How to Price Giclée Prints
A professional artist’s guide to pricing and selling profitable giclée prints.
Pricing for Profitability
There are many factors to consider for accurately pricing your prints for profitability. We’ll break this down one by one so you never leave money on the table.
As we discussed in the previous posts How to Make Giclée Prints, giclée prints are an investment in quality. The higher the quality, the higher the price you can command — not the $20 prints I occasionally see labeled as giclées that make me wonder how could the artist possibly be profiting if this is a true investment in a giclée?
Remember that you set your prices and are in control of your business profitability.
Ready to talk pricing with customers and land the sale? Be sure to read How to Sell Your Artwork with Confidence.
How to Compete Against Free Shipping Giants
It's recommended to build the cost of shipping into the final retail cost of the print. In a world of free shipping, the best way to adapt – and still be profitable – is to build all shipping, materials and assembly time into your cost. Your customers will thank you.
If you're selling through a website, you can toggle on an option to charge sales tax by state. If you're selling with in-person using a square card reader or similar handheld payment method, you can manually add in the tax. The same goes for paper and pencil if someone pays you cash in-person or at an event. Thinking about skipping the tax? Know that your tax provider is likely to catch on.
Take Your Time and Do the Math
Shipping is not just the sticker price that USPS gives you at the post office.
Don't make this mistake.
Shipping includes the time it takes for you to pack the print. The time it takes to go to the post office. The cost of the acid-free ClearBags, corner mounts, shipping tubes or shipping boxes.
All of this counts.
Do yourself a favor and avoid a surprised guest who sees a $20.00 shipping charge and expected it to be free, just like on Amazon. You are not Amazon.
You are safely transporting a delicate piece of artwork that needs to be secure. By building all aspects of shipping into your cost.
You'll rest easy knowing you are always covered and always profitable.
How to Calculate the Cost—Down to the Penny
Final Retail Cost: $90.00
Detailed Breakdown:
+ $40 Profit Markup (This is the money you actually make, once you subtract all the above costs. Choose what is most comfortable, but be sure this profit chosen is worth your time and energy. If you’re not a tiny bit uncomfortable with the price, you’re charging too low)
+ $14 Cost of printing (total print sheet cost divided by number of prints per sheet. This can vary widely depending on your printing method. We’ll estimate $70 to print 1 sheet that includes 5 prints = $14 per print. This is on the mid-to-high end.)
+ $1.60 Cost of image capture (a few dollars to account for this, or divided evenly on a limited edition. We’ll estimate an image capture costing $80 for a limited edition run of 50 prints = $1.60 per print)
+ $24.50 Cost of materials and shipping (detailed breakdown in next section)
+ $10.00 Cost of time (detailed breakdown in next section)
Calculating Cost of Materials, Shipping and Time
Cost of Materials, Shipping and Time: $33.50
Detailed breakdown:
$8.00 USPS Shipping with tracking and insurance (typically included up to $100. USPS is likely the best shipping rate. Expect to pay by weight (or size, if print is large) Use a service like PirateShip if you have access to a printer for lower rates, and no need to wait in line at the post office (ready to drop off as is).
$8.00 Shipping boxes/tube
$1.00 Packaging tape (use the large roller, and include a few bucks)
$3.00 ClearBags acid-free sleeves (sold in a multi-pack, calculate the cost per sleeve from the total)
$0.50 ClearBags acid-free mounting corners (if flat; sold in large quantities; using 4 per print in each corner )
$2.00 Shipping of ClearBags and/or shipping materials themselves (not free to you! One large order may cost $10-$20 to ship, so be sure to include a few bucks to even this out over time. This adds up!)
$1.00 if you're including a business card, note or anything extra related to marketing materials
$10 for your time. From start to finish, it may take up to 15-30 minutes to pack up one print, which may be worth anywhere from $10-$30+ for you personally. We’re also including time to and from the print shop and the post office. Yes your time is valuable.
How to Ship Prints? Flat or Tube?
There are pros and cons to each, depending on how big the print is and how you'd like to approach this. All shipping materials are available at places like Staples, Amazon, or Office Max.
Tubes
Pros: Offer maximum protection with little work. Tubes may reduce the hassle of having to mount the work with corners or cut down boxes. Always place the work in an acid-free sleeve, even if it is inside a tube.
Cons: With the artwork in a tube, the print will naturally develop a significant roll in the corners, like a scroll, which may make it more difficult to frame or handle, as it could be more prone to ripping and harder to straighten out. ITubes are a bit more expensive, so be sure to buy in bulk quantity, and have someplace to store the inventory.
Flat
Pros: Offers excellent protection if you take the time to package properly, with a more intuitive presentation to the client. Essentially, you can cut down large boxes and make a sort of 'book' with the help of package tape and acid-free mounting corners. The customer sees the work right away and there is more of a wow-factor (as opposed to being unable to straighten the print out since its rolled and held this form so tightly while in a tube).
Cons: It takes more time if you are creating your own shipping books. May be more susceptible to weather so you must apply at least 2 coats of tape around all edges.
How to Make a Flat Shipping Book
Note: If prints are smaller, you may not need as large a box to cut down. If you're packaging an 8x10 print, be sure your card board area is at minimum 14x16, leaving at least 3 inches on all sides between the print and the cardboard edge for protection.
-Buy large flat boxes from an office supply store (bigger the better)
-Cut down with a box cutter and yardstick on the floor, ensure you've left one edge to be the 'fold'
-Put print in an acid-free ClearBags sleeve
-Mount the corners of the print with acid-free mounting corners and tape down, or, use mounting strips.
-Cut down the cardboard will open like a book, be perfectly flat, and taped all around with good package tape (yes that giant package tape roll for office pros will become your best friend).
-Tape the open sides twice for best weatherproofing.
Print an address label by hand, or by using a helpful shipping site like Pirate Ship. Drop at the post office and keep an eye on tracking!
If you’ve mastered your pricing formula, you’re ready to start selling: How to Sell Your Art With Confidence
*note that our calculation is based on our individual experience creating a limited edition giclée print with a multi-step process in-person at a professional print ship. Print costs vary widely according to many factors — see our previous pricing article for more details and factors that affect these outcomes.
