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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> What to charge for prints? No more guessing!
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04/17/2013 05:48:22 PM · #1
just saw this posted on another board in response to the standard "what do i charge for prints?"

this guy offered, "I use a formula .42 x height in inches x width in inches. Round to the nearest dollar."

so simple, and so rational.

4x6 - $10
5x7 - $15
8x10 - $34
11x14 - $65
16x20 - $135
20x24 - $202
20x30 - $252

works for me ;-)
04/17/2013 06:01:12 PM · #2
I think it would depend where the print is being sold. Is it a fine art print or is it just a portorait.
04/17/2013 06:16:42 PM · #3
Originally posted by cowboy221977:

I think it would depend where the print is being sold. Is it a fine art print or is it just a portorait.

the quy i got it from sells fine art prints, but i think this would work for portraits. don't think it would work for sports & events without some modification.

what he did was sample as many fine art sales sites as he could and stuffed all the pricing into a spreadsheet. doing that would probably work for just about anything ;-)
04/17/2013 07:15:24 PM · #4
Good thinkin' :-)
04/17/2013 08:14:18 PM · #5
sounds good.....what's his website??? I wanna check it out. I might get some ideas
04/17/2013 08:51:11 PM · #6
Originally posted by Skip:

just saw this posted on another board in response to the standard "what do i charge for prints?"

this guy offered, "I use a formula .42 x height in inches x width in inches. Round to the nearest dollar."

so simple, and so rational.

4x6 - $10
5x7 - $15
8x10 - $34
11x14 - $65
16x20 - $135
20x24 - $202
20x30 - $252

works for me ;-)

Yup, as far as I'm concerned, works for me as well.
If considering embellishments, framing and matting are extra, of course.
In my Gallery my work goes for (roughly, depending on degree of difficulty and design) $35 unmatted, to $175 framed and matted very nicely.
04/17/2013 09:43:40 PM · #7
where do you get them framed... Framing is sky high..Also what type of frame..metal/wood.
04/17/2013 10:04:18 PM · #8
Originally posted by cowboy221977:

where do you get them framed... Framing is sky high..Also what type of frame..metal/wood.


Do it yourself. It's much cheaper, and once you know how to do it, it takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

When I'm selling (not much lately, my main venue went out of business), almost everything I sell is framed. Framing is a nice little profit center.

As far as price go, unframed goes for about the prices on Skip's list. For framed, I double that. (Fine art prints.)

Message edited by author 2013-04-17 22:06:45.
04/18/2013 07:09:32 AM · #9
something i always struggled with. i always used a markup of the base prints costs, but that markup was never consistent since the print costs never really equated properly to size. this is perfect.
02/24/2015 01:45:37 PM · #10
just bumping because i misplaced my bookmark and had to do a search.
Originally posted by Skip:

just saw this posted on another board in response to the standard "what do i charge for prints?"

this guy offered, "I use a formula .42 x height in inches x width in inches. Round to the nearest dollar."

so simple, and so rational.

4x6 - $10
5x7 - $15
8x10 - $34
11x14 - $65
16x20 - $135
20x24 - $202
20x30 - $252

works for me ;-)

02/24/2015 04:49:20 PM · #11
Originally posted by cowboy221977:

where do you get them framed... Framing is sky high..Also what type of frame..metal/wood.


If you're working with standard sizes I find that you can make out well if you keep an eye out for the right Michael's coupons. Frames are almost always 40% off of BOGO. Look for a 25-30% off total order coupon and it works out. I go the full gallery treatment which includes mounting to acid-free foam core. I had to invest in a point driver (//www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BMFOJQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), double-sided tape dispenser and a mat cutter (//www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V8YA5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - I got it for $160), but those are invaluable if you're doing a lot of framing and need to cut custom size mats. Otherwise a good metal straight edge and sharp knife will do you for the foam core.

Breakdown for a typical 11x14 in a 16x20 frame is:
Frame w. Mat: $39.99 BOGO plus 25% off, net cost $15 add $3-6 if you want a different mat
Foam Core: 2 sheets for $9, 25% off, net cost ~$3 (one sheet provides backing for one 11x14, one 8x10 and one 5x7)
Acid Free Mounting tape: $.25 (hinge tape for the mat/foam core, art tape for the archival mount of the photo to the foam core)
Framing points: $.20 if that
Paper backing (I buy plain black paper, one roll for $5, net $3.75, does at least 20 large frames): $.15
Framing hooks and wire: $1

Net cost: <$25 for a gallery ready hanging plus the cost of a print, more if I go fancy and/or double mat.

First couple took me a bit of time, but now the typical framing project takes me about 15 minutes.

Books are fine to learn, but if you're buying frames and pre-cut mats here's the videos that taught me...

Assembling the mat and mounting the photo: //youtu.be/aklck5c8jmc
Installing the mat to the frame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WdGlkIPp3I
Adding backing to the frame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBJVOyIfbs
Framing hooks and wire: //youtu.be/kwdexcajMXk

Message edited by author 2015-02-24 16:49:41.
02/24/2015 04:52:31 PM · #12
Oh, and btw, I like the guide for print costs. That's fairly close to where I'm at now for my 8x10's and 11x14's, so it'll help if I need to go bigger/smaller.
02/24/2015 05:23:41 PM · #13
For some reason reasonable (i.e. cheap) frames are almost unavailable and overpriced for 8x12 prints -- at Michaels I found 2, and they were over $20 ... :-(
02/25/2015 08:39:38 AM · #14
Originally posted by GeneralE:

For some reason reasonable (i.e. cheap) frames are almost unavailable and overpriced for 8x12 prints -- at Michaels I found 2, and they were over $20 ... :-(


These go on sale regularly as I mentioned, and always check for coupons. Even in the store you can access the current flier on your phone and text yourself the coupon. They're not cheap at full price, but they're almost always on sale in some fashion.
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