What to Charge for Printing?

charlesoutcalt

Hey All -

A friend has asked me to create a few giclée images for her from my Canon ipf6350.

To this point, I've printed only for myself, and so I have never had to figure out a charge for others' prints.

I have costed out the supplies (I'm using Living Color's Lyve canvas), down to ink and glaze expenses. But I'm stumped on what to charge for the printing itself.

My responsibilities will be to edit the images very slightly (crop, size, perhaps use Genuine Fractals to create gallery wrap borders), ensure color fidelity through calibrating (much of which I have done already for myself), and maybe to stretch and frame the prints using Hahnemühle's gallery wrap stretcher bars. She might ask me to photograph each print also, using a four softbox/white background setup I have created for my other work.

I'd like to quote my friend a separate fee for the printing, for the framing, and for the product photography since I'm not sure which she will want.

BTW, the prints will mostly be in the 18 x 20 size range.

Any ideas on where to start for a fee? I don't want to take advantage of my friend, and I want to be fair to all involved.

Thanks!

SheShoots

I don't have any experience in this kind of pricing but perhaps a starting point might be to how much it would cost to her for those services elsewhere?

Also maybe factor in your time into your cost equation?

charlesoutcalt

thanks

SheShoots wrote: »

I don't have any experience in this kind of pricing but perhaps a starting point might be to how much it would cost to her for those services elsewhere?

Also maybe factor in your time into your cost equation?

Thanks - I have started to look into that question of what she would pay elsewhere.

I wonder - if any of you have done this sort of printing on demand, so to speak, what you have charged?

JimKarczewski

Staples on normal paper charges $8/sq ft for printing on their 44" HP they have. So I'd adjust accordingly to make sure you cover your ink/paper/printer maint costs!

Glort

We so need a separate pricing thread on this board.

Blaker

charlesoutcalt wrote: »

Hey All -

A friend has asked me to create a few giclée images for her from my Canon ipf6350.

To this point, I've printed only for myself, and so I have never had to figure out a charge for others' prints.

I have costed out the supplies (I'm using Living Color's Lyve canvas), down to ink and glaze expenses. But I'm stumped on what to charge for the printing itself.

My responsibilities will be to edit the images very slightly (crop, size, perhaps use Genuine Fractals to create gallery wrap borders), ensure color fidelity through calibrating (much of which I have done already for myself), and maybe to stretch and frame the prints using Hahnemühle's gallery wrap stretcher bars. She might ask me to photograph each print also, using a four softbox/white background setup I have created for my other work.

I'd like to quote my friend a separate fee for the printing, for the framing, and for the product photography since I'm not sure which she will want.

BTW, the prints will mostly be in the 18 x 20 size range.

Any ideas on where to start for a fee? I don't want to take advantage of my friend, and I want to be fair to all involved.

Thanks!

This is a much different question than what to charge as a business.
I don't think anyone here can tell you what you should charge a friend for a one-time item.
Only you know what your time and experience is worth, and how much of a deal you want to give to your friend.

So I would add up all the costs of the materials, then add in whatever amount you want to make as a profit for the time you are taking to do the work.


In this case , the amount Joe Shmoe or anyone else wants to make as profit (over and above all the expenses) really has nothing to do with how much YOU want to make.

SO add up your expenses and the profit you want to make, and this is the number you will give your friend.

charlesoutcalt

Blaker wrote: »

This is a much different question than what to charge as a business.
I don't think anyone here can tell you what you should charge a friend for a one-time item.
Only you know what your time and experience is worth, and how much of a deal you want to give to your friend.

So I would add up all the costs of the materials, then add in whatever amount you want to make as a profit for the time you are taking to do the work.


In this case , the amount Joe Shmoe or anyone else wants to make as profit (over and above all the expenses) really has nothing to do with how much YOU want to make.

SO add up your expenses and the profit you want to make, and this is the number you will give your friend.

Excellent points. This is somewhere between strictly business transaction and pure friendship. The friend is selling these prints online as a business, and I use my printer for my own photo business. So it's more that she wants to give me business, at a reasonable rate, and I want to help her business, too.

I'm thinking materials plus a moderate amount - say, $25 - per print.

Thanks for the input, everyone. It's very handy to have a forum to bounce these ideas around.

Blaker

charlesoutcalt wrote: »

Excellent points. This is somewhere between strictly business transaction and pure friendship. The friend is selling these prints online as a business, and I use my printer for my own photo business. So it's more that she wants to give me business, at a reasonable rate, and I want to help her business, too.

I'm thinking materials plus a moderate amount - say, $25 - per print.

Thanks for the input, everyone. It's very handy to have a forum to bounce these ideas around.

Well why didn't you say so in the first place? You are making prints at basically your cost for her to go ahead and sell and for her to make a profit on?
That is a whole other kettle of fish!!

The more specific info you give, the better people here are able to give you relevant advice!