printing on location

[THORHAMMER]

a company wants me to shoot their xmas party which consists of portraits of the VP's and all of the couples, (about 25) also they want to get some captures of the action during the band playing and the dance.
pretty standard. I want to book the job and am about to quote it.

Heres the problem, they want the 5x7's of the couples (all 30) to be done by the time desert is finished which should be about an hour after dinner starts. Im done shooting portraits before dinner starts.

Heres the real problem, I dont have a portable printer, I dont do a lot of my own prints, I print everything from the printer that serves my website which usually gets stuff to me within 2 days so Ive never needed to go elsewhere. while my home printer is not up to photo speeds or quality for borderless glossy 4x6 or 5x7, My only option is to charge the price of a portable pixma printer to the job @ 250.00

Part of me says I should do it and absorb the pritner price into my profit so that I now have a portable printer. part of me says I might never use it again as I usually view that sort of client as not caring about quality too much. As it is I'll be shooting jpg and printing from the card/camera, Its not a service I really normally offer for this reason, but Id like the money at xmas time and another part of me says I should be up to the challenge as a photographer.

Also working with a printer like this on location who knows what could go wrong ? Ill practice with it first, but still, why everyone gotta be so immediate gratification ? Lol JK.

Any ideas ? I think I should try it, so I probably will, but its a stickler not having the printer, anywhere rent those ? that would be a good idea. I guess I can get it @ frys and if I really want I can exchange for something else I need.

 

[THORHAMMER]

Update,

I told them I dont offer on site printing and would need to buy a portable printer, (the honesty approach)

They said its all good ,I can just process them normally. !! Woo hoo.

This is great, I dont want to go down that onsite printing road at all, Its not my strong suit so Ill stay away from it.

 

[NateS]

Glad this worked out for you. I probably would have taken the same approach as you. Nothing more uncomfortable than doing something for the first time when "failing" isn't an option. It would have been a lot of stress on you that probably isn't needed.

 

[Snyder]

Ive done the on site printing service before and all I have to say its a pain, you have a time limit and if something goes wrong you wont finish printing them all in the time agreed. My advice stay away from on site printing.

 

[Christie Photo]

Glad it all worked out.

I've done this for a class reunion, making about 50 8x10 prints... all from the same image. My helper took the file, ran into town, and printed it on a drug-store kiosk machine.

I worked out OK. I underestimated the amount of time it takes. We made it just under the wire.

-Pete

 

[THORHAMMER]

Thanks for looking into it for me guys !! i appreciate it.