Online Photo Printing / Display Options - Complete Newbie!

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I take pictures of a place very spacial to me in Dorset and I have been asked to sell some of them. I am only a novice photographer so I didnt want to as felt would be too much pressure as my work is not perfect! But I have decided to get some printed and offer them to be sold at charity events locally which I am happy with.
Question is, where can I get the photo's printed (only looking for about 20 to start) size A4 and maybe A3 and how do I present them? I would like them mounted and in a bag to protect them. But do I also need to but a backing board/card or does this come with the mount.
I apologize for my lack of knowledge, I am completely new to this photography world (I normally only take pictures for me and family not commercial) but if I can help raise few quid doing my hobby I want to try.
Any help appreciated and welcome.
 
Like so many things: It Depends.

For example, DS Colour Labs (standard prints) are extremely reasonably priced and great for home use, so if you are selling your prints for a relatively low price, they would be a good place to consider.

You can buy mounts in lots of places. I've used Cotswold Mounts in the past and Google gives you lots of options, but now I have bought a mount cutter and cut my own to fit the exact dimensions of my image(s).

If you want to add perceived value to your prints (and thus charge more for them) you can get them printed on fine art paper which is more expensive. The difference is generally in the feel of the paper (the fine art papers are heavier than DSCL or Photobox standard prints) and in the colour fastness (My DSCL standard prints have faded in different light). Fine art prints are often printed with archival inks so that they last longer too - although there are no inkjet prints that have been around for 100 years to test that yet :).

When attaching the paper to any mount, you can opt to use sellotape (which will damage the print and lose tackiness over time) or you could buy archival acid-free tape.

I would suggest that you mount your images inside standard sized mounts (A3 or A4) so that your customers can easily find frames for their work. Wrapping them in clear plastic cellophane adds a nice finishing touch. Alternatively you could pick up some cheap frames from somewhere like Ikea and sell them framed. If you're doing this, you'll obviously need to resize your images to fit the mounts (unless you cut your own). You could even offer the choice to your clients.

Standard paper or fine art?
Framed, mounted or unmounted?

All my work is printed and mounted by me. It's not economical (although the price per print for fine art is significantly lower than places like DSCL) but it gives me a sense of satisfaction to take an image from capture to print myself.

Welcome to TP and good luck with your sales!
 
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Thank you very much for all you advice, its much appreciated. They will not be high priced prints (under £15-£20) so maybe use standard paper.
Can I ask about mounting, if I buy a mount, do I need to buy a backing board? I am not sure how they work!
 
Loads of mounts on-line, pre-cut & bespoke. Look them up, eg https://www.bramptonframing.com/cut-to-size-picture-mounts

Here's a run-through:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2eKGx2Q1no


Also most labs will mount - shop around.

Yes I would try dscl. Good prints at good prices. But if you haven't printed before, I'd run a small trial first and take the postage hit. The commonest complaint I hear is that prints come back (from any lab) too dark - this is usually because the sender's monitor is too bright, for print work they normally need adjusting down to about 50%.

There's more, but I don't want to overload you with info at this stage.
 
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Thank you. I will give a print run a try and am sure I will have loads of questions after lol
As mentioned I dont need exhibition quality just good enough to sell at charity stalls etc
 
I buy a mount, do I need to buy a backing board? I am not sure how they work!

At that price point I wouldn't bother. The mount itself stiffens things up a bit. For my office wall, I go unframed and just put the mounted image on the wall. In that specific case, I use 5mm foam board to back the image to give it a bit more stability, but if you're framing, it's not needed.

If you're posting, I'd use stiff, cardboard backed envelopes (I'm guessing you wouldn't post A3)
 
You can buy pre cut mounts for A4 (and A3 I think) from Paper Spectrum at a very reasonable cost. They do backing board as well and probably cellophane bags. I think you should use a backing board on the back to finish it off. At your price point I would just use broad sellotape or masking tape to attach the backing board and small narrow bits of the same to attach the print to the mount board.
 
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