Making a Switch CDs to Actual Prints, looking for some tips

[Ronie]

So first off I hope I'm posting this in the right place. That being said, I've recently been doing several shoots for pay, and what I have been doing up till this point was CD's, I was thinking 'Oh just give the people the Cd so they can print their own pictures, save myself some hassle right?' Alright so that was a wrong assumption, I've figured out through experience and through what I've learned through research on this forum, that giving away your pictures can be a issue.

1) I found that most people will not get it printed on the right type of photo paper, and that can make a lot of difference in your prints. (I'm not a professional obviously, and I have to market myself anyway I can, and if the pictures don't look right on people's walls... who's going to hire that phonographer?

2) Another thing I'm finding is not only photo paper a problem, sometimes when you print them at the 'cheaper places' heads, arms, feet or other areas of the body get cut off. Once again not good!

So here's what I'm looking for tips when it comes to getting prints.
1.) Where would you guys suggest I get prints, I would prefer to get them online because between going to school during the week, and working a job at home on the weekends, finding time to get to a printer can be hard.
2.) I've seen someone mention (not sure where) that they had it linked to their site where their clients could purchase prints, is this a normal occurance? And what's the best way to set this up?
3.) I'm looking into setting up packages, and I'm not sure what most packages include? I'm not specifically geared towards one specific type of photography right now I just just enjoy it all, I do seniors, family, engagement etc. Do you offer different packages for different sessions?
4.) If I get them printed from an online source, do I charge an extra fee for that? There is little print handling on my part it would seem, so I basically need to know if I need to raise my session fee to make up for it.

For now I think that's all the questions I have. Probably will have more as I make the switch, thanks for putting up with me. Oh and thanks in advance for your help!

[Dibble]

I made the same switch about 4 months ago. I use Zenfolio for proofing and print orders. You can set how much you want to make on each print and all your prints are shipped directly to the customer. It cost $100 per year and from my experience has been a great way to offer prints without the extra work. The only downside is YOU are not selling the prints which some believe decreases the amount and size of the prints ordered. If you decide to go with Zenfolio you can use this code (H19-2PX-YBZ) to save $5.00.

[lonni]

Try searching for a pro lab, i can help you being in australia, thye usually order on line, only cater for pros and will be well priced, as well as offering you supperior print and paper quality.

You can go online for proofing but i would recommend printintg a proof sheet or print the proof on 5x7 sizes, most labs have good proof size pricing, so you can show the client face to face.

This means you will be able to try to sell more prints. Online is good but it is hard to translate veiwing into buying. It also helps with people pinching images.

Where i live customers pay for the sitting and usually 1 or 2 larger prints, all built inot the price, then you sell the prints sepperately, give the clients a leaflet with your prices on them at the sitting so they have time to figure out what they can afford.

As with packages it would depend on what type of shoot it is etc. Try to figure out what each of the clients would want. Each area is differnt but here is a few examples

For childrens photograhy i always do things in multiples of 3, as the parents usually want one copy for themselves and one for each set of grandparents. More grandparents =more sales.

Seniors will usually want to have the big canvas or enargelemt on the wall and some smaller prints to send to grandparents, aunts and uncles and the BF's.

[Jim Poor]

2) Another thing I'm finding is not only photo paper a problem, sometimes when you print them at the 'cheaper places' heads, arms, feet or other areas of the body get cut off. Once again not good!

This sounds to me more like a lack of understanding about either cropping and image ratios or overprinting.

Change a 4x6 to an 8x10 and you end up missing some off the top & bottom for example.

Many labs "stretch" prints just a bit somewhat like a bleed. This keeps white edges from popping up on cut prints.

Most labs recommend having anything "important" at least 1/4 of an inch away from the edges of a frame.

There are a lot of online labs and they've been recommended and discussed over and over on DPS. A quick search will reveal more, but here are some:

WHCC
MPIX
Millers
MyPhotoPipe