How determine a print price?

Hello all. I am hoping to get some advice in pricing. I decided to print some of my work for the first time and sent two images (travel) to a local full service lab? When I went to pick the prints up the employees told me that while trimming and mounting the prints a lot of regular customers were raving about them. One person in particular asked them to give me his phone number because he wants to purchase a print of one of the images. I’ve never sold my work before, I’m not a professional.....yet ߙ

I will call this person soon to see what he¢s looking for but I’m trying to anticipate what questions I might face during this conversation and what questions I may have after the conversation, and these are the burning ones that I can think of right now.

1.) should I sent the image off to a more professional lab than the local one I used?

2.) should I frame and matte or just deliver the print and let the client choose?

3.) what is a good starting point for a pricing model after charging full price for materials and printing?

Thank you all so much in advance for any tips or advice.

1. If the local lab sucks, yes. If not, no.

2. Ask client. Price accordingly.

3. Research how much a similar shot would cost, many stock sites out there, and go from there.

If folks were raving over the prints then it sounds like the lab did a good job. Mounting and other finishing costs can really drive up the cost. Find out what the customer has in mind for a finished product e.g. canvas wrap, face mount to plex, mounted on dibond, etc., then get your quotes. Another consideration is print quality in terms of what you are willing to accept from the lab, some labs make a distinction between a commercial quality and fine art print. You have more control over the latter. Commercial is usually intended for trade shows and the like and might get printed on a printer with smaller gamut than the fine art output.

texkam wrote in post #18527728
1. If the local lab sucks, yes. If not, no.

2. Ask client. Price accordingly.

3. Research how much a similar shot would cost, many stock sites out there, and go from there.

2. Ask client. Price accordingly.

^^^

unless the prospective buyer had seen any of your photos with price marked, they have no idea where you set the value.
conversely you have absolutely no idea of the budgetary limits of the buyer.
...so the challenge is to find a starting point from them, and then you ask for more money, and then agree upon a price that works for the both of you!

In asking the potential client you can ask if they have a particular format or price point in mind. If the client replies with price you can let them know how much or little that will buy. If the reply is format then you have a way to calculate your direct costs and add the value of your time.

Since I don't need the income, I tend to either greatly over-value or grossly under-value my time just to suit my evaluation of the client and personal whim. The first time I went ridiculously high I didn't much like the person and was surprised to get a quick acceptance. Another trick I've used is cost plus a nice donation to Wounded Warriors or Southern Poverty Law Center or similar.