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General discussion

selling digital photos

Mar 19, 2006 10:42AM PST

A friend of mine wants to sell his digital prints on a personal web site that he wants me to create. His hardware setup is as follows: Nikon D70 SLR digital camera, Epson R200 printer, Intel 3.0ghz/512mb/ATI PCI-E video card, notebook pc with Athlon64 3200/512mb/Radeon Mobility X200 video. Now, he as always had a very good eye for taking photos and has been offered money for the photos he has printed with his Epson R200 in his wife's business office in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. My wife and I have told him for years that he could easily sell them becaue they are gorgeous. He has his photos displayed in his computer room and in the hallways of his condo that have been printed at Ritz Camera. They are stunning with all of the different mattes he has them in. My question is, should he invest in another printer despite the stunning quality of his prints from his present setup? I know that there is on-going debates about the durability and life expectancy of digital prints. I know that a lot depends on the paper. Thanks for any input.

Rocco

Discussion is locked

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Serious photographers are using the Epson R2400 or
Mar 19, 2006 12:05PM PST

its large format counterpart the 4800.

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printer calibration
Mar 20, 2006 3:18AM PST

Thanks for the reply. I researched the epson you mentioned and that looks good for just about everything(quality, longevity, etc.). I know that he doesn't have any printing calibration software, does the r2400 come with color profiles? Sounds like he will need the calibration software also, correct? Thanks

Rocco

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I'm sure it does include all the profiles for Epson paper.
Mar 20, 2006 4:13AM PST

I've used it a few times, and saw all the Epson profiles. I know its predecessor, the 2200, came with profiles for Epson paper. Paper from other sources would need profiles from the other sources, or the hardware/software needed to build his own.

Printers get profiled for ink/paper combinations, but don't really get calibrated except for printing various test patterns. He should have a calibrator to insure that his monitor is displaying colors correctly. That would be true no matter what printer is used. Scanners should also be calibrated although it may be more common to get a profile from the mfgr. Finally, the camera itself can be calibrated, but I don't know anyone who goes that far.

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color calibration
Mar 21, 2006 10:14AM PST

Most quality printers will have this on their websites that can be downloaded depending on the software he is using.

It is worth the trouble!

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Should He sell his Prints? Yes
Mar 21, 2006 10:11AM PST

I was reluctant also, but have had great success offering quality prints.

Use the best paper/ink combination. Usually matching the paper with the printer and ink gives the best quality.

Does the printer he now has offer archival quality inks?

I do varnish my prints to add to the life. I am, after all asking people to shell out their hard earned money for my work, and I think people have the right to expect me to offer the best quality that I can.

The beauty of prints is that people can see what they are getting, and if they are willing to pay for it, fine.

there is no reason to feel that film prints are better than quality digital prints.

Just produce the best quality you can and let your customers know exactly what they are getting.

Yes, paper matters, but so does ink.

With the right paper and ink, the prints should last at least 60 years, which is all you could expect of a film produced print. Many of them do not last that long.

I always tell my clients how to care for their photos, wither digital or standard prints, how to mat and frame, (I advise UV glass in frames) how to clean them (NEVER spray glass cleaner directly on the glass) and to avoid displaying them in strong sunlight, especially southern exposures. This way they can expect reasonable life from their purchases.

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doesn't grasp the scope of this
Mar 21, 2006 9:29PM PST

Well, he now tells me that he will send the prints to a photo lab for process and print. I don't think he realized what this whole thing of selling his prints on the 'Net entailed...buying a dot-com and the web page design, etc. After I had sent some links on some hardware/software he will need, he said his head was spinning with information. Thanks for all of the replies, you guys have been a great help!. Ciao

Rocco

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Its a shame-its doable
Mar 22, 2006 1:11AM PST

Its a shame that he let techphobea stop him.

While it can be a hassle to set up, there are a lot of low priced artist sites he could start with.

Is he going to try and sell locally? People are more likely to buy photos they relate to.

While I do sell on the interenet, most of my repeat sales come locally. People buy what hits them emotionally, and they are more likely to connect with what they recognize, or if they know the artist.

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Good Advice
Mar 22, 2006 10:17AM PST

Thanks for the tips. He retires next summer and I hope that he gets serious about this because he has great eye for this. But I don't think that he had given any forethought to what is involved in launching this right now. He has had offers from some wealthy patrons of his wife's business though. Thanks for the replies.

Rocco

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trail run
Mar 22, 2006 10:45PM PST

He could get a trail run on sites for artist, such as myexpose.com.

I have my site there, and he is welcome to look,

www.tschantz.myexpose.com

it is easy, but not free. There are other sites also available, but he has to market himself, which can be trickly on the web, but with you to guide him, he should do ok, especially if he has another income, and needed to just pay for this.

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We'll see
Mar 23, 2006 2:38AM PST

Thanks for the advice. I will run this by him. Like I say, he really didn't have any idea what this entailed and had not given any forethought to this. He depends a lot on me for any computer-related issues. His wife does very well in her business with very wealthy clientel so he just says he wants to do this when he retires in about a year. Hopefully, he will do this because of the quality of his work. Many thanks.

Rocco

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good work has many outlets
Mar 23, 2006 11:04AM PST

If his work is really good, he could look for many outlets.

Try joining a local arts group, or senior group.

I have found that good work does sell, the internet is only one outlet.

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Tell him to be sure that the photo lab has a color
Mar 22, 2006 1:21AM PST

management process that it uses to make prints. If they don't know what color management is, he should find another lab.

BTW, he's still going to have to calibrate his monitor if he expects to adjust his images. Otherwise, he may be unpleasantly surprised by what the lab produces. The optimum is to obtain the lab's color profile for the ink/paper/printer combination that they will use.

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Unsure
Mar 22, 2006 10:29AM PST

I am not sure if he has checked into which photolab he was going to use or any details concerning that issue. Now, I am going to ask him if he is going to calibrate his monitor because I think that is a must. So far I think that he has adjusted his images with Paint shop Pro's 'One Step Photo fix' and has been pleased with the results doing it that way. But you do have a point in his using the lab's color profile for the combination of materials that they use. Thanks, I will pass this along to him for sure. Appreciate the tips!

Rocco

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good lab
Mar 23, 2006 12:00PM PST

If it is a good lab, they should be more than willing to help him. After all, the happier he is with their work, the more work they will do.

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excellent comment
Mar 22, 2006 10:51PM PST

This is an excellent comment. many people are taking there work to these 1-hour kioks, now, and these are not the same. Some work quite well, the techs have a good understanding of it, but others do not.

See if you can talk to the person(s) doing the work. It may take a little effort to find the right people, but worth it, especally if you are going to sell your stuff.

Processing properly goes a long way in how long the prints last.

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Great Points
Mar 23, 2006 2:45AM PST

Most of these things that you have mentioned we will discuss with him when he decides to go ahead with this. You make great points and I hope that he takes things seriously because he can be successful in this if he wants to. Thanks so much for the replies.

Rocco