Print and lamination "service"... any interest? [Archive]

hair10

01/14/2011, 12:00

With print & play the norm now, I thought I'd check and see if there was any interest in printing cards and laminating them for a 'time and materials' cost.

I have a color printer and a page sized laminator. I've done a few items for myself. I'd probably charge about $4 for a double sided card (maybe $3 for just one side) for printing, cutting, laminating, and mailing. I can print them on photo paper or cardstock.

Would anyone else be interested in P&P items? And does the cost seem reasonable? Costs for doing other items could be negotiated as well.

Jarimy123

01/14/2011, 12:09

What kind of card are you speaking of? Character card? Feat/Bfc?

$4 to me for any of those items just seems not worth it to me. I can print off all of those items myself, us them, and if they get damaged, bent, creased, etc. just print another one off.

I guess from a convenience standpoint it would be nice to have them and just keep them forever, but for $4 I'd rather try and buy the actual feat/bfc/character card and have the actual thing.

Just my thoughts personally. I think it's a cool thing, but from my POV, I understand the charges involved (you doing the work, the lamination cost, ink, etc., etc.) but the end customer is strictly getting a single laminated card. I might see a bulk deal being worth it, but for a single card, not $4.

Again - cool idea, just not sure it makes sense from a consumer POV.

Thrumble Funk

01/14/2011, 12:10

Eh, I'm sure it'll have a niche for someone. I'm at a venue flexible enough that allows me to write the exact text of an ATA on a piece of paper and play it, so it wouldn't be a need for me.

hair10

01/14/2011, 12:13

What kind of card are you speaking of? Character card? Feat/Bfc?
Yes. :)

$4 to me for any of those items just seems not worth it to me. I can print off all of those items myself, us them, and if they get damaged, bent, creased, etc. just print another one off.

I guess from a convenience standpoint it would be nice to have them and just keep them forever, but for $4 I'd rather try and buy the actual feat/bfc/character card and have the actual thing.
What would be a more 'reasonable price'?

I might see a bulk deal being worth it, but for a single card, not $4.
Hmmm.... maybe a bulk discount?

Thanks for the honest opinions. That's why I put this out there... to get some feedback.

Jarimy123

01/14/2011, 12:18

I honestly don't know what would be a reasonable cost for it. Someone who has an interest in getting some would probably have a better opinion. Just for me specifically, I have ready access to color printer, and am fine with printing out the feats/bfcs and cut them out and use them. When mine get "beat up" I just print a new one off.

Oh yea on top of that, I have all the feats/BFCs that I use that are available in actual "real" form - so I don't use PnP often enough to warrant it. I have used it, but for very select items that are only PnP, or I forgot I traded/sold.

fubar

01/14/2011, 12:57

I myself am very interested in "carding" some of the older REVU's from older sets that I use alot. I think it's a great idea. Sent you a pm on the subject.

ccs

01/14/2011, 15:14

Personally I think $3+ per card - even if that's actually fair to you - is way too much.

All I have to do is print these myself & invest in a pack or two of hard/top loader sleaves....

Perplexinator

01/14/2011, 15:28

I make a lot of my own print'n'play stuff. I enjoy designing it and researching the comics to find the perfect image for it.

(I'm not horning in on your market, just leading to my next point).

I tend to just give mine away to friends as "stocking stuffers" you could say. If I'm doing a trade with a friend, I'll throw in a pair of nicely designed, nicely printed, print'n'play stuff. Sometimes I give them out for free so to pay back a friend for a nice trade in the past or to pay for some services a friend may be doing to mod or fix a figure for me.

I woudn't try to hard to make money off the print'n'play stuff. Like others have said, anyone can print them out, and many don't care about the quality of the print out. People would probably love to own some nicely designed ones, but they won't pay for it as long as they can go to mobilehorror and get some adequate ones.

hair10

01/14/2011, 15:59

I woudn't try to hard to make money off the print'n'play stuff.
I wasn't really looking to make money. More like offer a service that's fair to both myself and the person looking to get some P&P elements.

phantalien

01/14/2011, 18:25

I would be very against this if you are trying to do this on this site. If you are doing this as a service then you will not charge for time but only charge for supplies and shipping.

hair10

01/14/2011, 19:53

I would be very against this if you are trying to do this on this site. If you are doing this as a service then you will not charge for time but only charge for supplies and shipping.
Umm... why wouldn't/shouldn't someone be compensated for their time?? :confused:

Perplexinator

01/14/2011, 20:39

Probably because you can't put a concrete value on a person's time. My time may be worth one value and your time may be worth another. My opinion of the value of your time may differ from that as well.

