How to price photography prints

Print pricing is two questions. What does the print cost you to deliver, and what is it worth to the buyer. Get both numbers and you have a range to charge inside. Skip either and you are guessing.

Cost first

Add up the per-print cost: printing, mounting or framing, packaging, postage, payment fees, and a share of your overhead (camera depreciation, software, insurance, time spent listing and replying).

Then add the margin you need. A 100 percent markup on direct cost is a floor for print-on-demand. Limited editions printed in batches can carry 4x to 10x markup because the supply is bounded.

Value second

What kind of buyer is looking at this photo. A holiday souvenir at a beach gallery is a different buyer than a corporate art consultant. The same photo can sell at 89 dollars unsigned A3 or 1,200 dollars signed limited-edition A1 in a frame.

A working ladder

• A4 unframed, open edition: 49 to 89 dollars.
• A3 unframed, open edition: 89 to 159 dollars.
• A2 unframed, open edition: 149 to 249 dollars.
• A1 unframed, open edition: 249 to 449 dollars.
• Add 80 to 200 percent for a quality frame.
• Add 50 to 300 percent for a numbered limited edition (state the edition size on the listing).

Things that move the price up

• Hand-signed or numbered.
• Hahnemuhle, Canson, or Ilford papers over standard satin.
• Aluminium or acrylic face-mounted.
• Local fulfilment with a fast turnaround time.
• A photographer with a real story or local reputation behind the photo.

Things that drag the price down

• No edition statement (buyers assume you will print infinite copies).
• Generic stock-style images. Wall buyers want something specific.
• Print-on-demand fulfilment with no quality control.
• Pricing that does not include shipping (the cart-abandon killer).

Test, do not guess

Pick six prints. List two sizes each. Watch which ones sell at which price for a month. Move the underperformers to a lower edition tier or a different size before changing the price.