Print

[nainu]

If anyone is still looking for a good place to get prints from;  I always get my posters printed from:  http://www.psprint.com

They're really cheap, Really high quality, they always have sales going on pretty much every month, and if you live in the bay area you can save on shipping and simply pick up your order since they are located in Oakland. If you dont live in the Bay Area, I suggest ordering them perhaps a week or so in advance and pick them up when you come for Fanime  c: 

They're having one for 60% off posters right now, but I don't think I'll be able to draw my picture in time for that. Is that a rare sale they're having, or do they often have sales like that?

Their regular price is way too much for me.

No they have sales like that often. Ive been purchasing posters from them these past few years and they always have a sale near Fanime.  I think they have one monthly.  It varies from  40% to 60% off. 

[Hachimitsu-ink]

oh wow...i think i should purchase from them instead O_O!....

thanks for the help ^ ^!

[LiL Moon]

I'm curious, how consistent are your prices? I mean, I sell things like plushies online all the time, but sometimes I change their prices just a bit for conventions. Sometimes they are cheaper, sometimes I add a bit more to their cost. I'm going to be bringing some plushies that I sell for quite a bit online, but I am worried that they won't sell too well at a convention because of their high price. Should I decrease their price just for the con or should I go ahead with my original selling price?

[sayonararollingstar]

Thread revival!

I thought it would be a good idea to show you guys the quality of my prints. I recently started ordering my prints from Catprint.com and they're really good and high quality. Plus, they're really afordable. I was super surprised at how good they came out. The following pictures don't do the prints much justice because I have a pretty crappy camera, but I hope it's still noticeable.

I think I picked "Heavy Card Stock Glossy" for my prints. They're not super glossy, like photo paper, but it's much nicer and has shiny, almost matte feel to it.











 

[princeofrose]

Wow! Those are really good! I love the two right ones-with yoshi and the girl with the penguin :> So cute! I love your style!

[catnapcaps]

I'm curious, how consistent are your prices? I mean, I sell things like plushies online all the time, but sometimes I change their prices just a bit for conventions. Sometimes they are cheaper, sometimes I add a bit more to their cost. I'm going to be bringing some plushies that I sell for quite a bit online, but I am worried that they won't sell too well at a convention because of their high price. Should I decrease their price just for the con or should I go ahead with my original selling price?

I'd just stick with your regular price. If you sell them online anyway, you can just keep them for your online stock if they don't sell at con :3. You could also kind of play it by ear, if a customer really wants it but is a few dollars short, offer to sell it to them for that price if you are comfortable with it if you feel that price is fair and you feel comfortable selling it for that price to that particular person. I'm more inclined to lower the price a little on some of my items if someone doesn't have enough if they are nice to me and honestly seems to like my work than I am to someone who flat out demands I lower the price :/. For those types of customers I just inform them that if it doesn't sell at con, it just goes to my online stock.

[LiL Moon]

I'd just stick with your regular price. If you sell them online anyway, you can just keep them for your online stock if they don't sell at con :3. You could also kind of play it by ear, if a customer really wants it but is a few dollars short, offer to sell it to them for that price if you are comfortable with it if you feel that price is fair and you feel comfortable selling it for that price to that particular person. I'm more inclined to lower the price a little on some of my items if someone doesn't have enough if they are nice to me and honestly seems to like my work than I am to someone who flat out demands I lower the price :/. For those types of customers I just inform them that if it doesn't sell at con, it just goes to my online stock.

I totally understand what you mean. I just have a different thought process when it comes to cons. Like you said, if I don't sell something, I just pack it up and take it to the next con or sell it online. But I also don't want to bring a ton of things that don't sell simply because they are too high. Then I feel like I'm wasting my time on making this stuff. I think it depends on the con too. Like at AX, I have no problems selling higher priced items, they sell quickly regardless, but Fanime...I'm not sure. I guess I will just have to see how I feel when the time comes. On your second point, I've had a few customers who will "literally" empty their entire wallet on my table to get the exact amount of the item. Usually it comes down to a difference of a few cents or close to a dollar. They look so sad and desperate, how could I NOT give them a discount? XD

[RaelynnMarie]

Do you get your things printed online or printed at a local store?
I want to know a place where to print things for cheap but its hard to find one.
Man you have a lot of prints O__O
I need to hurry up and make some!

Also do you know a good place to print buttons? I can only find 100 buttons for 100 dollars and that is too expensive for me D:

For my 8.5x11 and 11x17 prints I go here! http://www.catprint.com/
I order my 4x6 and 5x7 prints here - http://winkflash.com (suuuuper cheap)
And I get my 6x9 prints at http://adoramapix.com

I don't know of a place that will make buttons for you, sorry! :C I have my own button maker. I highly recommend you invest in one, though! It pays off in the end. C:

Is there a reason you buy from so many different places? Is it just because each one is the cheapest where you get it? And you said Winkflash (right? I think it was Winkflash) was hit and miss. Do you think their prices are worth hit and miss, or...?

I was thinking of doing all mine from CatPrint; that way I'd have them all the same quality and similar look, but I'd like to know if it would be a better move to purchase from multiple places, instead?

