odellvic

When looking at websites where photographers have their photos for sale they say " professionally printed". What are the parameters when calling a print professionally printed. Can one get good quality photo paper and a quality photo color printer and say it is "professionally" done? I am wondering how a person cam make a profit selling a print if the only way you can say professionally printed is through a photo lab.

RaydancePhoto

I professionally print my own on my trusty HP printer. I think that statement can be very vague and is really meaningless. Just what constitutes 'Pro Printed' anyway.

Keeper1029

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

outsider Loc: Antelope Valley, California

All they are saying is that their images have been printed at a photo lab or facility which specializes in printing photographs.

odellvic

many people selling on sites just say "professionally printed"

jimni2001 Loc: Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA

If you are getting payed for what you are printing wouldn't that make you a professional printer?

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Oh my goodness - If you think you cannot make a profit just because it was "professionally printed," what on earth do you think the selling price is? An 8x10 at my lab costs (depending on options) from around $2.25 to $4.00. I sell it for between $50.00 and $85.00 depending on subject, amount of total sale, and some other considerations. I can make a profit!

This is where so many wannabes fail, they think if it cost $4.00 to print and they sell it for $8.00, that they made a profit. Nope, they just lost around $25.00 and are too naive to know it.

odellvic

Cliff. That's what I was wondering. These photographers are selling their 8 by 10 photos for about 12-15 dollars but I didn't know how much one would have to pay to have it professionally printed if they had to send it to the lab and then mail it out. The site I was looking at had those prices. Thanks for your help

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Odellvic, there are a lot of misinterpretations of "professionally printed". It's all relative to how much the work sells for or how you want your work to to show itself. I know pros that sell 30x24 works for $1000. I have on occassion used a custom printer myself(The Lightroom, in Berkeley, CA.). A print can cost between $50-$100 depending on what they do to it(think Ansel Adams). I print plenty of my own too. But you can't even begin to say you are pro printing unless you are at least using a pigment printer and at a minimum all of the materials are giclee. A custom printer is using plug-ins that cost more than CS6 and LR4 combined and do printing for a living, thus pro.
I know some pros that don't even do their own PP work let alone print,. They are really good at PP but they are not pros at it. Same goes with the printing. Odellvic, I know this is not what you were looking for. Anybody that thinks that Costco is good has never been to a custom printer.
Many spend $3000 on a camera and much, much more on lenses, then $250 on a dye based printer. They spend more on a CPL. There is something wrong with that picture(pun intended). The printer is definitely the weak link. You can not do your camera justice with a couple hundred dollar printer. Much of the time nobody cares how you got it printed.
But, there is a time to do your own prints, a time to send them to a lab, and a time to send them to the big boys.

Paul57 Loc: Birmingham, UK

Interesting topic. I run my own Engineering business and margins are tight in the current climate but it is oh so easy to think you have made a profit but by factoring in your time on design, order processing, invoicing, banking... etc have you really made a profit, broken even or been a busy fool?

The only approach can be to look at each stage of your 'process', evaluate it properly and then add a margin.

As an amateur, I do get some of my prints done professionally at http://www.proamimaging.com/pricelist.php something like 78 cents for a 10 x 8 and their quality is top drawer. OK, I known I have to pay P&P but if I was a 'Pro and having many prints run off, that cost would get apportioned properly.

nikon_jon Loc: Northeast Arkansas

Professionally printed? Mmmmm, I think that in the study of advertising techniques, those are called weasel words.

Now, on the other side of the fence, in defense of the term, there are photogs that like to have their work printed full frame, meaning they don't want anything cropped off. There are printing labs that will do that, whereas, the local Walmart or Walgreens can give you good color and great printing quality, but their equipment will not print full frame. So, perhaps for that you need a 'professional' printing facility.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

I would assume a professional print means that it was printed at a pro lab. I sell professional prints to my clients, and would never consider printing at home and trying to peddle my prints as professional.

There are labs out there that offer great quality prints and you don't have to be a professional to use. Mpix is one of them.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

:thumbup:

...and since most don't really understand photography, they get impressed by the term. (I believe that's part of marketing!) LoL

GAClowers Loc: Tacoma, Washington

I print all of my own up to 8x10. After that I use Costco. I have tried others but Costco is very professional.

MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy

ding, ding, ding, ding.. we have a winner. The professionals I know personally that sell prints (most do) have their prints printed at professional quailty print labs (not walmart, costco, walgreens) and take pride in a top knotch quailty item. They simply letting their clients know that pay attention to every detail, including print quality.