primer Archives
Located In
United States
Foundation
2014
Open API
No
Deployment
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Training
Documentation, Live Online, In Person
Support
Chat, Email/Help Desk, Knowledge Base, Phone Support
Primer was created for fine art professionals, including art galleries, individual artists, non-profits, collections, private dealers, and art advisors.
Content Source: Primer
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Primer Reviews
"I love Primer's function, and user-friendly operation system"
Overall: My experience with Primer has been very good, and one of the best things is that the support is excellent. Whenever I have any questions, the Primer technician resolve the issues!
Pros: I used to use different databases, but with Primer, "data management" started making much more sense for the business. It is intuitive, and the customer service/assistance is swift and accurate. I am a one-person operation and do not have another brain to consult with, but Primer is THE brain I always consult with.
Cons: I don't have any issues. And with any problems, the Primer is very responsive to troubleshooting.
"I strongly recommend Primer!"
Overall: I have had a great experience with Primer. The developers are very responsive and quick to answer any question or issue I've ever had. I love this software and can't imagine doing business without it.
Pros: Primer is trusted for me as one of the best software for art galleries and art advisory companies. It is well designed, clear, and offers everything you need in one place. I especially love that it's one fee without a bunch of add ons and extras. This software is absolutely worth the subscription fee.
Cons: There is little, if anything, that can be improved. Whenever I have needed something altered to suit my business needs, they've either offered me a work around or created a solution to my problem. They are also always adding to the software to make it work better for all on the platform.
"Easy to use and very functional! "
Pros: I use this program daily and it is very easy to use. You can keep track of everything in once place. Also the customer service is great and responds quickly,
Cons: Nothing! Primer is a great software, I'd recommend it to any gallery or artist to keep track of their inventory.
"Designed by a gallery owner, for galleries"
Overall: First and foremost, the client service is tremendous. It would seem that they are on it 24/7. Explanations and fixes are dealt with practically immediately. I feel like Primer cares deeply about our experience with the product and they act on that. We are extremely pleased with the architecture of the interface - it's simplicity and functioning belie a complex software that evens out the playing field with our competitors in the business. The introduction of new features and refinement of established ones seems ongoing and perfect.
Pros: As a daily user of Primer I am particularly pleased with its ease of use. As a relational database it makes accessing and searching for information to create transactions extremely simple. Invoices, offers to clients, loans, consignments in and out, exhibition checklists are all intuitive and take very little time to create. The speed with which it takes to output necessary forms and reports is a lifesaver. My previous inventory system was a bespoken application which I included barcoding for inventory control and labeling in. Primer's willingness to integrate barcoding was essential to my decision to switch. The recent addition of online viewing rooms - one of the most widely used advancements in the gallery industry with the onset of the pandemic - was swift and very effective. We have used it successfully since the first release of it. I willingly agreed to work with the beta version of it and it is nearly perfect. The online hosting and automatic upgrades to the most recent releases of FMP are worth the price of admission alone.
Cons: There is very little to Primer that I am critical of. FMP is not great at word processing and there are a few areas where adjusting text could make it a little smoother perhaps. Sometimes the syntax used to describe functions is a little cloudy but these are hardly anything more than idiosyncratic details that most users probably wouldn't even notice. I wish there was a PDF download function to the online viewing rooms because some of my clients like to keep records of the works offered but I am sure that will come soon enough
"Great for studios, artists, and galleries alike"
Overall: Intuitive design, ease-of-use, superb customer service, and their quick help desk response time are the standouts of Primer. I have created archives for three different art studios as well as used the platform for a commercial gallery. Artists often ask my advice for what database to use for tracking inventory and invoicing and I always recommend Primer. Also, I have seen artists become more involved in the care of their archive by the very act of creating one.
Pros: I love how all of the data can be tagged to relate with one another. This makes tracking collectors, works, collections, invoicing, shipping, and exhibitions seamless and creates a robust history of interactions between all of these categories (and more). Quickly making .pdfs for offer letters and checklists for shows is a huge plus.
Cons: I can't think of anything that is not a positive with the database or the service.
