Frequently Asked Questions

The public domain includes every creative work no longer protected by copyright, trademark or patent. The rights to creative works that are no longer copyright-protected are owned by the general public rather than the original creator. As such, anyone can copy, perform, or otherwise use the work.

Public domain doesn’t mean free, but rather free to copy. For example, a book may now be in the public domain but it doesn’t mean a bookseller will give it to you for nothing – you will need to pay whatever they are asking if you want that book. After that, you can copy as you wish.

Want to know more about the copyright rules for public domain images? Check out our comprehensive blog post.

You are paying for access to these images. We continually source images, buy books and publications to scan, and collate pictures into collections for your use. You are of course free to find and research artists and images for yourself if you wish to.

You can use the images for anything you like – make prints to frame, postcards, posters, greetings cards, background papers for crafting, collage, altered art, calendars, mugs, mouse-mats, t-shirts, fridge-magnets and so much more! Use them in a book, on your website, blog or promotional post on social media.

If you wanted, you could start a whole new business, selling items that you’ve made.

Feel free to sell the products you make on eBay, Etsy, Facebook, your own website, at craft fairs, school fairs, church fairs, in shops – anywhere that there are buyers. Sell for charity, sell for yourself, use the items for educational purposes – let your imagination run wild!

Take a look at our Inspiration page for more ideas.

Please note that occasionally illustrations or text, where shown, used in some of the books that we have included on this website, reflect the context and culture of the time of their creation, and may include culturally sensitive information.

As historical documents, their content may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology. This information does not reflect our views, but is available in its original form for completeness and to facilitate research.

Although it would be lovely for a credit, it’s not necessary.

From founder, Sandie Goble: When my stepfather went into a nursing home in 2009, I came across an old book in his house that was full of poster designs. I wanted to frame some of the pictures for our newly created workspace at home but considered it sacrilege to break up the book, so I started to look around the internet for the same pictures that I could print out instead. From there I stumbled headlong into the world of Public Domain!

Having studied law when I was working towards Insurance qualifications in my previous career and as part of my degree, I was quick to devour the information I had discovered to enable me to determine what I could rightfully use and what I couldn’t.

As I had studied Art and Art History at school, I loved the pictures I was finding. Some were suitable for card-making, which I enjoyed, but so many more were not; however, they are suitable for so much more than I could ever use them for.

With husband, Andy, we created Public Domain Image Library to make our collections of Public Domain art available to all at an affordable price. Our mission is to bring out-of-copyright pictures from both well-known and little-heard-of artists and illustrators to the public eye; pictures that can be used and enjoyed for many years to come.

Yes, we did! When we started producing collections of images in 2010, they were sold on DVDs via eBay and on our craft supplies website, Printable Heaven.

A few years later we started selling them on their own dedicated website and in 2021 started offering our collections as downloads.

Now, in 2024, the DVDs are gone, we’ve got a new website and changed the way our collections are organised, focusing on individual books and artists & illustrators. This means products from our previous website are no longer available, however you may find similar items here.

We’re based in Lowestoft, the most easterly point of the United Kingdom, about 100 miles from the centre of London. Our full address is 48 Harrington Avenue, Lowestoft, NR32 4JX, United Kingdom. Please don’t turn up at our address as we’re not open to visitors!

We’re often asked ’What DPI are your images?’ and ’Are your images 300 DPI?’.

All of our images were originally scanned at 300 dpi or 600 dpi. The quality of the images scanned from books is also dependent on the quality of the original image and the print method.

Most images in books are made up of a ‘screen’ of tiny dots of colour (the process is known as halftone), usually too small for the human eye to identify unaided. Sometimes, when we scan them at a high resolution, the dots are very visible when zooming in on the image.

Depending on the intended use for the images, it may be useful to use a graphics program to make the dots less visible. As well as Photoshop, there are some free applications which can help you do this. Some are web-based and some are applications to download and install. We looked at a lot of these applications and here are a few of the best which we’ve narrowed it down to…

GIMP – This image editor is available for macOS, Windows and other operating systems. Once downloaded and installed, load up your image and then select Filters, Enhance and then Noise Reduction. Experiment with the settings to find a good balance between dot removal and blurring. The resulting image can be sharpened to restore any lost clarity.

Photopea – This web-based app is free and very simple to use. Load up your image and then select Filter, Noise and then Reduce Noise. We also had good success using the Median filter under the same Noise menu. Again, experiment with the settings and sharpen the image if necessary.

Pixlr - This app can be used web-based or there is a version you can download and install. They both seem to have the same functionality. Go for the Advanced Editor and click on Open Image to start. You can open your image in the original size or you’ll have the option to resize it to speed things up. Select Filter, Details and Remove Noise. Experiment with the settings and then sharpen up the image if you need to.

Yes! You can download a FREE collection of 6 images which demonstrates the quality of our images and the useful way in which we name our images to show the artist name, picture name and relevant years.

Yes! We’re always interested in where people are ordering from. It’s amazing to see interest in our collections from around the world. We’re ticking countries off a list when the first order comes in. Maybe that will be yours!

Your order will be available to download immediately after payment is made.

Sorry, as of 2024 our products are only available for digital download.

In December 2024 we updated our website and we’re unable to show orders from our previous website. If you’re looking for details of previous purchases, please contact us and we’ll be pleased to assist you.

Sorry, we don’t offer a print on demand service.

Public Domain Image Library is based in the United Kingdom. The UK’s Consumer Rights Act 2015 outlines consumers’ rights regarding digital products.

A 14-day cancellation period exists following a purchase of digital products, however your right to cancel ends once you begin to download your order.

If you have difficulty in downloading our products we will always try and assist you. Please email us at support@publicdomainimagelibrary.com

We do not offer refunds on gift cards.