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 07/30/2007 12:14:17 PM · #1
So here's the scoop. Through an old friend, I learn that there is a gallery opening in town and looking for work to hang. My friend went so far as to show the owner some of my prints, and he's interested in talking to me about them. I'm going to call him later this afternoon, but beforehand, I was trying to figure out what kind of prices to set on my prints.

Right now, I have an 11x14, two 8x10s, and a 5x7 all matted and framed and ready to go. As I understand it, the gallery takes a 35% commission on each piece that sells. So what's a good price to set on each size?

I don't want to undersell my self, but at the same time, I don't want to choose a price that's so high that nobody buys them. I was thinking somewhere around $150 for the 11x14, $100 for the 8x10, and $60 for the 5x7. Sound reasonable?

And if anyone who has done this themselves has any advice, I'd love to hear it - this is my first time trying to sell prints like this!
 07/30/2007 12:26:53 PM · #2
I price my stuff based on the prints and the cost of the framing.

I get $30 for an 8x10 and and $45 for an 11x14 print. I mark up my framing cost by 30%. I use similar framing for everything, so I can create a base price that works pretty well for specific sizes. Galleries don't care much for cheap framing, so I spend an average of $75-100 to mat and frame 8x10 and 11x14 prints using acid free materials and a minimum of UV filtering glass. So, a nicely framed 8x10 would sell for about $130-140 and the 11x14 would be around $175-200. The framing you choose is important though.

*added*

You should really consider larger sizes for gallery display. I sell more matted and framed 12x18 prints than anything else. It's a great size and it comes out to around 17x23 when matted and framed.

Message edited by author 2007-07-30 12:30:18.
 07/30/2007 12:34:19 PM · #3
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
So here's the scoop. Through an old friend, I learn that there is a gallery opening in town and looking for work to hang. My friend went so far as to show the owner some of my prints, and he's interested in talking to me about them. I'm going to call him later this afternoon, but beforehand, I was trying to figure out what kind of prices to set on my prints.

Right now, I have an 11x14, two 8x10s, and a 5x7 all matted and framed and ready to go. As I understand it, the gallery takes a 35% commission on each piece that sells. So what's a good price to set on each size?

I don't want to undersell my self, but at the same time, I don't want to choose a price that's so high that nobody buys them. I was thinking somewhere around $150 for the 11x14, $100 for the 8x10, and $60 for the 5x7. Sound reasonable?

And if anyone who has done this themselves has any advice, I'd love to hear it - this is my first time trying to sell prints like this!


In a situation like this, what you would normally do on your own is largely irrelevant. If you set your prices too high above everyone else's work, it has virtually no chance of generating a sale. Likewise, you don't want to price yourself too low compared to the other work in the gallery, when those other prices are indicative of what you could be getting instead.

Visit the gallery, see what the other artists are charging, talk to the curators/members about what tends to sell, and price accordingly.
07/30/2007 12:56:49 PM · #4
I settled on (after figuring what printing, matting, and framing costs) that for a print or matted print I get the square inches and times by 0.25. IE: A 12x18 print is 216sq in x 0.25 = $54. that print matted to 17x23 is 391sq in = $97.75.
For fully matted and framed I times the square inches of the frame size by 0.666 (I know). IE: 17x23 is 391sq in x 0.666 = $260.41
Seems to come out about right.

Message edited by author 2007-07-30 12:57:06.
 07/30/2007 01:25:15 PM · #5
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
I sell more matted and framed 12x18 prints than anything else. It's a great size and it comes out to around 17x23 when matted and framed.

I'm certainly happy to hear that, since I like to work in the 3:2 ratio and those prints cost me $3.
 07/30/2007 03:11:17 PM · #6
What does that Gallery generally sell other photographic art for?

35% of $150 might not be enough for them to keep their doors open even if they sell 10-15 prints.

Gallery representation? Maybe you're moving into a different class, here? Ask your friend as your Representative to research the pricing a little before you meet with the owner. Or look into it yourself, this might be a good break into a higher bracket if handled correctly.

Message edited by author 2007-07-30 15:12:08.
 07/30/2007 03:18:09 PM · #7
Thank you all for the replies. I'm about to call, and I'll certainly ask what the usual price range is. However, from what my friend tells me, the gent opening the gallery owns a local jewelery store and just got space next door, and decided to open a gallery. So I don't think there's any history to work from - it sounds like a new venture all around. But I'll ask and see what he has to say, and combined with what I've read here, figure something out.

And dacrazyrn, that's a pretty neat way of figuring it all out. I'd never have thought of it that way.
 07/30/2007 03:40:14 PM · #8
Let me just throuw more wood in to the fire.

And about a certificate and/or a limited reproduction number? Do you do any of this?

I mean, do you limit th enumber of reproductions that you do of each image and you give a certificate to proof that to the customer?

I've read that Ansel Adams was advised to do so and only after this wis work was seriously considered by the galeries anr "art" and the prices went up.
 07/30/2007 07:23:23 PM · #9
Originally posted by Nuno:
Let me just throuw more wood in to the fire.

And about a certificate and/or a limited reproduction number? Do you do any of this?

I mean, do you limit th enumber of reproductions that you do of each image and you give a certificate to proof that to the customer?

I've read that Ansel Adams was advised to do so and only after this wis work was seriously considered by the galeries anr "art" and the prices went up.

This thought crossed my mind the other day. I think I will put a limit on the number of reproductions - say five, that should be a good number without being too many.

I guess then I should just include a certificate in the frame, saying that it is print [TITLE], number [x] our of [5], and sign it?
 07/30/2007 07:27:38 PM · #10
And the less copies you make the prices must go higher.
 07/30/2007 08:38:54 PM · #11
Originally posted by Nuno:
And the less copies you make the prices must go higher.

Only if they sell. And usually only when your dead or they are out of your possesion. So you get nothing except FAME and NOTERIETY! :)
 07/31/2007 08:46:45 AM · #12
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
So here's the scoop. Through an old friend, I learn that there is a gallery opening in town and looking for work to hang. My friend went so far as to show the owner some of my prints, and he's interested in talking to me about them. I'm going to call him later this afternoon, but beforehand, I was trying to figure out what kind of prices to set on my prints.

Right now, I have an 11x14, two 8x10s, and a 5x7 all matted and framed and ready to go. As I understand it, the gallery takes a 35% commission on each piece that sells. So what's a good price to set on each size?

I don't want to undersell my self, but at the same time, I don't want to choose a price that's so high that nobody buys them. I was thinking somewhere around $150 for the 11x14, $100 for the 8x10, and $60 for the 5x7. Sound reasonable?

And if anyone who has done this themselves has any advice, I'd love to hear it - this is my first time trying to sell prints like this!


It really depends on the Gallery and the Noteriety of the artist. I have a Limited Edition Exhibition at Lumas Galleries worldwide and my images are selling for around $580 (dollars) each not including framing which I don't see anyways. They signed a contract for 100 Limited Editons for each of the ten images they are exposing. Another Gallery Arty Print are selling my stuff for around 425€ (euros) per image, but this is not a limited edition series. It really comes down to the best deal you can strike. Lumas does huge promotion and spends heavily in the press to advertise the artist. They give the artist 25 percent which is so so. Arty gives me twice that..

//www.artyprint.nl/?p=product_info&cPath=21_1&products_id=53
//www.lumas.com/?id=719&artist=616&motiv=1617
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