Cost of Printing

[RalphLambrecht]

I was trying to estimate the material cost for printing, let's say a letter-size print.I realize it depends on many factors, but, for me,using Canson paper off a 100-feet roll and an Epson 3880 with original K3 inks, I got to about $2/sheet,half of which s for the paper and the other half for the ink.What do you estimate,ignoring several test prints;just for one print with average ink coverage?

 

[Doyle Thomas]

Art is cheap framing is expensive

 

[L Gebhardt]

You can check the ink usage per print on the 3880.

About .8ml of ink which is roughly $0.55 and paper which is around $1 for good stuff like canson platine, or $0.12 for Kirkland Glossy RC (which is also very good for the price - at least for a proofing paper).

 

[RalphLambrecht]

You can check the ink usage per print on the 3880.

About .8ml of ink which is roughly $0.55 and paper which is around $1 for good stuff like canson platine, or $0.12 for Kirkland Glossy RC (which is also very good for the price - at least for a proofing paper).

thanks; I'll look into that's far I came up with $0.17per square inch of paper.

 

[Tim Stapp]

Red River Paper has a good cost analysis on ink costs for various printers.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I was trying to estimate the material cost for printing, let's say a letter-size print.I realize it depends on many factors, but, for me,using Canson paper off a 100-feet roll and an Epson 3880 with original K3 inks, I got to about $2/sheet,half of which s for the paper and the other half for the ink.What do you estimate,ignoring several test prints;just for one print with average ink coverage?

I calculated that I spend in average $25/month on ink alone.

 

[Tim Stapp]

That's why I love my Canon printer. They often run specials. I bought a set of inks, in three different batches and received approximately $400 in paper. Not a bad trade in my opinion.

 

[faberryman]

I use Jon Cone's refillable cartridges and inks with my 3880, and it has cut my ink costs significantly.

 

[Stephen Prunier]

That's why I love my Canon printer. They often run specials. I bought a set of inks, in three different batches and received approximately $400 in paper. Not a bad trade in my opinion.

That's exactly what I've been doing. I want to try some new papers, but, when you get so much paper for free when purchasing ink from Canon. It makes it hard.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I started off scanning and using an inkjet printer ten years ago after I joined APUG. The high cost of ink for ten not so great inkjet prints on regular paper, not digital print paper, convinced me to buy an enlarger and build a darkroom.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

That's exactly what I've been doing. I want to try some new papers, but, when you get so much paper for free when purchasing ink from Canon. It makes it hard.

you guys got coned?

 

[jim10219]

I price my prints so as to discourage people from buying from me. I usually find out what a local office supply store charges for a similar color inkjet print and then double it. I'm not really wanting to get into the inkjet print production business. I thought about it for a little while, but found the typical customer in my area would always try to haggle with me about price after we agreed on a price and I actually printed the image, and sometimes not pay leaving me with the useless print. Or complain that the colors were off (my system is regularly calibrated, but their computers are not so somehow I'm supposed to match what they see at home?). It just got to be too much of a headache for not enough money. So I started telling people my price along with Staples or Office Depot's price and let them decide if they want a quality print, or a cheap one. Now, I mainly just print for friends and friends of friends, and it's a lot less stressful. That and since they're usually serious photographers, they'll sit with me while I print it and we check colors and compare paper stocks and such, so everyone walks away happy. And if we have to print it three times before we get it right, that's okay, because I charged enough that I'm still not losing any money.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I was trying to estimate the material cost for printing, let's say a letter-size print.I realize it depends on many factors, but, for me,using Canson paper off a 100-feet roll and an Epson 3880 with original K3 inks, I got to about $2/sheet,half of which s for the paper and the other half for the ink.What do you estimate,ignoring several test prints;just for one print with average ink coverage?

I work at a university art and design department. Estimating the cost of printing is one of the hardest things to estimate. Our school is trying to keep a printing service running by recharging for materials costs. There are other costs besides ink and paper. There's wear and tear on the printer, the cost of personnel to run the printers, the cost of bad prints and the cost of the ink to clean clogged heads. We had a large format printer that died in a print lab and there wasn't enough money in the pot of money to buy a new one. We had to have faculty go to the Dean for money. They eventually ponied up the money because it was a necessary service for the classes we teach.

 

[Stephen Prunier]

you guys got coned?

?

 

[ozphoto]

That's exactly what I've been doing. I want to try some new papers, but, when you get so much paper for free when purchasing ink from Canon. It makes it hard.

The offers that you guys in the US and UK get when purchasing ink/cameras/lenses is astounding - rare as here in Australia to get cash back or free. Wish they'd treat us with much less disdain, additionally it might make us more inclined to buy here instead of offshore and save them from whining about "lost sales" . . .

 

[Sirius Glass]

you guys got coned?

?

He means "conned".

 

[Stephen Prunier]

I knew that.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Purchased in 2017Ж
100$ for Epson C88+ printer.
60$ for Epson's 100 shts of archival double weight letter size matter paper.
30$ for inks.
190$ in total, including printer. 1.9$ per print.

