What is your pricing structure for enlargements?

[mandyatm]

I have set prices for common print sizes but need to figure out what I want to charge for large prints and specialty items that I want to start offering. Do you mark them all up by the same percentage? Or add a flat amount, or a little of both? Some of the items are already expensive anyway, I just don't know how much to mark up. I guess I don't need to know the exact amount that you charge if you don't want to share, but I would like to know what method you used to come up with those amounts. Thank you!

[Jim Poor]

Marking up everything by a set percentage really doesn't work.

My 4x6 prints are marked up about 20 times over what they cost me, but I can't do the same for a 24x30.

When I first figured prices, I did a "per square inch" calculation and then fudged the numbers a bit based on what I thought folks in my market would or wouldn't pay for a given size / product.

As time went on, I refined prices based on experience and my efforts to drive sales toward certain sizes.

Specialty items are a whole different story. Not much margin in many of them to make "trinkets" very profitable.

[MWerner]

I created a spreadsheet with the prints and specialty items listed in the A column, their costs to me in the B column, and in all the other columns I set up formulas for what the prices would be at all the different percentages of markups, if that makes sense. I think I started with a 100% markup and went in 50% increments all the way up to a 500% markup. That way I can readily see all the different prices for everything, and I can decide what is right for my current pricing list.

[mandyatm]

Thank you! I guess by specialty I mean canvas and mounted prints and the like, not really trinkets. As said, a 4x6 is marked up quite a bit percentage-wise, but I can't mark up a canvas print by the same amount. I just have no idea how much to mark up. $20? 10%? I will try the techniques you both mentioned!

[FrankLamont]

Take a look at how much you want to earn. Apply this to the base (in this case, 6"x4") and then go up, applying the same but increasing it.

Eg;
Say $3 on top of cost. If a 6x4" costs $0.50 to have printed, make it $3.00. For a 5x7", printing might cost $2.00. So it's $5.00 - but add more; so, say a further $5.00, thus $10.00.
For a 8x10", it might cost $3.50. So add the $3.00 ($6.50), then add the $5 ($11.50), and then another $5.00 ($16.50).

It really depends on your area. You can always have a look at local business prices and personalise it.

[MWerner]

Compare what some similar photographers in your area are charging for those items. But I'll tell you right now, mark them up way higher than $20 or 10% if you want to make money.

[mandyatm]

haha, that was just an example of flat amount vs percentage. I will try your technique too friedchicken, these responses are exactly what I was looking for.

I usually sell prints in the 8x10 and 24x36 range

I charge $40 for 8x10's and $2-300 for a poster.

Usually, depends on if I like them or not or how much of a pain in the ass they were.

~Eric

[OsmosisStudios]

For one-off or limited runs of art prints:
Cost x 5 = round up to nearest $25 (if necessary).

For instance, a 16x20 costs me about $30. As such, generally speaking a print of this size will cost the customer $150. A 24x36 print costs be about $50m, and therefore costs the customer $250.

For prints from a client shoot:
Cost x 3 + round up a bit.

For instance, I generally don't print larger than 16x20, as i have no demand for prints any larger. As such, i often end up charging about $90 for them, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more.

8x10: $25
5x7: $10
4x6: $5