Why is printing so expensive?

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Super Cameraman
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Why is printing so expensive?

Post by Super Cameraman » Mon Mar 21, 2011 1:29 pm

This might come off as a rant, but I'm actually looking for an explanation.

I'm working on my MAME arcade machine, trying to make it look and run as good as possible before I hopefully move it into my apartment next year. I'm about to get the control panel artwork printed. It's a 25 by 15 inch panel, and the artwork is in color. I can't print this on my own, so I've been looking around for a cheap enough printing service. This has proved very hard to do. The cheapest I've found to print this is about $20 and the most expensive is $50. Why? It's the size of a few regular sized pages, so it can't be that ink is that much... And it's not even that much paper. It's printed on a large format printer that has rolls of paper so it's really only 15 inches off that roll...

Can anyone shed some light on this? I'm about to go pick up the artwork that cost about $22. I better be really impressed.
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dragonhead
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Re: Why is printing so expensive?

Post by dragonhead » Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:25 pm

you are using their time, their equipment, and their materials. its gonna cost you a premium. deal with it. thats industry. someone else is capitalising on the fact that you dont have the means to do it yourself, so they can charge you as much as they want. $20 isnt really all that much.

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jdmlight
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Re: Why is printing so expensive?

Post by jdmlight » Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:17 pm

Have you looked at how much those printers cost? That's why it's $20 for your one print. :wink:
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khaag
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Re: Why is printing so expensive?

Post by khaag » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:26 pm

And also the fact that you only want one. I mean it depends on the type of printing you're getting done, (digital or offset), but generally if you're doing 1 print, they have to make it worth their time so they have to charge more. The more you get printed, the cheaper it is -- it's just how it works.
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