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Future Mini Lab owner


IntrepidFroot

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Hello, I'm glad I've come across this site!

I'm in the process of putting a business plan together for a new photo-printing venture.

Knowledge is severely limited at this point, but who better to ask than existing lab owners, so my question(s) to you:

All i'm looking to do, in the beginning, is print standard size photos from customer's digital photos. Fuji appears to be a good brand to go for, would you agree?

Which model would you recommend I get my hands on?

I have a background in I.T. so don't expect the learning curve (software wise) to be too steep, am i being naive?

I have loads more questions, but will stop there, for now.

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I can't believe you can't live from printing. Don't you have employees, clients, etc? Or are you in a small village... what country do you live in?

What i`m trying to say if printing photos is so profitable we would not need to offer so many other photo gift ideas ie, canvases, mugs, coasters, bags, purses, cushions, clocks. pendants, i have about 20-30 items that can be customised as gifts. This is where all the profits are

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  • 4 weeks later...

Agree. Adjusting to the new economics of lower prints volume can be a challenge for the established photo lab owner. But a new business just starting up could be designed to work within those economics?

6x4s by themselves won't pay the rent anymore. I think it's the overall mix of product and service offerings that matters now.

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OK before we all go and commit suicide, its hard to understand that mini-lab help covers more than the UK.

I am sure each and every country has its own version or sky rocketing rents, taxes and recession hitting some areas worse than others.

It may well be a different matter in South Africa, No offence but their was a time when emerging country's no 1 buy was a TV and Fridge, I am sure mobile phones are high on the list in South Africa (all with Cameras) but the high end computer with the latest digital printing facility's will be more thin on the ground. Go for it but do your homework a bit closer to home. rent, cost of kit, paper and consumables in South Africa will not be the same as Europe.

Good Luck

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