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Archive 2016 · Q on print sales...

  
 
Bobbo Clark
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Q on print sales...


Hey, all. I shoot freelance for a local newspaper (sporting events only). Every now and then, I'm asked about prints from happy parents and the like -- usually stuff that's been published, but sometimes their kids didn't make the cut but I still have nice stuff of them. How should I handle these? (I've checked, I still own the copyrights)

Should I buy a photo printer, calculate my costs and x3 it, get an online service gallery to make prints for people so they can order all they want, or just give them the files (which I REALLY don't want to do for obvious reasons).



Sep 13, 2016 at 10:28 AM
ShotByTom
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Q on print sales...


There are many ways to accomplish this, and it really depends on what you want out of this.

If you want to develop leads for potential clients, I would do the printing and deliver myself. I love printing, and do a lot of my own prints. It can be very time consuming.

If you just want to make the pictures available to the parents, then I would use an online resource like Smugmug. When I did this with a youth football league, Smugmug worked very well. I charged a flat price, $15 for 5x7 and $25 for 8x10 and that included shipping.

If you want to increase sales and make more money from this, in person is definitely the way to go.



Sep 13, 2016 at 05:29 PM
c.d.embrey
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Q on print sales...


How about something inexpensive and simple. Show on iDevice (phone, phablet, tablet) that you already own. Use a thumb drive (that you already own) to transport files over to Costco (a 12x18 print is less than $4.00). Deliver in person.


Sep 13, 2016 at 06:10 PM
glort
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Q on print sales...



As I suspected, the Epsom R2000 is an overly expensive, overkill approach to the problem that you would never get your money back on and honestly is more to satisfy you the shooter than the Client.

I just printed a full T&I shoot on Canon 7260 printers that cost me $90 ea brand new. The parents and players were stoked with the prints. Well and truly exceeded their expectations so what do you need to go over investing and tying capital up in even more expensive equipment for??
You don't need to get all pedantic about using the best printer made ( or the most exy) to produce good work.

Personally, I'd be doing the maths. How many requests a week do you get? What are the people prepared to pay? If you are going to do postage stamp 6x4's for $2 or something, forget it!
Work out what your return on investment time is going to be on ANYTHING you invest and then see if you are better off sending the work out or doing it in house.
I'd be sending it out to start if you don't have a printer to just gauge what happens when you put a price on your work, You might find suddenly people loose interest or they are going to look on the net or whatever but those orders never come.

Test your market First.

And why price 3x? What has that got to do with anything?
You think Nike charge you 3X what it cost to make their shoes or Crapple charge 3x what they can produce an Iphoney for in some factory in China?
Do you think they may have done some market research and said "What is the maximum people will pay for this hyped up and overly marketed crap we produce?" and set their price point at that?

The price point is simple, charge what the market will bear.
Not what some idiot nearby who has never read a sales or marketing book in their life is giving their work away at, but the max the people will pay to own that picture.

If you can't make a decent dollar out of it, what's the point of the exercise in the first place? Just put all you pics on a site and give them the link and be happy.

No need to go to expense and effort to make nothing!



Sep 13, 2016 at 07:27 PM
dmcphoto
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Q on print sales...


If you want to climb the learning curve of color management and printmaking and use it for more than what you describe then make the prints yourself. Otherwise you'd be crazy to take on printmaking. There's more to it than you may think.


Sep 14, 2016 at 07:44 PM
Daniel Smith
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Q on print sales...


Use a service like Zenfolio for the galleries, print ordering, printing and credit card payment ability.

Once you have had to sit in front of your computer and put out 67 4x6 or 5x7 prints - all different frames - you'll wish you had a lab doing it. They do nothing but print, do a good job and you don't have to worry about all the packaging, testing, shipping, and whatnot.




Sep 14, 2016 at 09:38 PM





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