Pricing is always an issue because there's the inner understanding that creating the work is "easy to do". We often forget to take into consideration that others will value our work differently. The restaurant business understands this. If people want a cheap burger then they will go to a cheap burger joint. If they want a meal to celebrate a special occasion then they will probably spend several times more than the cost of a burger meal. However, if someone wants to experience the skills of a great chef then their total spend will be considerably more and the customer will be happy to pay the price. In terms of selling prints, I agree with you that it's important to understand how much it costs to make the prints that we want to sell (including equipment cost, test prints, wasted ink, trials of different papers, marketing, packaging and other costs etc). At the moment I have "wasted" ink and paper while learning how to get the best out of my Canon printer. Obviously, people are not buying ink randomly sprayed onto expensive paper, they either will or will not have an emotional response to the carefully crafted image that they see before them. They may even imagine exactly where they want to display it and feel the urge to buy (sometimes no matter what). If they have no feelings for the work they will not buy the print (even at a very low price). However, in the case where the image invokes feelings of joy, beauty, love and/or other feelings of appreciation the last thing the buyer has on her or his mind is "What is your cost of materials?". Finally, the sorts of people who do want to buy original prints are unlikely to be at the low budget end of the market. It is much more likely that they are on the look out for something special. If they value our work highly, why shouldn't we?

Your way of calculating is practical and will piss off a lot of artists who overvalue their work. People should keep in mind that when you are starting out, it helps to build confidence when you get some actual sales, not the imagined ones when you price your work. Overpricing your work will make it harder on you to get the first sale. Understanding your customer market is most important, you have to understand what people will be willing to pay. Larger size prints will obviously demand a higher price, but will only suit a certain customer who has the wall space for it. People see a lot of hype about artists selling work for tons of money but fail to see the context of how sales are made. For instance if your work is in a gallery, there will be gallery costs to consider, the artist will only get a percentage of the final sale price. But if you’re only going to sell at home on the internet, your costs will be significantly lower. I’m not saying the work is less valuable, but your challenges are going to be different. The market is always going to tell you what it’s worth.If you want to sell, you need to consider the end customer and why they would want to buy your work.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Couldn't have put it better! Thanks.

I'm really enjoying your videos lately. I recently purchased the Epson XP15000 printer and have really learned from all of your knowledge. Thank you!! Keep them coming!

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

I will. And thank you!

Great Video.. I "guesss-te-mated" what you thought this would cost... and I hit it on the dime!!! Thank you so much for sharing this great information.

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

Happy to do so.

Hi Jose, I have had a bit of an itch to buy a printer again. When I began mixing darkroom (B&W) and digital in 2005 I got myself a canon. Was one of the IP range, and I worked it with docs and images. And it did not stop for I reckon 5 years. I could not break it, oem or 3rd party refil ink I just put foot with this thing. But I developed as a photographer and a printer. I travel 500 miles over 3 days, and I bring back one image I want to print. And it is for me, not going to run a printer at home for that. I push myself hard behind the glass and I am sticky about the print, if it gets there. I will happily pay the owner of a decent printer to do it for me nowadays as I am an amateur photographer. The day job pays the bills, I get to enjoy my hobby. Glad that I found you on printers and a guy in the UK on landscapes and being outdoors which i enjoy. Thanks mate, you put good effort into these super useful videos and I appreciate. Regards, D

Thanks for the info, I'm an amateur photographer and I'm always looking to learn new things.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Glad it helped.

I would think that a print that appeals to a limited, specialized audience has more intrinsic value, and thus a higher cost. Prints that appeal to the masses have a lower value due to their large market. Just like a VW tends to have a lower value than a Ferrari.

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

OK. I have to agree with that!

+ Jose Rodriguez thank you Sir for making yet another amazing informative information packed video for us all to learn from your awesome examples on photo printing and pricing. I for one love all your awesome and amazing videos, and I’ve learned a lot about printers printing photos and cleaning and refilling my very own oem canon cli-42 ink cartridges. So thank you SIR. OH ya I almost forgot to ask where can I purchase those syringes and needles from. Thanks

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

I have them on my Amazon affiliate site. Check for link in any of the video descriptions or on my main channel page for link icons

Thank you so much for the video, extremely informative and helpful! (I am an artist who just started printing my own work to sell)

José, you mentioned the price on the first photos, what about the other photos you sold?