 

[mshchem]

Inkjet the way I use it is expensive. I let the darn cartridges sit until they are no good. I had a really nice Epson setup about D200 era (10 years+ back) had 8 cartridges, it wasn't the very top but a great printer. When I shoot digital it stays on the card for a while.
Currently I have a nice Canon printer. It's been sitting a while. Time to get ready, buy ink then go nuts printing until I run out. I have a case of 8x10 Promaster paper I was given for nothing, it's nice paper, but nothing like real "paper" paper.

 

[mshchem]

The offers that you guys in the US and UK get when purchasing ink/cameras/lenses is astounding - rare as here in Australia to get cash back or free. Wish they'd treat us with much less disdain, additionally it might make us more inclined to buy here instead of offshore and save them from whining about "lost sales" . . .

It's probably got something to do with tariffs. Protecting the Australian inkjet printer industry. . Same logic as the US Pres. and steel .

Sorry, I couldn't resist

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I price my prints so as to discourage people from buying from me. I usually find out what a local office supply store charges for a similar color inkjet print and then double it. I'm not really wanting to get into the inkjet print production business. I thought about it for a little while, but found the typical customer in my area would always try to haggle with me about price after we agreed on a price and I actually printed the image, and sometimes not pay leaving me with the useless print. Or complain that the colors were off (my system is regularly calibrated, but their computers are not so somehow I'm supposed to match what they see at home?). It just got to be too much of a headache for not enough money. So I started telling people my price along with Staples or Office Depot's price and let them decide if they want a quality print, or a cheap one. Now, I mainly just print for friends and friends of friends, and it's a lot less stressful. That and since they're usually serious photographers, they'll sit with me while I print it and we check colors and compare paper stocks and such, so everyone walks away happy. And if we have to print it three times before we get it right, that's okay, because I charged enough that I'm still not losing any money.

not a bad approach if you don't depend on their business.

 

[jim10219]

not a bad approach if you don't depend on their business.

In all honesty, it’s probably not a bad approach even if you do depend on their business. Specifically I’m referring to pricing your product according to the market. I wouldn’t try to undercut the big-store discount printers out there. Let them have the reputation for making cheap prints. Your market should be geared and advertised as quality over quantity. But the price they charge should serve as at least a starting point for your own product. From there, you could keep tabs on how many square inches of ink you get out of the average print, how much paper costs per square inch (or square cm), and recalculate a price based on that further down the line. Also, if you want to maximize profits and do a fair number of prints, I’d recommend getting several different sized rolls and sheets of paper. Paper isn’t as costly as ink, unless you’re wasting a bunch on every print. Plus, it’s good to have options like matte, satin, glossy and metallic for the customer to chose from. Having different stocks of paper on hand will increase your initial cost, but will likely reduce your long term costs (less waste) and position you better in the market as being the option for quality prints, instead of the option for cheap prints. Plus, paper can keep for a decades if you don’t expose it to extreme humidities, temperatures, or UV light.

 

[ozphoto]

It's probably got something to do with tariffs. Protecting the Australian inkjet printer industry. . Same logic as the US Pres. and steel .

Sorry, I couldn't resist

Would make sense if we actually produced the stuff ourselves - we import it all. However, I believe both Nikon and Canon AUS refuse to recognise warranty of overseas purchased goods - now *that's* protectionism.

 

[jtk]

I was trying to estimate the material cost for printing, let's say a letter-size print.I realize it depends on many factors, but, for me,using Canson paper off a 100-feet roll and an Epson 3880 with original K3 inks, I got to about $2/sheet,half of which s for the paper and the other half for the ink.What do you estimate,ignoring several test prints;just for one print with average ink coverage?

Cost of ink/pigment has to do with amount of ink/pigment on the print. That means dark prints use ink far faster than very light prints. I often make images with black backgrounds or dark settings, which eats pigment twice as fast as my environmental images do.

I print on 13X19 when the print will hang on a wall, but the image itself is often around 11X17 because I like the white rebate. I print letter-size only for my B&W Exchange and to mail to friends etc. I abandoned Epsonfor Canon Pro 10 after two Epsons died (their crappy engineering/design convinced me to abandon that losing game). For the past two years I've bought pigment directly from Canon, who ships incredibly quickly (3 days usually in US) for free and sends free paper with every order...would be foolish to buy any other way.

 

[removed account4]

In all honesty, it’s probably not a bad approach even if you do depend on their business.

yup
the problem with photography is that
no one values it, and photographic prints / reproductions
are purchased at such a low cost
that regular people can't compete with corporate printers.
i know a regular person puts time and effort
and makes things look perfect, and if it is their own
photography well its art and worth at least 100x what
a pharmacy would charge for the same large print ..
but many people don't really care LOL they couldn't care less
about how competant the photographer/printer was what fancy
process was used to make the print, what kind of pedigree
photographer/printer has and workshop the photographer's
vision and style was refined through ... they just want
a poster sized print of the frowny cat with some sort of dumb phrase
under it or a generic print cause it's "good enough"
sure the other side of the coin is that people realize other people
( artists? crafts people ? )
spent time and effort to get great at
what they do, and they admire the work
they produce
but at $500/5x7 print
they will just have to look at the jpg on their computer screen
they pirated off the website...