Tagging with race numbers

[siwillems]

Hi all, I have been lurking on the forum for a while, but only recently have started to post.

I've been interested in sport (mostly triathalon) for a number of years and recently have started to wonder if i could take photos of competitors during the race / finish line and offer them for sale to help fund my photo hobby.

To keep the photos organised it would be usefull to use the competitors race / bib number however entering the numbers in manualy would be time consuming and eat into the time after a race were i would like to be able to offer the pictures for sale and be able to print them on demand. so my first question is 'is there an automated way this can be done ie read a competitors race number and add it as a tag to the file?'

And my next question is printing up to A4 size, which would generaly be the best printer to use? my thoughts upto now wold be somthing that uses dye sublimination would give the best quality output. Be easy to set up on location and be economical to purchase (probably second hand through ebay) and would have moderate running costs (ink etc)

Thanks in advance
Simon

 

[vividdepictions]

I don't know of any way to read the numbers and tag them automatically, but do have a suggestion for your second question.

A good quality photo printer is going to cost a bit, even second hand. I suggest two different third party option depending on how you want to proceed.

Option 1: mpix.com
Basically, you would collect money from the client and print sizes. Once you do that, upload prints to mpix.com and order. You can either ship to yourself or ship to the client directly. Mpix is free other then the cost of the print itself, but does take a bit more work then option number two.

Option 2: pictage.com
They offer a free trial so you can check them out. Basically you set your prices, upload the photos, then send the client a link to their gallery. They pick out the photos they want and select sizes then pictage collects payment. They ship directly to your client so you are basically hands off at that point. The other nice thing is that the client can share the link and if someone else wants a print that you don't know, they can order from the site as well and you get payed. Pictage then deposits directly into your bank account. Significantly less work on your part but of course you lose some profit.

Option 3: Epson 4900
I haven't use very many photo printers, but I have a friend who owns one of these bad boys. Very heavy up front cost to purchase but the quality of the print is top notch. So if you have the money, and don't want to trust a 3rd party, look for one of these. There may be cheaper printers out there but I cannot speak to their quality. My Kodak sucks bad when it comes to photo quality, but it was also $30 at walmart .

Just my two pennies!