Just thought I should mention the error I made for those who might be considering printing their own calendar. The printer job log filename that I looked at earlier was july.doc, not july.tif - big difference. The actual ink consumption should be more like 0.53 mL per image (not 0.1 as I reported earlier - the amount used for the date part of the calendar for all 12 months). So to make a boring story short, the cost to produce a spiral-bound 8.5 x 11 calendar should be around $8.00. Sorry for the blunder!
Ed - the calendars for retail sale are packaged in clear plasic bags (14 cents apiece), with one un-bagged display copy so the customer can see what's inside.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on August 4, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Bill, thanks for the info. What do you think the calendar would fetch retail? Even at $12.95 there isn't much profit once you factor in the cost of capturing the image and the labor spent processing & printing the images.
Not trying to put a damper on the idea but it sounds like without outsourcing the production to a printing company at a high volume/low cost per unit it may be an idea better suited for friends & family distribution only.
I'd be interested to hear what others think. Thanks Bill.
Wayne - I think most people buying Christmas gifts would consider $15.00 a bargain for a nice "fine art" calendar. I wouldn't expect there to be a large demand for a CSNP calendar - mainly those who read and contribute to the forum. It might be helpful to start a thread to see how much interest there actually is, and if anyone would be willing to print them. As long as there are no more than 15 or so, I would be happy to print them at cost.
I just got a quote from a printer for doing my calendar, and as Tim Ernst has already said, there is no cost benefit for outsourcing until you reach at least the 1000 mark. I'm not expecting to make a lot from selling calendars. However, complimentary copies are a great way to say thanks to customers, and, those who purchase one will see your work at least once a day for the next year!
When will we get to see some Colorado photos?
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on August 5, 2008 at 8:59 AM
Thanks again Bill for the input on a calendar.
Unfortunately you won't be seeing any of my shots from CO. They're not worthy of this forum. But if I could get Debbie to post a couple that would be a different story. Our first night there we came across a full grown male black bear in town. Got to spend about a minute watching him from about 30 feet.
Then on Thursday we were hiking down from Cascade Falls on the North Inlet trail (near Grand Lake) and we had a full grown bull moose jump out on the trail 20 yards ahead of us. Debbie was leading and had her Canon S3 IS ready and once I got her to calm down and zoom in she got a couple of very nice shots. Her last shot came after he turned, lowered his head in a threat position and started walking toward us. We had few options because of the terrain but I managed to get us around a bend and uphill in some brush. Apparently that was enough for him because after rounding the corner and checking us out he jumped back in the brush on the opposite side of the trail and went crashing off!
It was an intimate personal experience with wildlife in nature and one that we will never forget! I guess I'll have to settle for that.
Discussion
5 repliesNot trying to put a damper on the idea but it sounds like without outsourcing the production to a printing company at a high volume/low cost per unit it may be an idea better suited for friends & family distribution only.
I'd be interested to hear what others think. Thanks Bill.
I just got a quote from a printer for doing my calendar, and as Tim Ernst has already said, there is no cost benefit for outsourcing until you reach at least the 1000 mark. I'm not expecting to make a lot from selling calendars. However, complimentary copies are a great way to say thanks to customers, and, those who purchase one will see your work at least once a day for the next year!
When will we get to see some Colorado photos?
Unfortunately you won't be seeing any of my shots from CO. They're not worthy of this forum. But if I could get Debbie to post a couple that would be a different story. Our first night there we came across a full grown male black bear in town. Got to spend about a minute watching him from about 30 feet.
Then on Thursday we were hiking down from Cascade Falls on the North Inlet trail (near Grand Lake) and we had a full grown bull moose jump out on the trail 20 yards ahead of us. Debbie was leading and had her Canon S3 IS ready and once I got her to calm down and zoom in she got a couple of very nice shots. Her last shot came after he turned, lowered his head in a threat position and started walking toward us. We had few options because of the terrain but I managed to get us around a bend and uphill in some brush. Apparently that was enough for him because after rounding the corner and checking us out he jumped back in the brush on the opposite side of the trail and went crashing off!
It was an intimate personal experience with wildlife in nature and one that we will never forget! I guess I'll have to settle for that.