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Anyone who's been dying to own a really fancy t-shirt or coffee mug may be in luck; reports indicate that CafePress has acquired Imagekind, a sort of artists' community and marketplace.

CafePress offers posters and framed prints in addition to t-shirts and mugs, of course, and Imagekind's focus meets it there.  Another instance of product overlap between the sites occurs where greeting cards are concerned.  But while CafePress puts "Chairman Meow" and "I Want to Believe" images on display, Imagekind lists names like M.C. Escher, Andrew Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell.

 CafePress

To achieve this sort of "cultured" upgrade, CafePress probably paid in the neighborhood of $15 million or $20 million, according to Eric Eldon.  Since CafePress now has a semi-lock on the low- and highbrow, he states, "The purchase also suggests that it may be too late in the game for new startups to try to create their own t-shirt, art, and gift-selling online marketplaces."

Keep an eye out for some sort of integration between CafePress and Imagekind in the weeks ahead.  There's been no official word on the matter, though, and as the demand for Pierre Auguste Renoir boxer shorts is likely to be small, the two sites may continue to operate as distinct brands.