I would have a question, is 15 euros for A3 prints from Canon pixma pro 100s too much (or even 20eur) for landscape phototographs, unoriginal inks but varnish sprayed?

I've loved it. Thank you very much ❗

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

Very beatiful pictures Jose! Wonderful colors,,, Yes set price on pictures are very hard! From 35 dollar and up,, depend on size and paper.

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

Yes. I do price them very reasonably and maybe that's wrong but I am not in the business of producing "Collectable Art".

Thanks for the video, Do you think using precision colors ink is not a good option to sell images? BTW do you live in the DMV area?

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

Producing prints for sale with ANY 3rd party inks is not what I would call kosher! UNLESS the client / customer is 100% aware he / she is getting a 3rd party ink print and it's priced accordingly. Though the immediate print result and color reproduction is fabulous it's still NON OEM! That's my own opinion of course! I live in in Kensington, MD just North of Wash, DC.

Sebastia Salgado made the remark in an interview that when he made the transition over to using a digital camera [canon] instead of using a film camera, that it took about a year on how to make prints from the digital camera that were better than the prints that he made from when he was using film cameras. He mentioned the digital camera photos were better then the photos produced from the "medium format" film camera he was using back then. Wow... his black and white prints are amazing.............

@livingstone6275

6 жыл бұрын

Correction: It took Sebastiao' team 2 years to make prints from his digital camera that were acceptable and to his liking.

@MyMotherWasaNinja

5 жыл бұрын

Salgado has gotten a lot of criticism for making newbie mistakes since he transitioned to digital: He overcooks his photos and adds fake grain.

Sir, I love your work.

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

What is the best way to get prints from your own "film" [not digital] photography? Can you do this yourself and if so what equipment do you need? or is it better to have a film developer make prints from your negatives?

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

Darkroom developed prints will always be the best, if what you are looking for is the traditional silver based print. No other process can duplicate it. However you can scan your negatives with a Digital Film Scanner and the then "Process" those Digital Files using the same work flow as you would with digital files from a digital camera and print them on an inkjet printer. You can get close but never duplicate the look.

thanks for the sharing...

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

No problem

Hi .. i have got a canon pro 1000 printer through a good deal ... i have not yet opened it, thought to ask you your advises before i open if any ..appreciated in advance

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

I would read the HUGE user manual first and research everything I possibly can before setting it up. This is not a common grade printer! Other than that I wish you lots of luck and enjoyment with your new PRO-1000!

I have an Epson 9800 that needs a head replacement. Any ideas?

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

You can't do it yourself as it needed be installed by a service center.

Thanks for the tips.. what size are you white borders?

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

From 3/4" to 1".

Hi Jose, thanks for taking the time to produce your videos. I'm presently trying to decide between a couple of the Canon Pro printers and would appreciate knowing if you feel when selling prints they should always be pigment based OEM, or if they are sold framed under glass then it's fair enough when on good quality paper to use dye inks?

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

If it's dye inks they have to be original as third-party dye inks will eventually fade regardless of what you do it's only a matter of time.

@my_speedz

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to reply Jose. Yes, I should have said when using OEM dye inks on good Canon paper would you feel okay selling dye based ink prints (for items other than those important photos like the wedding pictures), or do you prefer to always use pigment ink on prints you sell?

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

It's all about what you tell your customers. If you let them know exactly what they are buying then it's ok as long as it is also ok with them.

@my_speedz

5 жыл бұрын

Fair enough, thanks Jose.

Jose, can you tell me what program do you use or what program do you recommend to convert a picture to watercolor? Your input is very appreciated!

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Originally Photoshop had that built in. No more.

Interesting breakdown. However... When someone asks for a print, you can easily tell them what your "costs" are for the print to cover the time it takes to print and ship and the various supplies needed to make the print. But if you are running an art business, the amount you charge for "your valuable time" should also cover so much more. Time devoted to marketing, office work, capture, edit, etc. So if you only charge for the 15-30 minutes plus paper and ink, you will always be in the red. So, if an artist creates noteworthy work and is dedicated to producing high end prints, $500 doesn't seem so ridiculous. At the very least, I'd take your cost breakdown (time and materials) and triple it so printing doesn't become a chore and a charitable "gifting" exercise. Thanks for all your valuable videos.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

That makes sense!

