Hi all,
I've decided to start selling prints from my website - www.simpler-life.com - but I'm a little undecided on how much to charge.
I'm doing the actual printing myself, I've got a good printer (canon pixima pro-100s that I only use canon inks in on decent HP paper) and the mounting is done professionally at my local framing shop that I've developed a good relationship with over the past year.
I'm only going to have 4 or 5 prints for sale at any one time at first.
I was thinking of charging £45 (plus £5 p+p) so a total of £50 for a mounted A3 sized print ($71.41 USD at time of writing), does this sound a reasonable and realistic price?
I'm really not sure about prices. If I was to sell some of my work to people I don't know then I would investigate some of all the websites that offers you to sell your photos for you and then you get a certain % of the total price.
Most of the sites lists the full price for various sizes. Compare the full prices of different sites and make a price abit cheaper. You will sell it singlehandled so you would earn the full price and not a certain %. So in my opinion you could drop the price a bit compared to the sites selling photos.
Hmm I hope you understand me :)
Remember to count the time you use to print (paper, ink etc.), prepare and the price for framing. They need to be a part of your total price, you don't want to loose money Selling your work :)
Hi Paul,
Your images are worthy of a fair price! I assume your £45 is a mounted unframed print??. What are the mounting details? How much is the mounting costing you? I'd sign each print and sell it as such to differentiate yourself from all the printing services out there that do the work and send you a % of the sales. If you mount them so the buyer can put them into a standard frame and mat they would be an easy sell IMHO. The £5 p+p seems low for that sized package ..make sure the packaging is robust and you factor in that cost so the print makes it to the seller in good shape.
I have not sold on the internet as I prefer to print, mount, frame, and meet the buyers. I usually get ~$150/print for a simple wood framed 11"x14" print (closest to A3 in the US) in a 16"x20" frame at local shows. I usually use a simple hinge mount and have about $50 in materials into it (I stock up when local art supply stores have frame sales!!) So the print & labor is ~$100 of the price.
best...Mike
Thanks Mikkel and Mike, I've been doing my sums today and all in (including packaging, shipping, printing costs and mounting) it'll cost roughly £20 to get a photo in the post which would give me roughly £25 from each image. I could shave that margin down further if I buy packaging in bulk and tweak slightly. I'll see how things go at around that level and takes things from there.
On the subject of signing, where should it be signed? I've seen some on mount, some on the back of the mount....
where to sign is a personal choice. I sign and date (when taken) very small but visible after framing. Most buyers seem to like having the signature visible after framing. They can tell their friends they have a signed print!
If you print just a few mm smaller than a standard mat size then you can sign under the print on the mounting board so it shows just before the mat starts (you'll have to plan the mount board color to support the image) or you can sign on the photo paper under the printed area leaving a white boarder around the print. With either option it ends up looking like a double mat which I like. Most people do not know how to pick a mat color for a print so you could include one and bump the price a bit to cover that cost. Also you could have your framer do a custom mat to meet the look you choose for a standard frame. The buyer would drop the print and mat into a frame they buy. Might be a good way to go as you'll control the final look of your art.
best...Mike
Here is an example
don't forget to factor in your wages (your time is valuable), waste (I would add some % of your fixed costs), capital costs (eventually you'll need to replace or upgrade your printer for example) and profit. When you split £25 up across these additional items it doesn't seem to me that you're making a living wage from the prints. But it might be worth it in terms of building your reputation I guess.
cheers,
Tris
Hi,
Check out my article "What To Charge For Your Prints" here http://www.jeffcolburn.com/articles/what-to-charge-for-your-prints/
Have Fun,
Jeff