[chibimonster]

I have a question about larger prints...

I was considering selling some poster-size prints (18x24, most likely), and I've been looking at prices from various print services. It seems that it's always around $20 to get an 18x24 print made. If I were to get them at that price, I'd probably end up selling them at $35. However, I don't think people will be interested on spending that much on one print, even if it is really large. Again, I'm kind of new to this, so if people actually will buy an 18x24 print for $35, please let me know.

Also, is there a place where I can get 18x24s printed for less than $20?

[sayonararollingstar]

Do you get your things printed online or printed at a local store?
I want to know a place where to print things for cheap but its hard to find one.
Man you have a lot of prints O__O
I need to hurry up and make some!

Also do you know a good place to print buttons? I can only find 100 buttons for 100 dollars and that is too expensive for me D:

For my 8.5x11 and 11x17 prints I go here! http://www.catprint.com/
I order my 4x6 and 5x7 prints here - http://winkflash.com (suuuuper cheap)
And I get my 6x9 prints at http://adoramapix.com

I don't know of a place that will make buttons for you, sorry! :C I have my own button maker. I highly recommend you invest in one, though! It pays off in the end. C:

Is there a reason you buy from so many different places? Is it just because each one is the cheapest where you get it? And you said Winkflash (right? I think it was Winkflash) was hit and miss. Do you think their prices are worth hit and miss, or...?

I was thinking of doing all mine from CatPrint; that way I'd have them all the same quality and similar look, but I'd like to know if it would be a better move to purchase from multiple places, instead?

I get my smaller prints from Winkflash just because it's a little bit cheaper than getting them from catprint. The 4x6 prints are 8 cents each (6 cents when they have a sale) and the 5x7 prints are 25 cents each. I can get up to 120 4x6 prints for only $10+$5 shipping, so it's more convenient for me. I checked on catprint how much it would cost me to print the same amount and it came up to $20. I think their prices are definitely worth the hit and miss, to be honest. The colours of the prints won't match the exact colours of the pic on your monitor (light colours get a little darker and vice versa) so the best thing to do is to lighten your pics just a smidgen so they don't come out too dark.

However, it's all up to you! If you want, you can get 50 free 4x6 prints from winkflash by signing up. I think it's only good for your fist order, though. The coupon code is 50FREE. If the prints aren't exactly what you wanted, then you should get everything at catprint if you want everything to be of the same quality.

[octorok]

Hey guys! Reviving this thread bc it r cool.

Someone mentioned that they sell 4x6 prints for $1... Is that the average cost for 4x6s at the AA? ? @____@ It seems kinda low. I want to print mine at Office Max because I can have quick proofs there, and they charge 66 cents each :x

I'm hesitant to order online because I'd like to have proofs. However, I don't think I'll have a choice if 4x6s are $1. Do you guys have any suggestions for how I should prepare my files for print? Do they normally print lighter or darker, or is there no pattern?

[kookiekween99]

Do you guys have any suggestions for how I should prepare my files for print? Do they normally print lighter or darker, or is there no pattern?

I'm not really an artist, but I do work in the field of graphic design. If your files are in CMYK mode rather than RGB mode, they will print somewhat closer to what you see on the screen.

Here's an online article that explains the difference: http://www.copy-cd.biz/dtp-area/RGB-vs-CMYK.jsp

Here's another article that explains how it will affect your prints and how to compensate for that in Photoshop: http://www.ne14design.co.uk/articles/convert_RGB_to_CMYK.htm

[octorok]

Do you guys have any suggestions for how I should prepare my files for print? Do they normally print lighter or darker, or is there no pattern?

I'm not really an artist, but I do work in the field of graphic design. If your files are in CMYK mode rather than RGB mode, they will print somewhat closer to what you see on the screen.

Here's an online article that explains the difference: http://www.copy-cd.biz/dtp-area/RGB-vs-CMYK.jsp

Here's another article that explains how it will affect your prints and how to compensate for that in Photoshop: http://www.ne14design.co.uk/articles/convert_RGB_to_CMYK.htm

Thanks for the info! This will make me more confident to print online, methinks.

[princeofrose]

Hey guys! Reviving this thread bc it r cool.

Someone mentioned that they sell 4x6 prints for $1... Is that the average cost for 4x6s at the AA? ? @____@ It seems kinda low. I want to print mine at Office Max because I can have quick proofs there, and they charge 66 cents each :x

I'm hesitant to order online because I'd like to have proofs. However, I don't think I'll have a choice if 4x6s are $1. Do you guys have any suggestions for how I should prepare my files for print? Do they normally print lighter or darker, or is there no pattern?

I don't know if this was already answered-if I am repeating myself tell me and I'll delete my post

Yeah-the $1 for 4x6 prints are REALLY cheap-usually they go for $3-5
I usually saw them sold as $4 though
If you are printing on glossy paper I woudl recommend making it a tad lighter beucase glossy paper makes everything darker XP
for everything else i dunno

[sayonararollingstar]

I just received my 4x6 prints from winkflash.com and they look okay to me.

