# selling prints to your customers



## kellylindseyphotography (May 6, 2008)

do you put your name in the corner always?  you must if you don't want them to go down to kinko's or whatever and reproduce it correct?

what do you say if they ask for the print w/o your name on it? just no?


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## Lacey Anne (May 6, 2008)

I would never put my name on the actual print on the photo.


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## RyanLilly (May 6, 2008)

You can have prints made on paper that has something like, " do not copy, professional photo" that kind of stuff all across the back of the paper. Any photo lab should refuse to copy them.


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## maytay20 (May 7, 2008)

RyanLilly said:


> You can have prints made on paper that has something like, " do not copy, professional photo" that kind of stuff all across the back of the paper. Any photo lab should refuse to copy them.


My lab puts my company name on the back of every photo and the paper itself say Kodak professional paper on the back.  For costumers I never put my name on the front of a print.  I have put it on a couple of my prints I used when I am a vendor at food tasting / wedding shows just so they see my name and the photo.


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## kellylindseyphotography (May 7, 2008)

ah thanks.  what if you are ordering online from a place like mpix?


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## Big Mike (May 7, 2008)

As mentioned, some labs can put your company or something on the back.  You could also get yourself a stamp with whatever you want and stamp them yourself.

Actually, it's illegal for Kinko's or who ever to make copies from prints like that.  Unless that person owns the copyright to the image.  A few labs/printing places have been sued, which is good because that makes them more diligent about it.  

Still, things to slip though the cracks.  It just depends on the person working the lab/copy shop and if they follow the rules or not.

Also, scanners are dirt cheap...so people can scan your images and make illegal copies that way.  Many people don't even realize that it's illegal...


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## DeadEye (May 7, 2008)

Only on the give away stuff for my own promotion. I have given a few of my best shots that are watermarked to local shops to be displayed, the watermark is small so you got to look for it, if someone is interested they will.

  Funny thing I was set up to shoot a bird the other day with a 200mm lens and cam on a tripod about 20 feet from the nest. I was about 300 feet back in the weeds holding a remote waiting for a good time to trigger it. Then here comes MDE  " Maryland Department of Enviroment " in a shallow water jet boat and starts taking water samples a few feet from nest.  Ohhh well this shoot is shot.  I get up and start putting away the gear. This guy realizes that he just spooked my subject and apoligizes. I tell em no biggie there was no way you could have known except that there was a tripod and camera with apparently no photog at the nest.

  Anywhoo~ he getts chatty and starts telling me about this person called DeadEye that has stuff in the local coffie shop that is the best he ever saw.  Did I ever see any of his stuff.  So I said No never heard of em, and smirked all the way home.


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## dslrchat (May 7, 2008)

Is there not a way to watermark your print in such away that it is invisable with the human eye, but becomes visable when you scan/copy it?

Has anyone read or seen this before?

I thought I read that somewhere, I will research later tonight.


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## Lyncca (May 7, 2008)

I watermark the online proofs (or actually smugmug does it for me automatically) but the actual prints do not have anything on them. I do have a copyright statement on the back of the prints though that smugmug also provides as a service.


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## CanadianMe (May 7, 2008)

I put a copyright date, my name and a do not copy or reproduce on the back of anything I give away, sell, donate or display. I started doing it to everything so it becomes a habit and I don't forget. Unless it is on display I would not even think of putting a watermark on an image. And like Deadeye does I think it is a good idea to put a small one on works that are displayed for promotion, that is different then putting one on a gift, sale or donation though.


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## Big Mike (May 7, 2008)

> Is there not a way to watermark your print in such away that it is invisable with the human eye, but becomes visable when you scan/copy it?


There is actually photographic paper that is supposed to do that...but from what I've heard, it hasn't been perfected yet.


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## kellylindseyphotography (May 7, 2008)

Big Mike said:


> There is actually photographic paper that is supposed to do that...but from what I've heard, it hasn't been perfected yet.



I used to work at the major chains (picture people, jc penny, sears..) and their photo paper does that.  When you try to make a copy of it or scan it in, you get a big "DO NOT COPY" instead.


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## DeadEye (May 7, 2008)

Ummm there is the digimark that is invisible and trackable. I dont use it but did read up on it somewhat. First you have to subscribe to digimark and then photoshop can add your digimark for you.  If anyone using photoshop clicks on the info it will tell them its your image, so editors and such have easy way to contact you if they want to deal. Also digimark is allways scanning the internet for anything digimarked and will inform you as to every place every marked image is at. A selling point is that it cant be removed from the image with software and if your image is being used then you will know about it real fast and can ask for payment or removal.


