A $4 print sold for $22 seems to leave plenty of room. The rest of the order is easy to overlook: a sleeve, a backing board, the mailer, the time at the packing table.
Following one order all the way out of the studio gives you a more useful price than multiplying the lab bill. It also shows why a discount that looks small on the listing can take a large bite out of what you keep.
Frameit AI Create
Original artwork: Antonietta Brandeis
Add up the real cost of one print
Price from the cost of a print that has been sold and mailed, not just printed. Here is an example for one 8 × 10 inch print. Your numbers will be different, so swap in your own.
| Cost item | Example cost |
|---|---|
| Print (lab price, or ink and paper if you print at home) | $4.00 |
| Clear sleeve and backing board | $1.10 |
| Rigid mailer | $1.60 |
| Thank-you card or certificate of authenticity | $0.60 |
| Cost per print | $7.30 |
Then add what this list misses:
- Spoilage. Test prints, misprints and the odd replacement for a print damaged in the mail. Set aside an initial allowance, then adjust it using actual proofing, damage and replacement records. A replacement may need another package and postage, so a fixed percentage of the print cost can miss part of the expense.
- Your time. Signing, packing and driving to the post office. If packing one order takes 10 minutes, that time belongs in the price.
- Shipping. If you offer free shipping, add the postage to the cost. If the buyer pays shipping, charge enough to cover postage plus fees, because marketplace fees usually apply to the shipping you charge too.
Follow a $22 order all the way through
Using the illustrative materials and packing cost above, a $22 sale has this basic breakdown:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Selling price | $22.00 |
| Print and packing materials | −$7.30 |
| Basic US Etsy percentage fees in this example: 9.5% | −$2.09 |
| Listing and fixed processing fees | −$0.45 |
| Amount remaining before labor and other costs | $12.16 |
Now suppose packing takes 10 minutes and you value that time at $18 an hour: subtract $3. If you also absorb $5 of postage, the remaining amount becomes $4.16, before overhead, tax, ads and replacements.
Those extra costs are illustrative, not typical rates. Substitute your own. The point is to name what the remainder still has to pay for before calling it profit.
For a target amount after the costs you have included:
Price = (all included per-order costs + fixed fees + target remainder) ÷ (1 − percentage fees).
The original $7.30 cost and a $12 target remainder give ($7.30 + $0.45 + $12) ÷ 0.905 = $21.82. Add labor or postage to the numerator when you bear those costs. Verify the current fees for your country and selling setup.
Build a size ladder
Larger prints cost more to make and ship, but buyers don’t expect the price to grow with the area. A good price ladder rises steadily while the price per square inch falls.
Example ladder with an increasing target remainder as size grows (illustrative numbers, not market prices; include your own labor and other costs):
| Print size (inches) | Area (square inches) | Example cost | Example price | Price per square inch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 7 | 35 | $5.20 | $16 | $0.46 |
| 8 × 10 | 80 | $7.30 | $22 | $0.28 |
| 11 × 14 | 154 | $10.50 | $34 | $0.22 |
| 16 × 20 | 320 | $17.00 | $55 | $0.17 |
| 18 × 24 | 432 | $21.00 | $68 | $0.16 |
Larger prints often ship in tubes or bigger boxes, so check postage for each size before you settle the ladder. Not sure which sizes to offer? Our guide to art print sizes and aspect ratios matches common sizes to frames.
Open editions, limited editions and signed prints
- Open edition. No cap on how many you print. Price for accessibility, using the ladder above.
- Limited edition. A fixed number per size, numbered (for example 12/50) and signed. State the edition size in the listing, don’t reprint the same edition later, and price it above your open edition, since the run is capped and each print takes extra handling.
- Paper and process. Archival pigment prints on fine art paper cost more to produce than standard photo prints, and that cost carries into your price.
- Originals. Keep a clear gap between your most expensive print and your originals, so the original stays the premium option. Our guide on how to price artwork covers originals.
Compare what the buyer actually pays for
A $30 print with shipping included and a $22 print with $6 shipping are close from the buyer’s side. Paper, signature, framing and delivery all belong in the comparison too. A lower headline price may simply describe a different offer.
A set can work differently from three separate orders. Some packing time, packaging and fixed processing costs may be shared, which gives you a reason to price the set differently. It is worth costing the actual package before deciding on the discount.
When paper or postage changes, the order you priced last year may no longer leave the same amount. The examples here exclude tax and use illustrative costs; your own figures are the ones that keep the price useful.
Cost each option as its own order
An unframed 8 × 10 print may fit a rigid mailer. The framed version needs corner protection, protection for any glazing and a larger box. The price difference has to account for more than the frame’s purchase cost.
Run the unframed print, framed print and set through production and packing separately, then return those costs to the price sheet. Use accurate photographs to explain the choices and state the quantity, dimensions, framing and shipping included in each price.