minilab question - DPChallenge Forums

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

02/03/2006 03:27:17 PM · #1

Hi everybody. I'm actually working on starting my own business in imaging and need to know how much could cost a minilab like for exemple the fuji Frontier 370. This information is really hard to get on the internet so if anybody knows about it it could help me very much.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

02/03/2006 03:31:15 PM · #2

I don't know really, but my guess is that it's in the low six-figures, possibly on a lease basis.

Nelzie

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

02/03/2006 03:36:26 PM · #3

Whatever any salesperson tells you, offer them 80% of their figure. That puts them off guard and shows that you are serious at the same time.

Haggle the heck out of the price, whatever it is.

Once you get the price you are comfortable with. Then tell them they need to toss in all sort of specials, like consumables and such.

If the machine runs about $100k, ask for upwards of $5k in free accessories, chemicals and other consumables.

Salespeople, of industrial machines like that, are made to be beatdown by people making the purchase.

02/03/2006 04:11:27 PM · #4

Gulp!!!! that much????? :-/
My guess would have been more like 30K$...

I'll have to re-think the short term business plan...

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

02/03/2006 04:14:35 PM · #5

Are there minilabs on the market that are able to do the same quality without doing that much prints in an hour? I really don't need 2K prints an hour and surely don't need to spend 100 000$.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

02/03/2006 04:19:39 PM · #6

Originally posted by nicklevy:

Gulp!!!! that much????? :-/
My guess would have been more like 30K$...

Hey, mine's just a guess -- as they say, your guess is as good as mine : )

Prof_Fate

02/03/2006 04:24:13 PM · #7

Fuji and kodak both make minilabs. I suspect konica-minolts (now sony i suppose) probably has something too.

Beyond that, the onlyh options i know of are dye sub (may not be archival) and inkjet. there are some high end ink jet printers for events and such that can print a good quantity, but $5 to 10grand and the per print price is still well above the minilabs.

For something wholeale like that you'll probably have to call kodak or fuji directly and find out, or hunt down one of their distribiutors.

If you want to try something different, there are laser devices taht will burn an image onto other materials - wood, marble, etc and they start at 15 grand and go up based on speed and capacity of material that fits in them. Laser engraving i think is the proper term. Neat stuff.

Anders

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

02/03/2006 04:31:38 PM · #8

i dont know if this is any help to you or not :) my local lab uses fuji.

edit: right link

Message edited by author 2006-02-03 16:33:59.

Prof_Fate

02/03/2006 04:43:54 PM · #9

//www.jmdminilab.com/Default.aspx?ID=481 they sell used ones.
//www.ecplaza.net/tradeleads/seller/3140713/good_condition_fuji_used_minilabs_from_japan.html
and this was on ebay - fuji 1000