Jose on the table, I notice you printed a wedding photo, I want to know if the paper is Canson Infinity and if you recommend the wedding photo on 310 grams Canson photo paper? And if so, what about going on Luster, Satin or Higgloss? I'm waiting for an answer from you, please. thank you!

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

Nothing that Fancy! Red River Aurora Natural. I have not tested any CANSON Inkjet Papers but I do have a sample box of some of them. A good textured Matte paper seems to work better for wedding type shots for me. I tend to thing that Shiny prints for weddings seem cheap looking. That's just my view. Some really good quality baryta papers will look great. I have some Hahnemuhle Fine Art Glossy Sample packs that have some really beautiful papers. But I still gravitate toward a textured matte paper with a warm paper base. Paper choice is entirely personal and I can not tell you what will work best for this or that! Only you or your clients will be able to decide what is "Best"

@stancuemil3792

6 жыл бұрын

All right, thank you nice for the answer :)

Great video! Question, we have to do more maintenance cycles if we don't print often than if we do print often?

@cheo1949

2 жыл бұрын

Yes.

@Lh02208

2 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 is it because the ink dries up? how often/how many prints should we be printing to avoid a lot of maintenance cycles?

great video

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

In the video you recommend not using third party inks for prints you sell. Is this still true with the advances in Precision Color for the Canon Pro 10 in 2020 and the Precision Color Signature Edition inks?

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Yes it's still is my recommendation I don't care what kind of third-party inks you use. They simply are not going to have the longevity that original inks provide. Most customers simply would not be too happy to pay you big dollars for something printed in non-original inks.

@ChrisAnsonPhotography

4 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 Thanks!

14:30 Chili Peppers "Red or Green Chili?" New Mexico ... YEAH

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

Yep!

How do you go about selling to doctor offices? Do you have your work online and they come to you or do you go to them?

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

I didn't that I sell to Dr. Offices my self. But that you coukd if you produce tbe tyoe of Images that woukd fit in that genre.

Hi, I had a few questions about what your opinion is on selling prints and OEM vs Precision colors refills for the Canon Pro-100 and I was wondering if I'd be able to email you for some more information?

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

OEM if you are selling! If you don't want the info shared then yes. Otherwise why not here.

@dubbleA100

4 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 oh haha I just wasn't sure how you were supposed to ask questions like that in the comments

@dubbleA100

4 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 I think I plan on going the OEM yellow route for now, I'm just now getting into selling prints and I'm tired of going to the store for it

Interested in how you make your paint look images, photoshop or a plugin?

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

Plugin. Let look at what I used and I will pass it on to you.

@sl2608

2 жыл бұрын

Is it one of the Corel software products?

I enjoy your videos, but this one steers people the wrong way. Understand this....the cost of good sold (COGS) has NOTHING (repeat NOTHING) to do with what you charge for an item. This is the mistake every amateur makes when pricing things. Your cost determines only one thing.....your walkaway. Price is determined simply by the market. You price your print high enough so that from time to time you actually LOSE a sale. Every amateur who sells a print "to a friend" for cheap is in their own little way, holding back the market for photographers. PLEASE remember....only those deficient in any business training, price an item based on what it costs. Real business professionals in ANY business price to the next best alternative....this is called market based pricing. An important fundamental waaaaay too many photographers lack. Keep the videos coming. I certainly enjoy them. Thanks

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

I think I did say cost plus whatever you think your produce is worth. But then I'm not really a business man by any stretch. But.... If I know what something cost me, I can price it to outcompete every other competitor in my niche. Within a reasonable range. But then what do I know. I do his purely for my enjoyment and to help others.

@andrewrussell2845

6 жыл бұрын

Nice theory but the first thing to consider when running a business is what it is going to cost. If you think you can run a business without factoring this in, then I wish you the best of luck....you'll need it. You decide your pricing strategy once you've taken your costs into consideration. COGS is an accounting term that really doesn't figure in this at all to be honest....it's something completely different from what this guy is on about. It refers to the carrying value of inventory sold during the period the accounts cover. I could go on about LIFO and FIFO but as I say, these are terms that aren't really relevant to Jose.

