First I would like to say I appreciate every reply, both positive and negative. The more insight I have the better. We are located in the Dallas Fort Worth area, so we have a base.
We will offer not only just prints, but we offer high quality t-shirt printing for the soccer moms or family reunions. We have a 54" solvent printer for all types of outdoor usage such as full color banners and window displays.
I get prints pretty timely. If I upload photos on a Monday morning, I usually will have prints by Friday. The results are predictable and, so far, I haven't had to do any re-prints. That said, I do keep my monitors calibrated and I ask the lab not do any color correction (so they don't undo what I've done).
David,
Again, I have to point to Simon's comments as they mirror my own thoughts.
Can you really show a profit with this business model? Covering your initial investment plus the basic overhead is one heck of nut to crack. I am not saying that you are wrong – only that I sincerely hope you have taken a hard look at how many customers you need to pull in and what each of them needs to spend – day after day after day…….. That number would scare the hell out me.
Assuming you really have done your homework, I think that you certainly will find people who will love to try your setup. Keeping them coming back will be the trick.
I'm not in Dallas, but I'm there frequently. Let us know when you are up and running and I'll try it out. Could you send me an email contact?
David M Ford wrote:
and then you get them in a few days? as opposed to today. What if you just decided to lighten it a little after you saw the print? Upload it again and wait, as opposed to just reprint right then. It's a fulfillment of "I want it now". Not for everyone but it gives some photographers the edge to deliver next day, just one more tool to put you ahead of the guy that does it for half price.
David
Frankly, the people competing with the half price photographers won't care about that level of quality and won't want to pay for your services. Those who can pay for your services won't care about the half price photographers because they don't cater to the same clientele and have much higher standards and abilities that also will likely mean not needing your services.
I have to agree with others...Its a very niche concept. You are not offering anything that isn't already available other than convenience. I personally don't think leaving my current setup is convenient. I sure don't mind waiting 2 days for a print. Clients don't either. So speed is more of a perceived benefit than an actual one. If a potential client ever tells me so and so can do it faster, I reply with "if you feel better with them rushing the job, then that is your call. I'll make sure it gets done right even if it is 3 days vs 1 day. Its a photo, not a taco so they never mind waiting.
Marc Kurth wrote:
David,
Again, I have to point to Simon's comments as they mirror my own thoughts.
Can you really show a profit with this business model? Covering your initial investment plus the basic overhead is one heck of nut to crack. I am not saying that you are wrong – only that I sincerely hope you have taken a hard look at how many customers you need to pull in and what each of them needs to spend – day after day after day…….. That number would scare the hell out me.
Assuming you really have done your homework, I think that you certainly will find people who will love to try your setup. Keeping them coming back will be the trick.
I'm not in Dallas, but I'm there frequently. Let us know when you are up and running and I'll try it out.
Marc
Edited by Marc Kurth on Mar 11, 2008 at 10:27 AM GMT...Show more →
I know the margins on a Kinkos are razor thin. I can't imagine how much volume you'd need to support 10 $6,000 machines (Mac Pros with all the software and hardware needed), and the $$$ printers. Plus staff, rent, utilities, insurance, etc. All done one products with very thin margin.
I have access to a somewhat similar setup. My printer profiles his monitors with Greytag MacBeth and I do the same with my monitors at home. (My own unit). I have the profile of the printer as well.
I can email my file - they have three incoming t-1 lines, and go by and pick up my prints, or have them ship my prints directly to my client (or myself if I didn't want to make the trip) for me.
While they do not offer shooting space or lighting I would not be likely to use that anyway. I have my own lights, and I always felt like my clients were more comfortable in their own homes.
I can have a great variety of promotional items printed - mousepads, coffee cup, calendar, albums, etc.
I have the option of having my prints done as giclées on an Epson 9600 on either glossy, matte, 100% rag watercolor paper, or canvas, or I can have photo-chemical printing done by either Lambda Lightjet or Fuji Chromira. I'm not positive what the upper size limit is, but I've had 40x48 prints made - and they look fabulous. Color matching was spot on, and I've been called a 'picky' customer.
Do I use this service? Yes, when I need large prints. (I print my own small stuff on an Epson R2400 - K3 inks, at home.) So do lots of other people. The lab's customer base extends nation-wide. That said, the vast majority of the time when I happen to pop in, the Epson 9600 is idle.
