Getting images printed

[pramsay13]

I've got a number of historical images from around our town and I'm looking to get them printed and then sell complete with frame.
Images are approx 1500 x 1000 pixels and around 1.2mb.
Any ideas about the best way to go about printing these and what kind of print would work best?

[stcstc]

would say not very big ones!

thats quite low resolution for print ready images

are they commercial images, or are they yours.

what you plan to do with them sell them framed etc?

[pramsay13]

I realise that. They have come from glass slides that are over 100 years old so I'll need to check what process was used and if the resolution can be improved.
I plan on offering them for sale ready framed from the website, and perhaps offer a few to local shops / cafes etc to display and sell.
I'm looking for thoughts / experiences that anyone has on what would work.

[stcstc]

from glass plates you should be able to get much higher res scans

you could do a series of things, couple os sizes, and maybe some other stuff, like cards etc

[pramsay13]

thanks stcstc,
any ideas what kind of prices, and does buying in bulk make a difference?

[stcstc]

yes bulk can do a diff, price depends on few factors, size, paper type, etc

depend if what you wanna sell is cheap and cheerful or arty

it depends what the market is like for them as to what best to do

pay a bit more and do print on demand type stuff, that way you dont have to shell out for loads of prints etc

[GeoSpectrum]

I use DS Colour labs for this sort of thing. Very quick and good prices, you still need to think about postage though so best to order a handful in one go.

www.dscolourlabs.co.uk

[stcstc]

not sure dscolourlabs would be the best thing though for stuff like this

they do photographic type prints

some of these very old images look waaaaaay better on arty papers

[pramsay13]

Thanks geo, I'll have a look.
What kind of arty papers do you mean stcstc and is there someone that will do a similar service to dscolourlabs with those papers?

[stcstc]

cotton fibre based papers

very matt papers

from companies like hanemuhle

user canvaschris for example on here is based in uk and could do stuff

those minilab prints just wont suit old style images, the papers are too white and crisp

i do printing, but not practical for me to do them for you as i am in ireland, better off finding someone local, who specialises in arty type printing

[CanvasChris]

Thanks Steve for the recommendation...

pramsay13 .... If you have the glass slides these can be scanned to what ever output size you want. Once you have this digital master then output onto what ever is unlimited... frames, canvas, acrylic, posters, etc..

Don't go buying in bulk, you may save a bit for volume but then you need to shift stock to make any profit so Print On Demand is the way to go... calling off prints as and when sold. Then getting them shipped direct to end client. If it starts to take off then go buy in bulk.

Paper type used would dictate costs and Hahnemuhle is the top end of the scale for Fine Art papers and comes with bags of kudos. There are cheaper alternatives though. There are high end photographic papers available too and when matched with a pigment inkset will last more than anyones lifetime twice over. Even the likes of Kodak Lustre photo paper I use has a life of 100years and is very popular here with my clients as it's very reasonable in price.

Prices...? work out what you think you can sell them for, then work out what profit you would like.... this then is your budget any framer can work to.

A good place to start for ideas on how you would like them to be framed is the local art gallery.

PM me with your requirements.