TWOLITREmedia wrote in post #12506959
Actually they're not bad at all. Today I picked up a 4 pack of the gloss optimizer which is the most heavily used cartridge for 14 dollars. 1 Gloss optimizer cartridge lasted me about 16 13"x19" prints. All 7 of the other cartridges are sold in individually only for 14$ each, making it about a 100$ full cartridge change. This may sound expensive but the colour cartridges do not go down even nearly as fast as the photo black or gloss optimizer. The cyan magenta and yellow is still going strong on 30+ 13"x19" prints without a swap!
Honestly what I think it comes down to is are you using the printer strictly for personal use, or are you generating income from it. I personally can justify the 110$ pack of 50 13"x19" pre cut sheets, and all the ink due to the amount you can justify for that size of print. For people ordering 5 or more prints at 13"x19" I am charging 15$ per print which is cheap compared to print labs, and the quality is much better then to begin with. If a photo is majority black I charge 3$ extra to offset the cost of the heavy usage of the photo black. Not a single client has complained about the product or the price, and I have had nothing but return business all due to the printer. I have only had it for a week and a half and I have already covered half the cost of the printer itself as well as the first pack of paper. I also purchased the extended warranty to make sure anything that ever happened to the printer was covered, and I would get an over the counter replacement.
I would suggest investing in a printer like this to any freelance photographer looking for an easier way to justify actually charging customers for shoots to generate income. What I plan on doing is putting together photo shoot + print packages making it easier to interest people in paying for work to be done....cause let's face it, I'm not a pro, and we all know one of the hardest things with freelance photography is often justifying your services to clients, as some think they can do they're own work at your level and cut costs. With a tactile portfolio in hand to show them of 30+ prints I have done showcasing not only my work, but the print quality, this becomes a quick and efficient way of expanding your client base quickly.
Actually they're not bad at all. Today I picked up a 4 pack of the gloss optimizer which is the most heavily used cartridge for 14 dollars. 1 Gloss optimizer cartridge lasted me about 16 13"x19" prints. All 7 of the other cartridges are sold in individually only for 14$ each, making it about a 100$ full cartridge change. This may sound expensive but the colour cartridges do not go down even nearly as fast as the photo black or gloss optimizer. The cyan magenta and yellow is still going strong on 30+ 13"x19" prints without a swap!
Honestly what I think it comes down to is are you using the printer strictly for personal use, or are you generating income from it. I personally can justify the 110$ pack of 50 13"x19" pre cut sheets, and all the ink due to the amount you can justify for that size of print. For people ordering 5 or more prints at 13"x19" I am charging 15$ per print which is cheap compared to print labs, and the quality is much better then to begin with. If a photo is majority black I charge 3$ extra to offset the cost of the heavy usage of the photo black. Not a single client has complained about the product or the price, and I have had nothing but return business all due to the printer. I have only had it for a week and a half and I have already covered half the cost of the printer itself as well as the first pack of paper. I also purchased the extended warranty to make sure anything that ever happened to the printer was covered, and I would get an over the counter replacement.
I would suggest investing in a printer like this to any freelance photographer looking for an easier way to justify actually charging customers for shoots to generate income. What I plan on doing is putting together photo shoot + print packages making it easier to interest people in paying for work to be done....cause let's face it, I'm not a pro, and we all know one of the hardest things with freelance photography is often justifying your services to clients, as some think they can do they're own work at your level and cut costs. With a tactile portfolio in hand to show them of 30+ prints I have done showcasing not only my work, but the print quality, this becomes a quick and efficient way of expanding your client base quickly.
Very good info, thank you for sharing, I read it three times!