I love having access to my printer - and by that I mean the machine(s) and the guy himself - he's a Photoshop ACE - and I've been known to whip up a Boston Creme Pie from scratch - filled with creme anglaise, with chocolate drizzled on top, and we've had an office party or two and it's absolutely wonderful, and I think it would be great if all the photographers in the world had such a neat setup - but as has been said before, you're talking about a BIG investment with no way to be certain that you could keep the doors open. I know - I've run a business before.
How about starting smaller? One monitor, one printer, and see how it goes? You'll need to have a massive advertising campaign.
Have you contacted the photographers in your immediate area? What has their response been?
Have you thought about offering a long distance service?
Whatever you decide, I wish you well and all the good luck in the world.
Kinkos should take a cue from your ideas. If this type of atmosphere was integrated into a Kinkos, I would definitely use it, maybe even pay a small premium. As much as I like your ideas, I don't think they are feasible to make profit.
30-inch monitors is a little excessive. I think 26-inch would be fine.
I mean, have you priced this out yet? Just going through your post, it looks like you have spent about $125,000 on equipment alone.
regardless of the business side of it I do miss the social aspect that one had both at school and later in the rental labs I used back in the day, can't say I miss my in house darkroom in the same way though and since I have all the equipment I need at my place of business I wouldn't be a good customer but the idea sounds nice.
I agree with most of the posters here - neat idea, but I do not think you can get the business model to be profitable. I'm not sure there are casual users of Photoshop. The large printers have allure - but how often do we need that size - and when we do, just farm it out. If we were to need the service very often, we'd run the numbers and buy one.
I could see that being of benefit if you ran enough "schools" at varying levels of Photoshop experience - and charged hansomely - same with back-room studio.
Just looking at a photo club - there are some that want to advance, and see post processing as a way - half of those can't/won't afford Photoshop, due to the high cost. You may lure those folks in, but then there's the learning curve. Either they will give up, or run the numbers for a home setup. I just can't see a consistent client base. There are just too many folks that are just thrilled with the 12 cent print from the local photo shop or WalMart.
David - if you open, I hope you prove us all wrong.
Also, consider a Starbucks franchise up front - seriously - it would generate a lot of traffic.
frank kayser wrote:
Also, consider a Starbucks franchise up front - seriously - it would generate a lot of traffic.
I doubt you'd get Starbucks interested, as they don't partner with independent businesses and control everything at the corporate level, but bringing in a small independent coffeeshop is fairly genius if you have the space and the additional licensing for food/beverage service isn't too nasty.
First, I'd love to have what you propose available. Wait, I already have a substantial amount of it already here. There's a Kinko's and Wolf Camera nearby. Both offer large prints and Wolf's offers some techinical help,FWIW.
I have considered (really more of a dream) doing exactly what you propose. I've also tried to talk my friend who owns a dying mom and pop camera store to also consider this to save the business. Competition, margins and market base have prevented further pursuit.
It's amazing where you can find competition. There's a member of the local camera club who bought a wide format printer. He offers prints at a very reasonable rate, since the printer lives in his basement. He's only looking for enough profit to keep him in inks for his prints and help defray the cost of the printer.
should do it with pcs and turn it into a LAN CENTER at night to play games for 4$/hr per comp
i had this same idea as well.. there is no money in it. My family has owned a print shop for 23 years (biz cards, brochures, signs, banners, vehicle wraps - the works) and ive thought of similar ideas to this one because im trying to branch off to new things. But this is not the answer, though im sure you'll find out the hard way, but please manage to learn and morph into what could be an awesome shop.
I've witnessed a fading independent camera store go through conversion to a "digital kios" center. They have multiple self-service all-in-one digital photo stations like you find in drugstores where you insert your memory card and perform basic editing and self print up to 8x10. Larger jobs are handled by the shop.
I drive by this store almost every day and despite its location in a visible corner with quite a bit of traffic, I have yet to see it busy enough to keep it afloat. Hope I'm wrong as I think it's a good idea, specially as they are more likely to attract higher volume of "average" photo enthusiasts than pro level photographers that tend to have their own equipment or send their files to specialty service centers.
