Pricing Prints

[WideAperture]

Hi guys!
I've been giving my clients only digital images for years. After Shutterfest this year I learned a lot about IPS and selling prints online. I told myself I was going to get into it by the end of 2018. So my question is HOW MUCH DO I CHARGE?

I know this will vary by market, suggested profit margin, which print company you're using etc. I just need to know a rough starting point because selling prints is completely new to me and I don't want to completely over charge and definelty don't want to undersell. Any info would help. Thanks!

 

[480sparky]

What you really should be asking is "How do I calculate what I should charge?" Because none of us know what your expenses are, let alone what you want to pay yourself, we can't give you the answer of "Charge $This.much."

 

[tirediron]

The basic formula is: All costs, plus how much I want in my pocket = price. It should be worked out as a 'per square inch' price so that you can easily calculate prices. I also include a 'pain in the butt' surcharge on prints under 8x10. Pulling up my price list from a couple of years back, I was charging $132 for a 16x20 paper print which cost me $17.50 or thereabouts.

 

[Designer]

Any info would help.

Have you purchased any prints for yourself yet? Start by getting a few prints done by at least a couple of different companies to evaluate the quality, timeliness, and service of each company. Now you've got your raw cost, which no doubt has included shipping back to you. Add up your costs, including mailing the prints to your customers, any out-of-pocket expenses, such as taxes, insurance, packaging, transportation, etc. associated with getting the print ready to go. Ask yourself; "how much should I make on this deal?" and add that in. That should get you to the starting line. After about a year, re-evaluate the whole thing so you always know where you stand. (often this is done at tax time)

Good luck!

 

[mrca]

The above lay out a guideline. Determine your cost of the print be it printing yourself including test prints and ink used when not printing photos or from a lab. Compute your number of hours to set up, take the photo, edit, print and deliver than multipy that by your hourly rate. Add that to the material cost plus any misc charges like shipping or consumables like seamless. If you are home based multiply the total by 3.5, if you have a studio, try 5 to determine your price. If you don't charge for everything, you are not allowing for your overhead and could end up not making a profit or working for peanuts. That would not be called professional photography, but rather, amateur photography or a professional soon out of business.