#self printing

Nattosoup:  That’s not dumb at all!  Artists may handle printing in a variety of ways.

For prints:  I print my mini prints through photo printing services like Shutterfly, Snapfish, or Amazon’s Photo Services.  Some artists use CatPrints, and you can request a sample paper booklet.

For stickers: I print on glossy photo sticker paper, I used to print on matte, but my customers like the glossy ones better.  I use a toner based printer (slightly more waterproof than using a dye based printer).

For mini comics: I print on regular copy paper for the interior using that toner based printer, and use cardstock covers.

Kiriska: I use Catprint’s 80lb uncoated cover stock. 

If you like the quality of the paper you’re using though and just find it expensive, you may try to find a different supplier for the same or similar paper, or you can just charge more for the print?

I've looked up how to bind them myself, but, um...I can't work out how to print them properly.

I figured I'd want pages small and side by side, staggered numbering, to bind them like a book but it seems LibreOffice is confused by anything not letter size and orientation.

Anyone know how to do this thing? A different software to use, should I make them into pdfs and see if I can do it that way?

Because Why Not Print More While Spending Less?

A typical development & low-res scan package from a photo lab ranges anywhere from about $10 to $25 per roll depending on where you go.  I'd typically spend about $13 at my lab.  Add that to the cost of a roll of film, like my personal favorite Portra 800, and it's safe to say it cost me roughly $25 every time I wanted to shoot a roll of film to share with the world.  Now mind you, the scans included in this cost only provided enough resolution to display on the web.  For a truly high resolution scan needed for printing large formats, I'd be looking at anywhere between $5 to $25 PER NEGATIVE depending on just how much enlarging I'd need.  

All that covers is just getting my photos ready to make prints, never mind the printing itself.  At a fine art photo lab I'd be looking at anywhere from $50 to $100 per final print, never mind the costs of testing color profiles and paper stocks.  When it's all said and done I'd easily be looking at a few thousand in expenses to print enough work for my upcoming solo exhibit.  Now don't get me wrong, quality prints from a fine art lab are certainly worth it, but until people start shelling out thousands of dollars for my prints (give it time), these costs just weren't gonna cut it.  I am a starving artist after all, I barely clear a few thousand in annual income... 

So as I've moved into the printing era of my photographic endeavors, and now working on my third (and possibly also forth) gallery exhibit of the year, it became clear that it was time I took printing into my own hands.  And with the successful test run of my digital printing method and print sale, I've decided to do just that.  Thanks to an impeccably-timed rebate, I've recently invested in a large format digital printer from Canon (full review coming soon).

This seemed to make the most sense from a business perspective as well.  As much as people tell me they like my photos, it's hard to like something enough to spend upwards of $200 a piece on it (lookin' at you, Tinder dates, hope you like Ramen), so I'll be the first to admit that the darkroom pricing options currently in my Print Store just aren't for everybody. And since I've officially reached the limit of how many pieces of furniture and/or photographic equipment I can reasonably fit into a studio apartment, my home darkroom project is going to have to wait a few years.  

“FREEDOM OF THE PRESS BELONGS TO THOSE WHO OWN THE PRESS!”