Apparently the bottom is falling out of the art market, at least for those in the high-end segment1. That market of investors, speculators, and dealers who are working with mind-boggling prices.
This isn’t surprising. The buyers in this market aren’t interested in art, they’re interested in the financial returns, and the last few years have seen more compelling investments in other areas. Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and now AI. Why faff about with tangibles, which need shipping, storage2, maintenance, and insurance? Why bother with art that needs decades to see a return, when the alternatives can be turned around in months with a few clicks?
At least when the bottom falls out of the art market you will still have something to hang on your wall, eh?
Anyway, it’s three years since I bought a printer. I thought I would provide an update on running costs, print sales, and profit. I’m happy to be completely transparent about all this as I know it can be difficult to figure this out if you are thinking of creating your own printing business.
Again, the reason why I do this from November to November is that the ski season runs December to April, and usually the most sales are during that period. Also I bought the printer in November 2022 so I’m just carrying on that way. You can find details from the previous year here.
All the photos here are work shot in the last twelve months, I’ll cover this in a bit more detail below in the “Thoughts” section.
Year Three Investment
I needed to purchase more paper and ink this year, as expected. I also decided to buy a stand for the printer, as it was available at a significant discount. This gives me more freedom in my studio as I can now move the printer around easily. It also will allow me to add a second roll feeder in the future, should I decide I need that. Investment figures are included in the costs below.
Income
Income is made up of sales through a local gallery that I am part of, along with web sales:
- 11,409.- CHF - sales through the gallery
- 642.- CHF - sales through web shop
- = 12,051.- CHF total income
Total income is up by about 20% compared to 2024 on both gallery sales and web shop sales.
Costs
I include the loan repayment here as that is an ongoing cost. I had to purchase consumables (paper and ink), at a total of 1,370.- CHF however that cost isn’t included in the total here as it will be amortised in future years under the “print consumables” category when they are used to make prints.
Rental cost of space in the gallery was reduced due to having overpayments of rent and my loan to the gallery, from the previous year, paid back to me.
- -4,058.- CHF - loan repayment
- -1,500.- CHF - rental cost of space in the gallery
- -672.- CHF - print consumables (paper, ink)
- -130.- CHF - investment (printer stand)
- -3,408.- CHF - framing/mounting/postage
- -2,323.- CHF - commission to the gallery
- -300.- CHF - web shop subscription
- -62.- CHF - stripe / paypal fees
- 0.- CHF - advertising (none this year)
- = -12,453.- CHF total costs
Total costs are down by about 15% compared to 2024.
Total Profit (Loss)
- 12,051.- CHF total income
- -12,453.- CHF total costs
- = -402.- CHF total loss
Thoughts
Holy crap, I only made a 402.- CHF loss this year. What happened? A combination of debt owed to me by the gallery and better sales meant I came close to breaking even. The original investment loan also accounted for 4,058.- CHF in costs, but this loan is now fully repaid and will not factor into future costs.
I was lucky this year in that one of the local schools made a bulk order of small framed prints, which contributed to the boost in sales. If I were to net off the cost of the loan, but also this large order (since this is a rare occurrence), I would have a profit of about 2,000.- CHF. So still a good year, relatively speaking.
However, that’s about 175.- CHF per month profit. You can’t live on this, and it’s an absolute grind if you want to start increasing that. Again, the reality remains that a physical space is absolutely essential for getting the work out there and sold - just look at the figures, approx twenty times the amount of income than from the web sales.
The Content Treadmill
This year’s “trip to a ski resort in another country” was Chamonix, which I hadn’t been to in over a decade. I hired a guide for some off piste ventures, and we had a great time exploring the mountains. The snow was reasonable at the start of the week, but a bit naff at the end, but I did manage to shoot a couple of photos that have been added to the work for sale.
We already have a trip planned for next year, and are considering the year after. This should result in more work.
I should note that the work is a byproduct of my first interest - snowboarding. Really I’m not looking for locations or trips with a thought to shoot photos, they are purely an afterthought. If the places I go are suitable, and the conditions allow, then a photo might result.
I have no interest in creating “content”, as that’s an absolute grind as well. I might shoot a couple of good photos a year, really. The work I shoot is very specific to a place, as I’ve talked about previously. If I wanted it to sell I would be looking to display it in galleries present in those locations.
And if I did want to boost the income from all of this I would have to jump on that content treadmill. Be thinking all the time about where to go next, what to shoot, and how to sell it. Be pushing out work all the time. That means producing mediocre work, that you’re not happy with, and that is a drag. Going out with the intent of creating content? Where’s the fun in that?