@georgemargerum9248

5 жыл бұрын

Thats a theory, and truth is not from school. truth in art is how much a person wants to spend on what they like, based upon your fame and luck and skills, and sells skills and advertising. so many factors. if you want to get rich then get famous. if you want to sell prints that you do sell of your work , its based upon making money not losing and setting your standards changing constantly top fit the times and costs with fame and luck. like all business. luck ids having the backing of the rich elite. but many people just hope to make it by .

Hi Jose I have the Cannon 100 Whats a great paper for black and whites ? I like printing the 13 x 19 mostly and I do want to sell the prints.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

That is a totally subjective choice. It is dependant on the inks dye or pigment, as well as the image style. I get sample packs and test the paper types provided. Then choose the one that knocks you out.

@MrDaveB123

4 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 Thank you Sir

You only mention pigment inks for prints that will be sold, but I am very curious about the sale worthiness of prints made with the Canon Chromalife 100+ inks. I know that "fine art experts" say only pigment inks, but what do you think about prints made with Chromalife 100+ (as the Pixma Pro 100/200 printers use)? Do they offer enough fade resistance to sell the prints? Would this be ethical? Thanks very much for your great videos!

@cheo1949

2 жыл бұрын

ON certain papers that favor the the transparency of DYE inks, the results would superior than the same papers using pigment inks. So yes you can use Canon Chromalife 100+ inks on papers that are in any degree shinny.

@sl2608

2 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 I don't print on papers with any shine, not even luster. I use Canon Pro Premium Matte and the colors are stunning. Thanks for the great videos you do, Jose. No BS, just the plain honest truth.Very appreciated!

@sl2608

2 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 How about Canon Pro Premium Matte?

very nice

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

what epson printer do you recommend for sublimation printing, I'm looking at the ET-7750 and wondered if we get that one, is the tank already full with photo ink and if so how would we get that out and put in the sublimation ink?

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

Yes it would be full of that is the way it is sold. Are the tanks supposed to be installed by you?? Then you would have to remove the inks somehow. How I do not know as I have no experience with those printers and how their ink cart system work.

@grannmomm

5 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 we just watched a video on the et-7750 and the tank comes empty, we can buy the sublimation inks but we've always had to use the special software for printing sublimation printing, or can we go directly from photo printing to sublimation printing without new software just changing the inks

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

Just change the inks. The only thing you do different is to either MIRROS the image in your image editor or tell the printer driver to do it. If you do not then text and graphics will be reversed on your substrate.

@grannmomm

5 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949That makes sense just to mirror the image, in sublimation printing we have always used 200 dpi when we save our projects, as it has been recommended since anything over that seem to not change the quality and seem to waste ink is that the case for the sublimation inks that are not epson, I can't find epson sublimation ink for the et-7750

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

The polyester coating does not allow super fine detail. Most of the prints that I see on aluminum are done very very large to minimize the effect of what I would call Ink spread or Dot Gain meaning that a dot spreads and becomes much larger and sort of blends with the adjacent dot. Especially since you're doing a heat transfer from paper over to a polyester coated substrate so yeah do not go above 200. Even 180 would be more than reasonable.

great video,,,thanks for all the education

@cheo1949

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

red river paper?

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

Some is and some is not. The Watercolor renditions are on Canon Aquarelle paper. It is not coated for inkjet. Required pigment inks and a MK such as that sold by Inkjetmall. Ultra HD mk.

Simply put: "It is easier to sell 2 $10,000 dollar prints, than 200 $100 dollar prints." How do you do that?! MARKETING. MARKETING of the product and yourself. Show that YOU and YOUR WORK has intrinsic value and that you aren't just a piece of paper that has a price tag on it. A corporation can absbord $5,000 in artwork much easier than a middle income household. the SAME artwork could be marketed to corporations and sold while a middle income household sees it in a museum or art fair and walks right past.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Good Points!

Photo labs sell prints. Artist sell art. The more unique images sell more. I produce artistic photography to sell at Art Fairs. My collection of some thirty images are printed in small medium and the large. The large are framed and matted for display in my booth. My price points range from twenty to twelve hundred dollars. Last year I showed at ten art fairs and sold about twenty thousand worth of my art. Still I have many hundreds of prints yet to be sold. So do not give up your day job until you can afford to finance your business for at least several years until a profitable enterprise can be achieved.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Great advice and congratulations!!!

Ink, Paper, Your Time, Mailing charges (Post Office), shipping charges (i.e., tubes), mileage on equipment (printers), if selling through an online channel, you also have charges from the Sales Channel and Paypal. In addition, you are competing with everyone in the world and people who want to undercut you while using cheap paper and third party inks.