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## ScottS (May 7, 2008)

RyanLilly said:


> You can have prints made on paper that has something like, " do not copy, professional photo" that kind of stuff all across the back of the paper. Any photo lab should refuse to copy them.


 
Well, at the Target i work at, we have a self serve scanner printer kiosk. I see it all the time, people come in with professional pictures scan them in and print them out without any employee in the process. Most of them like to take out any signature or name on the pictures. 

It makes me want to cry every time I see it happen.


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## jols (May 8, 2008)

i am not bothered if someone reproduces my pic.

dont worry about things you cant change.


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## elsaspet (May 8, 2008)

Wow.. just wow to the above statement....if you are trying to run a business.  If you are doing this as a hobby, then great, but I don't think that is what you are getting at.

Anyhoo, if you aren't giving the disc out, or giving a low res disc, your options are kinda limited.  I think that is why so many pro photogs started to give into the idea.

If you want to retain the files, give them a proofbook/ 9 images per page with the number underneath, and a low opacity PROOF across the top of the image.  This is about the only way you can stop a copy.

If you decide to give a CD of the files, give the couple, or party, a low or high res disc that cannot be copied.  The couple will soon get tired of trying to fullfill friend and family orders.  But for this to work, you need a place for them to conveniently order them.

If you are doing wedding and events, remember to take table shots, group shots, and mom's with their kids.  These are huge money makers.

Even though I give the files to the couple, I still get hundreds, and in some cases thousands of extra income just from these types of shots.  And if you are doing weddings, the couples also like the rememberance of the people who came to their wedding.

A lot of pros are giving out low res discs hoping to make money off of high res prints.  The problem I see with this, is that the couple will simply go to Walgreens and do a self process, ignoring the warnings that a 150 dpi print will not print into a 16x20.  What will end up happening is some very crappy prints.  And they won't remember that they hit the bypass button on the machine.  It will be that you took a bad shot, when you didn't.

Lots of options.  Just inform yourself, and you will do fine.


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## SanctuS (May 8, 2008)

DeadEye said:


> Only on the give away stuff for my own promotion. I have given a few of my best shots that are watermarked to local shops to be displayed, the watermark is small so you got to look for it, if someone is interested they will.
> 
> Funny thing I was set up to shoot a bird the other day with a 200mm lens and cam on a tripod about 20 feet from the nest. I was about 300 feet back in the weeds holding a remote waiting for a good time to trigger it. Then here comes MDE  " Maryland Department of Enviroment " in a shallow water jet boat and starts taking water samples a few feet from nest.  Ohhh well this shoot is shot.  I get up and start putting away the gear. This guy realizes that he just spooked my subject and apoligizes. I tell em no biggie there was no way you could have known except that there was a tripod and camera with apparently no photog at the nest.
> 
> Anywhoo~ he getts chatty and starts telling me about this person called DeadEye that has stuff in the local coffie shop that is the best he ever saw.  Did I ever see any of his stuff.  So I said No never heard of em, and smirked all the way home.


Wow, that's really cool. It's also cool that you didn't get high and mighty and tell him how great of a photographer you were...


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## guitarkid (May 8, 2008)

elsaspet said:


> Even though I give the files to the couple, I still get hundreds, and in some cases thousands of extra income just from these types of shots. And if you are doing weddings, the couples also like the rememberance of the people who came to their wedding.


 
that's really great you can get hundreds or thousands!  wish i had the clients you had.  we get 100-150 visitors per gallery...maybe $100 in print orders for a good wedding.  sure, we give the disc to them in hi-rez.  i think i will start locking it so it can't be copied.  what do you use to do that?  Nero?  does this also prevent them from browsing the DVD / CD in the pc and copying and pasting to their hard drive?
Thanks


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## elsaspet (May 8, 2008)

guitarkid said:


> that's really great you can get hundreds or thousands! wish i had the clients you had. we get 100-150 visitors per gallery...maybe $100 in print orders for a good wedding. sure, we give the disc to them in hi-rez. i think i will start locking it so it can't be copied. what do you use to do that? Nero? does this also prevent them from browsing the DVD / CD in the pc and copying and pasting to their hard drive?
> Thanks


 

Table shots are the key.  Start doing them.


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## itsanaddiction (May 13, 2008)

kellylindseyphotography said:


> do you put your name in the corner always?  you must if you don't want them to go down to kinko's or whatever and reproduce it correct?
> 
> what do you say if they ask for the print w/o your name on it? just no?



If it is the name of your business would you not put your logo/business name on there regardless? I know I would...


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## jg123 (May 28, 2008)

What software do you use to lock the disc so the photos and the disc can't be copied?


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