i just finished up college and i am starting to think about making more print sales.. just switched from film to digital about six months ago so i am new to the whole thing , Printing ect.. i have a limited budget of course but dont mind spending a few extra bucks on good quality prints.. however i am definately not a known photographer so i cant see myself charging 35 or 40 bucks for an 8x10 with a matt.. the place i go now charges about 15 dollars for an 8x10 ish print and then i have to get it matted for another 10 or so dollars.. what do i do.. i really want to e able to charge about 25 of 30 dollars for the print and matte (ideally 25). i know that i have some pretty nice images and i want people to purchase them without have to even think twice about the price... im just a kid and you know what people think of kids .. anyway im just looking for some advice..
For prints up 13x19 (approximately), you can't beat the Epson R2400, in my opinion. You could also cut your own matts.
-PB
Posted by Bill Chambers on February 3, 2007 at 9:58 AM
There's a lot of good printers out there, but I'll have to second Preston's suggestion of the R2400 - I love mine.
As for mats, look on eBay for mat cutters. I bought a brand new Logan 450 for about $130. At that price it only takes a few mats to pay for itself.
As for being "just a kid" - if the quality is there people won't care how old you are. I think the age barrier is just in your mind, not your potential customers. Don't underestimte yourself.
Posted by Ed Dubois on February 3, 2007 at 12:04 PM
Don't sell your prints too cheaply either. If you've got a good quality image that appeals to people stick to a reasonable price. $15 sales may come back to haunt you later when you're charging more. Also, people assume that cheaper means lower quality. The best thing you can do is get you images out where folks can see them - the sales will come.
Oh yeah - don't quit your day job just yet
Posted by Les Barstow on February 3, 2007 at 1:18 PM
I'll second all of this...
The R2400 is a bit of an investment, but it's also a great printer. If you absolutely can't afford it and you're printing color glossy, try the R1800 instead - it's what I'm using, and I love it. I'm also using the Logan 450 and it cuts great mats, with the sole gotcha being that it needs a FLAT surface.
And finally, Ed has a great point. You might sell prints well at local festivals for low prices, but don't undersell yourself. Your portfolio shows a lot of good work. Walk through a few art fairs, artist co-ops, and gallerys and take a gander at the prices; charge based on the quality of the work - people will buy mostly based on that...
thanks for the responses, i thought about getting my own printer but now i will think a bit more seriously about it.. as fro the prices you guys are right if the quality is there the then the price should be as well... thanks again
jeffrey
Posted by Roger Rouch on February 4, 2007 at 5:13 PM
I don't sell a lot of prints, so am not the expert. But it seems like a lot of folks that sell prints have posed that they think Cosco is price efficient relative to the cost of inks and fancy printer. I'm not sure what their max sized is but recall something like 13X19?
Posted by Mel Ladewig on February 5, 2007 at 11:09 AM
I'm also an R1800 printer owner. If you print alot of black and white photography, you really need to go to the 2400. The R1800 is hard to control for black and white and suffers from the lack of gray inks. On the other hand it produces gloss color prints that the 2400 cannot match due to the gloss optimizer. In my opinion, it also produces pleasing color matte prints. I print on most often Epson Enhanced Matte and Epson Velvet Fine Art though I also use Ilford smooth Pearl, Epson Premium Lustre, Premium Gloss and Ultra Premium Gloss. The R1800 can be had for almost $300 less than the 2400, and I've even seen refurbs selling on Epson's website for under $400. This printer can produce prints that you can sell with confidence. There is also a HP B9180 13X19 printer and a new Canon 13X19 pigment printer (iPF 9500 I think), but I don't know much about them.
As for mat cutters, I use an Altos mat cutter that costs about $100. It is good for mats under 30". The cutting frame is not long enough to cut across an entire sheet of mat board the long way. I haven't used a Logan cutter, so I can't compare how this cutter performs in comparison, but I can say that combined with my t-square, it can cut a mat quickly and acurately.
If you live anywhere near a Costco, this is the way to go. 8x10 prints are $1.50. 11x14 and up to 12x18 are $2.99. You can get the printer profiles at drycreekphoto.com. They also have one of the best tutorials I've found as far as color management/profiles. This will save you a ton of money since you don't need to buy your own printer and outrageously expensive inks.
I also put on a seminar about doing art shows a couple years ago. One of the attendees took some super notes. You can find them at: http://colorado.naturephotographers.net/events/2005-02-artshow/index.shtml Good luck!
I second the Costco suggestion if you can't afford a printer right now. For $3.00 you can send in your digitally enhanced, cropped, etc. image and have your 11 x 14 image ready when you go there. Mats can be found at your local Christmas Tree Shop for around $3.99 for 16 x 20, or Michaels or AC Moores for a little bit more. A little double sided tape or glue and you're set to go for under $10.00 for a 16 x 20 matted image. Once you've sold some I second the suggestion of the Epson 2400.
Discussion
9 repliesi just finished up college and i am starting to think about making more print sales.. just switched from film to digital about six months ago so i am new to the whole thing , Printing ect.. i have a limited budget of course but dont mind spending a few extra bucks on good quality prints.. however i am definately not a known photographer so i cant see myself charging 35 or 40 bucks for an 8x10 with a matt.. the place i go now charges about 15 dollars for an 8x10 ish print and then i have to get it matted for another 10 or so dollars.. what do i do.. i really want to e able to charge about 25 of 30 dollars for the print and matte (ideally 25). i know that i have some pretty nice images and i want people to purchase them without have to even think twice about the price... im just a kid and you know what people think of kids
thanks
jeffrey reynolds
-PB
As for mats, look on eBay for mat cutters. I bought a brand new Logan 450 for about $130. At that price it only takes a few mats to pay for itself.
As for being "just a kid" - if the quality is there people won't care how old you are. I think the age barrier is just in your mind, not your potential customers. Don't underestimte yourself.
Oh yeah - don't quit your day job just yet
The R2400 is a bit of an investment, but it's also a great printer. If you absolutely can't afford it and you're printing color glossy, try the R1800 instead - it's what I'm using, and I love it. I'm also using the Logan 450 and it cuts great mats, with the sole gotcha being that it needs a FLAT surface.
And finally, Ed has a great point. You might sell prints well at local festivals for low prices, but don't undersell yourself. Your portfolio shows a lot of good work. Walk through a few art fairs, artist co-ops, and gallerys and take a gander at the prices; charge based on the quality of the work - people will buy mostly based on that...
jeffrey
As for mat cutters, I use an Altos mat cutter that costs about $100. It is good for mats under 30". The cutting frame is not long enough to cut across an entire sheet of mat board the long way. I haven't used a Logan cutter, so I can't compare how this cutter performs in comparison, but I can say that combined with my t-square, it can cut a mat quickly and acurately.
I also put on a seminar about doing art shows a couple years ago. One of the attendees took some super notes. You can find them at: http://colorado.naturephotographers.net/events/2005-02-artshow/index.shtml Good luck!