Comparison Shopping for print production services

1) Imaging
Regardless of the print medium you choose the first step is converting your original into a file that can be translated into a print.
 

No fee - Some print houses advertise no fee for imaging. Our advice would be to find out exactly what you receive for a no fee scan. Sometimes it is a legitimate marketing tool to generate new business. Most often the fees that follow cover the cost and occasionally it is coupled with a minimum print order.

Flat Fee - Exactly as it sounds, one charge covers the imaging and sometimes color corrections. Flat fees are generally pretty low ranging from $25 to $75 dollars. It is important to find out exactly what you will receive for that fee. Flat fees are a good bargain if you can obtain a usable product without engaging the print house for any other services.

Fees based on Megabytes - We have seen some print houses use the size of the digital file as a method for arriving at a price for imaging. As you will probably receive digital media with the file copied to it as part of the service, our only advice would be to make sure you are not charged for excessive DPI. 300 to 400 DPI is sufficient for printing. An 8" x 10" image at 300 DPI is about 20.5 megabytes in RGB and 27.5 in CMYK, at 1200 DPI the same file is 329.5 in RGB a whopping 439.5 meg in CMYK. At $1.00 per megabyte that could amount to a substantial difference in the final price.

Fee based on original dimensions - This is practical on two occasions. 1) If the fee includes output on to a substrate. There is a direct correlation between the size of the original and the amount of ink and substrate required to produce a print. 2) If the size of the original exceeds the area that the digital equipment can image in one shot. Back to top.

 

In traditional photography once the image is captured there a several more processes to complete before you have a finished product. The same applies to digital photography. The raw digital file has to be converted into standard color spaces, digitally cleaned of defects, squared, margins applied and color corrected so the end result closely matches the original. Other digital items to prepare a file for printing would include the addition of text, re-sizing, gallery wraps for canvas, signature removal or other surface editing.

 

No Fee - As it is with Imaging, no fee pricing is great if it is part of a promotion or if there are no minimums placed on subsequent services.

Flat Fee - Most often you will find flat fees as part of an a la carte style of pricing. A flat fee appears inexpensive but it is important to find out exactly what the fee includes and more important what it excludes. You may find a flat charge for converting to color spaces, another for digital work and yet another for color correction. It is also good to find out how much effort is expended on color correcting. An inexpensive flat fee is useless if you are charged for each revision and you have to return several times to review new proofs.

Fee charged by the hour - Hourly charges are common for digital time and preparing a digital file is digital work. Prices range from $45.00 per hour to $125.00 per hour. There are two questions to ask when paying by the hour.
1) Is billing done in increments? This means if the technician works for 15 minutes, you will be billed for 15 minutes or 1/4 of the hourly fee. It is not an uncommon practice to bill a flat hour for work that may not take an hour to complete. 2) Is the technician experienced? Work that may take an in-experienced technician hours may be completed in minutes by an experienced technician.

Fee included in the scan - Imaging and preparation are directly related, like shooting and developing a photograph. It is uncommon for an artist to request a digital image that is not going to be used for some application and a raw digital image is usually not optimized for display or printing. Just as you would with any all inclusive package, find out what is included and what is excluded. Back to top.
 

3) Proofs
Proofs are hard copies of your digital file. Not all proofs are created equal. Common practices are to provide an 8" x 10", a 2" wide slice or 8" x 10" sample of the full size, or a full size proof. Be sure your proof is printed on the substrate the finished print will be crafted on. If you are paying per proof it is important to find out how close the first proof will be or better yet the average number of proofs other clients pay for.

 

Flat fee per proof - With this fee you can expect to pay a single rate for each proof provided to you. This also means you will pay for each revision you make.

Fee based on square inches - With this option you are paying for each proof based on the dimensions of the print. This is a good method if you are working small, but can get costly if you work large. Fees range from $.08 to $.20 per square inch, pricing that coincides with the actual cost of finished prints.

Fee based on Digital time - This fee is based on the amount of time it takes the technician to color correct and or execute requested revisions. It may even include the amount of time it takes to run the print. If you are paying this way it is best to get estimates before proceeding.

Fee included in upfront cost - Now is when a comparison between all inclusive fees with a la carte fees starts to even out. Again it is important to find out exactly what is included or excluded in the fee. Back to top.

 

4) Printing and Print costs 

The cost of re-prints is usually calculated two ways. The first is per Square Inch or Square Foot and the second is a flat rate for the substrate used.
 

Per Square Inch Pricing - Ranging from $.08 to $.20 per square inch the total price you pay is calculated by multiplying height X width, then multiplying that total by the square inch cost. An example would be 16" X 20" = 320 square inches. 320 square inches X $.10 = $32.00 To calculate Square feet divide the number of Square inches by 144. In this case a 16" X 20" print would be 26.67 square feet. This pricing is ideal because you only pay for the actual print area.

