Ernest Burden

I've gone that route in the past. That is why I consider putting over $10,000 into my printers to be a bargain. I'ld put thousands more into my in-house printing capability if I had it to put.

Check the cost of getting professional prints done, and pay attention to turnaround times. Is 'regular' service three days? Is getting it done this afternoon double? Can you be sure that they even CAN do it this aftrenoon? How about at 2:45 AM for that 9AM deadline?

Finally, if a professional print costs $150, and that is an expense your client is obliged to cover, realise that if YOU do the print you can still charge them the $150, as well as get it to them faster, which is a bonus for them.

You can always keep the outside shop as a backup, or for really big prints.

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Ernest Burden III
AcmeDigital
architectural rendering

bigcahunak

Ernest.
Its all true, but the fact is that its hard charging your client $150 for a print, when your buisness isn't printing. When they get an invoice from the Print shop, they pay it cause thats the print shop they work with, or at least agreed to work with when you took the project.
We tried doing it, and ended up running after clients forever.
Just my experience.

Ernest Burden

What is your 'deliverable'? If you promised a file on a disk, then I suppose you can tell the client that getting prints is up to them. No billing, no chasing. But don't be surprised when that client cuts three days off your deadline because their printer NEEDS three days to avoid charging them an extra $150 (sorry for the US numbers, but you know Americans...). So you will have your work or ability to get any sleep compromised by a print shop? I've even told clients that I would pay the extra rush charge. But I found the better way was to be able to tell them that that was BS, because I would print it myself.

But that does mean you get to be in charge of actually doing it, which is an extra hassle...hense the extra cost over your base consumables. It should not be free unless you quoted printed pictures (or in my case, original paintings).

The other problem comes when the client gets prints and calls you up to ask for major revisions because the files printed poorly--this is clearly your fault, by the way. Printing myself means I am in control of the quality of the output.

Either solution is fine, as each has pluses and minuses. You just need to plan for them in advance.

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Ernest Burden III
AcmeDigital
architectural rendering

bigcahunak

NP. Worldwide, we all quote prices in USD. Problem is we aren't getting paid in that currency... LOL

Lets just close it with that.

Cheers.