About a week ago I was asked a question by a friend about one of my prints. We had been looking at a group of Platinum/Palladium prints that I’d made from a recent road trip. After I’d explained the entire process, he thought each print had to be very expensive to make. Then he asked if I knew how much it all cost.
My first reaction was that I probably didn’t want to know the answer, but of course, I couldn’t let it go. I started adding up all of the costs in my head and I’ll be honest, it made me a bit dizzy. But, like all hobbies, it’s all in how you look at it.
I mean, I already own the inkjet printer and ink for the digital negatives. I’ve had the cameras for years, and the film is nothing really. The UV lightbox will pay for itself in no time, right? As far as the trays, brushes, tongs, gloves, mixing beakers, etc., that stuff is cheap in comparison to some of the other things mentioned, so why even discuss it?
Spin. Rationalization. Whatever.
It turns out that it’s not that expensive at all if you are only counting the material cost of each print. The chemicals, paper, and digital negative come to roughly $12 for an 8×10 print on 11x 14 Hahnemühle Platinum rag paper.
I can handle that.
$12/print isn’t anything at all. In fact, if you send out a digital file for printing from a lab like RPL you are going to pay more than that at the minimum ($13).
I wonder who the friend was… I hope it wasn’t me 😏
I had forgotten that we spoke about the cost. I had a friend in town from Chicago that mistakenly asked to see some of my prints. He didn’t know what he was in for!
I agree that the price per print is not bad. Getting everything needed to make the first print and throwing away the first dozen or so is a little pricey.