Cost per Print on Epson 7900

[pcmurray]

As a relative newcomer in the field of printing for a business plan, I am seeking some practical advice from experts here. My client will be providing the files.  I have been asked to make 24 x 30 prints on my Epson 7900. We have yet to decide the factors such as paper type so I'd like to get some pricing ideas for different papers? How much could I reasonably charge to cover my costs for a variety of papers and come out with a fair profit. I have the large ink tanks installed. Have yet to decide on roll versus cut sheets and assume that the latter is more expensive. Am looking for specifics.

Thanks in advance.

Best,
pcmurray

[dgberg]

Pretty simple really. Take the cost you paid for your paper and figure the square footage price paid. Ink the same way. 700ml @$216.00 per cart is .31 a ml. Size of your print is needed to figure ink usage ,but it can be done. Add the ink and paper costs together and that is your (Materials) cost less ink and paper waste. You've got a $4,000 printer,a computer system and finally your time. Only you can come up with those numbers.  I got a quote for larger prints on canvas from an Epson 9900. The price to me was .15 cents a sq. inch which comes to $21.60 a sq. foot. That was too expensive for me as I had no room for markup. Just go on as many websites as you can find pricing. See where you want to be and pick a number.
Dan Berg
Bergs Canvas Gallery

[pcmurray]

Thanks for the reply. Need to come up with pricing soon and would really appreciate some more input with price listing. Can't seem to find specifics using various Epson papers with 7900 printer.I'm working in a nyc studio.
Thanks.

Best,
pcmurray

[bill t.]

Ballpark-wise, charge less than $4 sq/ft with just about any paper and you're losing money.  Charge less than $8 and you're spinning your wheels.  As to specifics, you will need books on basic business and accounting and a good spreadsheet program.  Accountants are surprisingly good at calling your attention to all the things you need to consider when setting a price, and there are more of those things than most of us ever thought of, and most have very little to do with printers and materials.

[Dick Roadnight]

You need to cover your material costs, your printer and computer overheads, your office overheads and your time.

If you have to work on short deadlines, and you are printing when you want to do something else, your rate might be different to what you would charge if it was work you could fit in at your convenience.

If you have to do test prints for approval, cost for it... if you have a well-profiled system and can expect to get it right first time...

Are the pictures consistent (e.g. studio) and do they come ready re-touched and colour-sorted or do you have to work on them?

You need to consider your personal time and machine time - if you do long print runs It takes less of your time, more machine time.

In euro-ling, I was thinking of about £1/A4 for ink. (A4 is 297 mm * 220 mm, or about 2/3 of a square foot)) Epsom premium semi-gloss is £100/30M*22" or £3.33/24*36" print.

Ink is a significant part of the cost, and the currently popular large underexposed areas use more Ink.

24*36" is about A1, which is 8*A4, so, on that basis, material cost would be £11.33/A1 or 24 *30".

I would hope that the life expectancy of the printer would be in excess of 10,000 prints, so at a cost of £10,000 (including Photoshop, RIP, printer and computer), £1 per print might cover your hardware overheads.

Add about the same for office/studio overheads (or four times as much for NY, or city centre). Will they give you enough work to cover your overheads?

The personal time depends on the number of prints more than the area. Roll paper is the obvious option, particularly if you do not have to change rolls ( or use sheets) for different sizes, but will you have to change rolls for different papers?

Have they come to you because they know the quality that the 7900 can produce? ... Or are they just hoping that you will not be aware of the true costs?

Will they collect from you, or do you have to deliver or post and pack?

If the pictures are very hi-res will this slow you down? Do you need a faster computer/card reader ...

Are you a one man band?

If they do not want to pay for quality - price yourself out of the job and let them use the local commercial printer - what do they charge?