Hey guys! Reviving this thread bc it r cool.

Someone mentioned that they sell 4x6 prints for $1... Is that the average cost for 4x6s at the AA? ? @____@ It seems kinda low. I want to print mine at Office Max because I can have quick proofs there, and they charge 66 cents each :x

I'm hesitant to order online because I'd like to have proofs. However, I don't think I'll have a choice if 4x6s are $1. Do you guys have any suggestions for how I should prepare my files for print? Do they normally print lighter or darker, or is there no pattern?

I don't know if this was already answered-if I am repeating myself tell me and I'll delete my post

Yeah-the $1 for 4x6 prints are REALLY cheap-usually they go for $3-5
I usually saw them sold as $4 though
If you are printing on glossy paper I woudl recommend making it a tad lighter beucase glossy paper makes everything darker XP
for everything else i dunno

I just got my order from winkflash.com and they look okay to me. They're only 8 cents each and that's why I can get away with selling them at $1 each. Honestly, $4-5 seems too much for me; I sell my letter size prints for $5 so seeing someone sell their 4x6 for $5 is kinda crazy. Then again, it depends where you get your supplies from.

[Oniko]

I just got my order from winkflash.com and they look okay to me. They're only 8 cents each and that's why I can get away with selling them at $1 each. Honestly, $4-5 seems too much for me; I sell my letter size prints for $5 so seeing someone sell their 4x6 for $5 is kinda crazy. Then again, it depends where you get your supplies from.

Those are so cute.  I never thought to sell my prints smaller but it seems like a great idea.

[princeofrose]

What's letter size? is that 8x10? they are usually sold at $8 per print
Well you also have to take in account the time each picture takes as well :O
and how complex the print is.
I really think you are selling your prints for really cheap but that is just me >__>;
They are really adorable though I love your madoka ones even though Idon't watch the show-and Stocking is really cute >W<
If you draw Brief I'll want one lol

The only problem with winkflash is I don't think they have a template for their 4x6 prints...so I had a border on my pics and the borders got cut off-also I think they printed it on one gigantic sheet so on three sides of the pic my borders would be there but at the top/bottom it would be completely cut off because I think that was just the way they cut them.
BUT I was dumb and made my prints EXACTLY 4x6 lol forgetting that they had to cut em and stuff >__>; I guess I was sill yand though tthey were printing them individually or something like that

[octorok]

What's letter size? is that 8x10? they are usually sold at $8 per print
Well you also have to take in account the time each picture takes as well :O
and how complex the print is.
I really think you are selling your prints for really cheap but that is just me >__>;
They are really adorable though I love your madoka ones even though Idon't watch the show-and Stocking is really cute >W<
If you draw Brief I'll want one lol

The only problem with winkflash is I don't think they have a template for their 4x6 prints...so I had a border on my pics and the borders got cut off-also I think they printed it on one gigantic sheet so on three sides of the pic my borders would be there but at the top/bottom it would be completely cut off because I think that was just the way they cut them.
BUT I was dumb and made my prints EXACTLY 4x6 lol forgetting that they had to cut em and stuff >__>; I guess I was sill yand though tthey were printing them individually or something like that

I have to agree, I think $1 is really super cheap. I will probably sell mine for around $2 or $3. They are cheap to produce, but just don't have any interest in producing things that make less than a dollars profit each @_____@ Same reason I don't want to do buttons.

It takes me a long time to draw, though, so maybe that's it. I add backgrounds to everything and try to have the characters interact with each other, etc. I don't mind charging less for things like keychains or bookmarks, cause the characters there can just be static and simple :3

Thanks for the tips, princeofrose! I'm gonna order 4x6s from winkflash, so I better put a border.

Speaking of Winkflash... I want to take advantage of that 50 free prints promo, but I also want to order some proofs before I order in bulk ): Have any you guys been able to order 1 free proof and then 49 free prints later or something? ?____? I feel like that is not gonna happen for me.

[vestien]

thought I'd toss in what I usually do.

4x6 = $3 each, 2 for $5
11x17 = $15 each, 3 for $30 (basically buy 2 get one free)
1.5 inch buttons = $2 each, 3 for $5, 6 for $10

I still need to order my prints though.  Usually I get the large prints as 12lb coated instead of glossy. They're thicker, easier for me to manage and I feel like they're sturdier for traveling.

for commissions, it varies. my lowest price is about $10 for sketch and $25-$40 for color

[octorok]

Thanks for the input, vestien :3

I have a question to those who order from Winkflash: Do they do any kind of auto-correcting or autobalancing on the pictures? Or do they just print it exactly as it comes?

I've been getting proofs from Walgreens. I know it's stupid and the point is to order a proof from the exact place I'm getting the rest, but I didn't want to waste my 50FREE on one proof >: I also figured that I might get at least SOME idea of how it'll look on glossy paper if I print it at Walgreens.

Anyway, after a couple adjustments, I've realized that Walgreens auto-contrasts everything I print. Should I keep adjusting cause Winkflash will do the same, or should I just brighten everything a smidge and send it to Winkflash?

Thanks guys!