How to Use This Planner
Enter your edition size, per-print production costs, signing time, and the one-time setup cost. Then enter your target net profit per print. The planner calculates the minimum retail price at which you hit that target, even after the gallery takes its 50% cut — the most expensive channel. It also shows what you'd net per print through your own website, at craft fairs, and via print-on-demand platforms.
- Set Edition & Production: How many prints in the edition, what each print costs to produce, pack, and sign.
- Set Target Net: The profit you want per print after all costs and fees. This drives everything.
- Adjust Channels: Enter your gallery's commission rate, your payment processor fee, your typical craft fair booth cost, and your POD platform's take rate.
- Read Results: The planner shows the required retail price (anchored to your worst channel — gallery) and your net per print at every channel.
- Use the Projection Table: See total edition revenue and cumulative profit at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% sell-through rates.
Why Consistent Pricing Across Channels Matters
Collectors compare prices online. If your print is $80 in a gallery but $50 on your Etsy shop, gallery owners notice — and may remove your work. A consistent list price builds credibility and protects professional relationships. The solution is to set a price at which your worst channel (typically 50/50 gallery) still meets your target net, and then accept that better-margin channels (your own site, art fairs) are a bonus.
The Pricing Formula Explained
For each channel, the required retail price is:
Retail = (Cost per print + Target net) ÷ (1 − Channel fee as decimal)
Cost per print = print cost + packaging + signing time cost + amortised setup cost.
For gallery: fee = gallery commission %. For your website: fee = payment processor % (plus fixed fee backed out). For craft fairs: fee equivalent = booth + other costs ÷ expected prints sold. For POD: fee = platform take %.
The minimum viable consistent retail price is the highest of these channel requirements (to ensure every channel is profitable).
Pre-Print vs Print-on-Demand: Which is Better?
Pre-printing your full edition upfront usually reduces the per-unit cost (volume discounts are common at 25, 50, or 100 units). But it ties up cash and creates storage risk — if the edition doesn't sell, you've already paid for all prints. Print-on-demand (giclée per order) costs more per print but has zero inventory risk. Use the "Prints pre-printed upfront" field to model different approaches; the planner spreads your pre-print investment across the edition to show its effect on the per-unit cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why must art print retail prices stay the same across all channels?
- Collectors compare prices online. If your print is listed for $80 at a gallery but $50 on your website, gallery owners will notice — and collectors who paid gallery price will feel cheated. Setting one consistent retail price, then absorbing each channel's fees from your own margin, protects professional relationships and builds collector trust.
- What gallery commission percentage should I use?
- Most commercial galleries charge 50% of the retail (list) price. Some co-op or emerging-artist galleries charge 30–40%. A handful of high-prestige galleries may charge 50–60%. Use your actual gallery's rate — or 50% as a safe default for planning. Co-op galleries sometimes charge monthly membership rent instead of, or in addition to, a commission; factor any rent into your fixed costs.
- Should I pre-print my entire edition upfront or use print-on-demand?
- Pre-printing lowers your per-unit cost (giclée printers offer volume discounts at 25, 50, or 100 prints) but creates cash outlay and storage risk. Print-on-demand costs more per print but requires zero upfront investment. A common hybrid: pre-print 10–25 prints to have stock for fairs and gallery, and print-on-demand for website orders. This planner lets you model both approaches.
- How do I calculate break-even for a limited edition print?
- Add all fixed costs (setup, scanning, any pre-printed inventory already paid for) and divide by your net profit per print at your weakest channel (gallery). That's the minimum prints sold to recover costs. This planner calculates it automatically. Note: break-even in terms of covering the pre-print investment is a separate calculation from break-even on total fixed costs.
- Do print-on-demand platforms use the same retail price as gallery?
- No — POD platforms like Inprnt, Society6, or Redbubble set or cap your base price and take 33–65%. Your net from POD is often lower than from a gallery 50/50 deal, especially once you account for the platform printing costs and quality trade-offs. The planner shows your net by channel so you can decide whether POD is worth offering for this edition.
- Should I include shipping costs in the print price?
- If you offer free shipping on your website, the shipping cost is effectively a deduction from your net — include it in your "Shipping cost per order" field. If buyers pay shipping separately, enter 0. For gallery and fair sales, shipping to the buyer is typically handled by the gallery or not applicable (hand-carry), so those channels default to no shipping deduction.