> For my own photo work, I plan to move to paperless proofing,
> offering clients low resolution, Web based images from which
> to choose OR proof books with small images that would be
> difficult to scan. To be honest, it's a lot easier than
> assembling albums!
Earlier this year I stumbled upon a nifty solution that kinda
addressed this. It only became possible due to a nearly 100%
shift to digital for wedding/portrait work.
I'm getting these "portfolio" binders in either 4x6 size (for
senior portraits) and 8.5x11 size (for weddings) and inkjet
printing the proofs. For the wedding binder, I'm printing no
more than four images to a page (I'm experimenting between four
and six and comparing customer reaction and reprint sales).
These full size sheets slip into the plastic sheets just fine
and dandy. It doesn't take very long at all to print them up
and the file name and/or date/time along with whatever other
notes I want displayed with the photo.
Several major benefits have emerged:
1. The black portfolio binders are dirt cheap.
2. The black portfolio binders are attractive.
3. Printing four or six pictures per page is inexpensive.
4. Slipping an entire page of pictures into the slot is fast.
5. Proof Print theft is almost non-existant since the pictures
are small and part of a larger page.
6. The entire binder is thin enough to be easily
carried/packed/mailed by the customer.
For the 4x6 portrait binder, I've been printing them multiple to
a page on 13x19 paper and just slicing them apart with a
roller-cutter. Cost of printing materials, doing it this way
are very low, but slightly more time consuming than printing
them on precut 4x6 paper. I may just get a 26' roll of 4" paper
and precut batches of my own 4x6 paper. Doing it this way, my
paper and ink costs are about $0.20 each compared to about $0.15
with the 13x19 paper. But stocking only one size of paper (and
buying in bulk) has its advantages--especially considering the
option of getting the better grade paper in the 13x19 size.
Outsourcing the printing is a bit cheeper, but you don't get all
the index/copyright information on them you want. Besides, I've
gotten to the point with portrait sessions where the turnaround
time for the proof book is too short to do any outsourcing with.
A fully packed portrait proof book (46 prints, plus two reprint
instructional prints) costs me just under $15.00 in materials.
In comparison, my costs when doing it with film is around $75 in
materials. Time investment is about the same--no real gain with
digital.
A fully packed wedding proof book (46 8.5x100 sheets, plus two
reprint instructional prints) costs me around $35.00 in
materials. With film, my costs would be about $275. Time
investment is somewhat less with digital.
I seriously doubt I'll be going to the point of paperless
proofing anytime soon. Customers really like having something
tangible to look at when they plunk down their dollars. By
getting my costs down as low as I have, I really have no reason
to not provide paper proofs. I do provide on-line proofs for
some customers, but the decrease in sales is quite apparant.
"Fahrenheit 451" isn't quite here yet.
AG
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