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

Very true Judy. I was waiting for you to jump in as you are a prime example of the Selling of one's work. My very simple formula implied the customer would come to me and I would hand ten the finished print. Yes indeed, there are many other peripheral expenses involved. Thanks!

So a photo designed for the masses you've charged more?? And the intrinsic photos you have charged less. The overall video is informative. Thank you!

@cheo1949

3 жыл бұрын

There us no etched in stone method to pricing. Every one will have a different approaches.

much of those look like Ensal Adams's photo prints

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks! But can only wish!

@SeaDrive300

4 жыл бұрын

Ensal? Wow...

Amazing photographs, I love printing but never tried selling my work and I ended up with a pile of prints that I have no idea what to do with them lol

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

If I showed you what I have to deal with you'd laugh. Very small house, no wall space available! Many stacks of prints with no "Home"!

@ahmedrashed78

7 жыл бұрын

we need a video on how to market and sell our work :)

@cheo1949

7 жыл бұрын

I would if I only knew how to do that!

Interesting point, in regards to selling prints of the displacement of these particular peoples, to make a profit for an individual? It's ironic that there is such a political statement when somebody is making money from these images, I'm a street photographer, yes I have shot people in the street, homeless, but in the back of my mind I have this little side of me that says if I ever benefit financially from these images how am I going to feel about myself.

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

I never ever sell any of those shots.

Of course it makes sense to calculate your costs, allowing for wear and depreciation on printers, overhead on work space, etc. to make certain you aren't overlooking expenses; your time is worth what you decide to charge for it. The marketplace is saturated with hobbyist photographers who either overrate their artistic genius and overprice mundane works, as well as craftspeople who fail to add actual artistic merit and charge plebian prices that make their work just another space filler for the dentist's wall. Generic works may have a place, but don't even waste the extra time and money on quality paper or inks when the customer has no interest in whether it lasts five years, as he will have replaced it as soon as it bores him. Limited edition prints are understood in respect to actual printing like lithography, and also film and enlarger work, even though a person could in theory keep printing an image indefinitely - values become sketchy in that world. Just because a machine makes the final pass over digital printing does not automatically diminish artistic value. Late in life Ansel Adams played around extensively with Polaroid instant prints - wonder what those are worth now. Last, it costs the same $200 to frame a $10 generic print or a $25,000 Weston print. Just because "anybody could take that picture" doesn't mean everybody did.

You showed alot of prints without mentioning a price...the vid was labeled as how to price prints, but only 2 were actually priced.

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

It wasn't about MY prices but what to take into account when you price your own work.

A little bit crooked! You're giving away your secrets, lol.

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Crooked?

@BarryHull

4 жыл бұрын

@@cheo1949 The crooked photos on the wall at Walter Reed :)

@cheo1949

4 жыл бұрын

Ooooh! Yes it drives me crazy.

I’m horrified you made this video. An artist would never talk like this , especially during a time when print is becoming a novelty. If anything the prices should continue to increase. The cost of the print has almost nothing to do with the cost of maintaining a printer. It’s all chump change if you are serious about it.

@cheo1949

5 жыл бұрын

It does when using an IPF PRO xxxx Canon pro get when the cost of maintenance or use of inks for such equals or even exceed the cost of the ink used to produce the actual print. In the world.of reality you need to include ALL costs. Even the ink cost of that automatic cleaning cycle the test print and anything else. Artist or no artist.

@JC-xx5dm

5 жыл бұрын

The price of the print has nothing to do AT ALL with the price of ink or paper. AT ALL. If you are pricing according to this then I can’t even begin to fathom the argument here. Print is disappearing. Print is rarer. Print is becoming scarce. Print prices should be higher. So what if it cost $5 or $25 to print it. The price is still going to be high for fine art. Price of digital camera Price of film camera Price of film Price of lights Price of stuff you’re shooting Price of developer Price of time Price of wasted time Price of paper Price of ink Price of printer Price of loupe Price of frames Price of matte Price of museum glass Price of regular glass Price of rotatrim Price of gels Price of tape Etc etc etc It’s impossible to even begin to price any of these factors into a print price. The way it works is you shoot until you have enough shots you like and then pray for the best. And you charge multiple hundreds for it