Please send a link to the specifications of the printer you're talking about, as I may be thinking of something different than what you mean.
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At 2-3 minutes per print it's slow, but of course the quality is terrific. Mind you I am only using the 'Standard' setting of 720 x 1440 dpi, which is the same maximum res for the D1060.
Sounds like all ok in the quality department.
The 'Quality' setting adds no res, but a 'Black overcoat'. Then there are higher quality settings ... all of these add ink use and Standard is perfectly good.
You rounding up to $1.00 per page would actually be a sound business practice, but we'll save that for another thread on another day. So let's go with $0.80 per print, to include some ink loss, a bit of wear and tear, etc.. $.0.80 x 450 prints = $360.00, which I would round up to $400 since it's a "cost". It it were an income, I'll often round down even if it's more than half way to the next hundred dollars. I do that to ensure a layer of income reality wiggle-room as unexpected cost or problems can pop up at any given time, and me making allowances for such has served me well over the decades.
Ok, so let's stick with the (estimated) $360.00 in ink/wear and tear costs.
Note - ink + paper .. so $1.50'ish per print. I won't say what I sell them for, it's not a Kings Ransom because I like to deal with clubs and ensure I'm doing entire teams, not just interested parties.
The part that I can't get around is the time factor and how long your printer is working to complete the print job. To me.. that's an indicator to me that it's the wrong tool for the job.
I went into this knowing it's the wrong tool, and the high volume can't be good for it. However it's not so bad - while I send one squad to print, I work on preparing the next squad, export from InDesign and I'm ready.
So the process flows, and gives me time to raid the pantry
We haven't even thrown in paper yet and depending on the type of paper you're using, that expense can be notable, especially if you're not buying it on a roll and cutting it A4 size yourself. Pre-cut sheets can be pricey.
Purchasing A4 Ilford Smooth Pearl, 250 sheets a box. Again it's functional, and was the right thing to do for someone who had never printed and didn't know what I was getting into. I'm making money on the current process, now it's a matter of making it more time and cost efficient.
With the EOI for the Christmas Photo project in my Inbox yesterday, it brings more options to the table. If I am successful I know roughly what it's worth to me, and we finished up last year talking about a contract for the next 'x' years.
If I can get a 24+ month commitment, the cost of the D1060 is very much in play.
I see how the Epson D1060/1070 series are "mini lab" printers which have never given me a warm and fuzzy feeling. They're too one-trick-pony type of printers for my liking when it comes to business printing.
They are the go-to for high volume places such as camera stores and kiosks, so they have the track record. I just never pictured a one-man band being in that space.
I need to do a spreadsheet of costs per print and work out where the breakeven is in terms of prints produced. While the D1060 is approximately half the cost in terms of paper + ink, there are other factors affecting things, such as freight costs for the A4 sheets, 50ml tanks vs 250ml etc.
I recommend pricing the job with the professionals first, before paying a few thousand dollars and or spending an entire day of your time printing and having to possibly deal with printer issues, etc., since the P906 probably isn't designed for such sustained/commercial printing.
This is the reason it's in-house. The "professionals" don't want to talk to you unless you are printing in the thousands. I now have a commercial printer on speed dial (he coats the A3 player cards I do - that's another issue!!), but his prints do not have the quality of either the P906 or the D1060.
Local suppliers are happy to talk a little, but ultimately they want sales. They import limited products, so if you ask "What else is out there", they simply say nothing.
Either way you go, I hope you are very successful and profitable in your endeavor!
Thanks .. it's fun. Can be stressful obviously but seeing the benefits now. Just need someone to do my admin, website, socials ...
I give an extra respectful nod to anyone working smart and hard trying to make money on their own, outside of a traditional job.
I'm fortunate to have the latitude to try given our current life phase. But it's certainly starting to pay it's way (the accountant wife will be pleased).