Flat rate for Substrate used - Substrates for digital printers come in sheets and rolls. Initially this pricing structure was used for substrates in sheet form. Lately we have seen it employed for rolls as well. The way this works is you pay a flat rate for printing on a 30" x 40" sheet. Price per print is dependant on the number of prints you can fit on that sheet. When this pricing structure is used for rolls the price is calculated by the number of linear feet used. The benefit of this type of pricing is seen when there is total optimization of the printable surface. If your print is 16" X 20" you will pay the same as you would for a 30" X 40" print.

 

Other points to consider when comparing print prices.
 

1) What type of substrate is being used? Be sure the paper weight is the same when comparing per square inch prices.
2) What type of ink is being used and what performance rating does it have on the substrate your print is crafted on. In short, how long before it fades?
3) Is there a minimum order? Is there a surcharge if you want less than the minimum?
4) Do you have to re-order within a certain time period? We are aware of some print houses that require re-proofing at proof costs after a certain amount of time elapses.
5) Is digital time charged every time you re-order? Some houses charge the square inch cost plus the digital time it requires to pull the file from archives and print it.
6) What type of guarantee is offered?
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5) Finishing
Finishing is work that is done on a replica to complete presentation of the final product. Finishing includes items such as cutting, deckling, coating and embellishing.
 

Cutting - Some print houses charge for cutting prints. Chances are that your giclée will be printed on a substrate larger than the actual print and will require trimming. Cutting is usually charged at a flat rate.

Deckling - The option to have a deckled edge on your print is available at some shops. We recommend that you employ this service if you would like a deckled edge. Even if you are experienced at deckling, the coating on digital papers causes the paper to respond differently than other papers. Deckling is charged at a flat rate and by the linear foot. To calculate linear feet add the dimensions of all four sides of your work then divide by 12. A 16" X 20" print would be 16" + 20" + 16" + 20" = 72" divided by 12 would be 6 linear feet.

Coating - There are several formulations of coatings but most are acrylic based. Coating provides scratch resistance, extra UV protection and beauty to prints. We highly recommend coating your canvas giclées. The coating also allows the artist to paint on (embellish) the work themselves. Coating is also available on paper at some print shops. The highly specialized nature of these coatings makes them very costly, from $75 to $125 per gallon. Charge for coating is usually calculated by the square inch or square foot. You can expect to pay $.02 to .04 per square inch. Beware of minimum square foot requirements, particularly if there is a surcharge for coating prints that do not meet the minimum.

Embellishing - You will find some print providers will also offer embellishing as a finishing service. Generally when a print provider embellishes they actually texture the finish coating with a brush. If you are going to choose this service ask to see a sample. The brushstrokes should match the original. Back to the top.
 

6) Quality control
Although there are no direct costs or charges related to quality control there are some indirect costs worth mentioning. Every print provider has different definitions as to what a quality finished print is and it does not always meet the expectation of the artist. Throughout the production process defects are almost expected. The printer may create a band or an over sized drop, substrates may contain defects and the finish coat may be marred by imperfections. We know of one print provider who considers any unwanted drops of ink 1/8 of an inch or smaller acceptable. A 1/8 inch drop of black ink in a light colored area would appear huge and Qoro would consider that unacceptable, but if this were your print provider you would have to pay for the print and either sell it as it is or destroy it. Be sure you have a clear understanding of your print providers response to giclees that do not meet your standards or it could cost you more than you expect at a later date. Back to the top.

7) Security
Security is another point worth considering when shopping for a print provider. You should obtain information in four distinct categories. They include protection of your original, protection of your copyright, protection of your privacy, and protection of your image files. Aside from fees for archiving your digital files we do not know of any print provider that charges for security measures however omission of any of these categories from your print providers program could be costly at a later date.
 

Protection of your original - Repairing or replacing an original is a cost no artist or collector anticipates. Questions to ask your print provider would be:
1) How is the original handled and stored?
2) If it is being shipped, how will it be packaged and what type of shipping will be used. It is our experience that  ground services that are not expedited are more likely to damage a package than next day or air services.
3) Is there an alarm system at the facility?
4) Is the business insured to handle and store artwork? Most insurance policies have an exclusion for artwork so be sure your provider has included artwork in their policy.

Protection of your copyright - If you are entering into a contract for print services be sure to have a qualified attorney review any paperwork that you intend on signing. The cost to retain a copyright attorney is high and the chance of you gaining any monetary awards are slim in the event unauthorized copies of your work enter into the marketplace. If you are not entering into a contract be sure that your image will not be used for any purpose other than the edition you are authorizing on the substrate you have chosen. Any variations from this should require your approval.

Protection of your privacy - This really only applies to collectors who do not wish the location of priceless artwork disclosed. Your print provider must operate with the highest integrity to insure that a private client remains private.

Protection of your finished digital files - This is important for two reasons. The first applies more to copyright protection. The digital files must be stored so the general public can not access them. The second is you will probably invest a substantial amount of time and money setting up a print on demand program. In the event of a computer failure or catastrophic event a recovery plan has to be in place. We receive numerous requests from artists who are trying to produce prints from prints because their print provider lost the files and the originals have been sold. Back to the top.
 

8) Marketing
There are really only two questions to ask that apply to marketing. Will your print provider assist you in selling your giclées?  If so how much do they charge for the service?