You can't argue with someone when they tell you it costs them X dollars to print out something and X more to get it laminated.

Thrumble Funk

01/15/2011, 10:44

I really don't think that $4 per is all that unreasonable. Like, at all.

d_knight7

01/15/2011, 12:54

Well I wouldn't pay that for 1 card, but assuming there is a bulk discount I'd imagine it has a niche.

The Decepticons

01/15/2011, 20:43

I really don't think that $4 per is all that unreasonable. Like, at all.

I do. You can run to a photo kiosk with a usb flash drive and get up a nice glossy card done (front and back side by side), for mere quarters. A pair of sisors and a glue stick to go back to back, trim and your done and youve got a nice glossy card.

d_knight7

01/15/2011, 22:10

I do. You can run to a photo kiosk with a usb flash drive and get up a nice glossy card done (front and back side by side), for mere quarters. A pair of sisors and a glue stick to go back to back, trim and your done and youve got a nice glossy card.

Well that's ok for you, but some people (not me, but some people) are very fussy about the older cards being pristine, and might appreciate something a little more professional looking.

dken77

01/16/2011, 00:38

i think this is a cool idea but i mean in order for me to pay 4 bucks for the card it would need to be just like the ones from the pack (i mean for replacement cards)

SpartanRS3416

01/16/2011, 01:01

The Decepticons

01/16/2011, 10:04

i can see what you mean though D_knight. after all i can remember when i wanted to get some proxies done up for OverPower. The local print shop had the exact card stock to match. A laser printer later and you'd pretty much never tell them apart next to an actual card.

Thrumble Funk

01/16/2011, 10:09

I do. You can run to a photo kiosk with a usb flash drive and get up a nice glossy card done (front and back side by side), for mere quarters. A pair of sisors and a glue stick to go back to back, trim and your done and youve got a nice glossy card.

Then do it. If you want someone else to do it for you, then $4 ain't all that bad.

The Decepticons

01/16/2011, 10:17

Then do it. If you want someone else to do it for you, then $4 ain't all that bad.

i know. Id rather that Wizkids make the cards more sturdier than they actually are. They've been slimming the cardstock over the years. thats why i sleeve all of my card in UP clear sleeves. At least it adds to the thickness. If i was given the choice between a duplication and something thicker id rather have the increased thickness.

hair10

01/16/2011, 11:21

If i was given the choice between a duplication and something thicker id rather have the increased thickness.
Sorry, but I can't really help with that. ;)

Other than laminating them, that is.

hair10

01/16/2011, 11:23

I might be willing to pay $4 for an 8.5x11 SHEET borderless front & back shipped but not per card
That's easy enough to do. The time consuming part is cutting everything out! I did this to a set of the Larfleeze tokens someone posted here. For 12 tokens it took me over an hour by the time I printed, cut them out, laminated, and cut them out again!

The Decepticons

01/16/2011, 13:46

Sorry, but I can't really help with that. ;)

Other than laminating them, that is.

Har... Har...
:p

It's not a Penis Mightier, Mr. Connery. There's no such thing!

Wait, wait, wait.. are you selling Penis Mightiers?

No! No, I'm not.

Well, you're sitting on a gold mine, Trebek!

spike1138

01/17/2011, 02:32

I lean toward $4 or $5 for a laminated sheet. I can get a 2x3 map laminated for $3 where I live. (It's $1 per foot at a teacher's supply store I know.) So I'm thinking $1 for laminating an 8.5x11 sheet, and the rest for postage/shipping supplies, etc.

But that's just me; I'm no expert on these things. Bottom line, I would be open to using a service like this if it were available. :classic:

csi

01/17/2011, 22:13

I might be willing to pay $4 for an 8.5x11 SHEET borderless front & back shipped but not per card since I can go to the dollar store & buy an 8 pk of 8.5x11 glossy photo paper & print f & b for about $5 on my inkjet printer then take take all 8 & spray them w/ a heavy matte clearcoat spray paint & they'll be tough as nails.

what is this clearcoat stuff? Where do you get it, I would like to try that

as for laminated cards, I would pay $1 a card + shipping. I would also buy in bulk, probably 2-3 of each feat and one of each BFC/ATA that have only been released as PnP. I know cutting out circles can be time consuming but cutting squares isn't so hard :p

hair10

01/18/2011, 10:45

I know cutting out circles can be time consuming but cutting squares isn't so hard :p

Good point. I know I was basing my thoughts off of those Orange Construct tokens. Would $1 a card side be reasonable? So if you need the front and back of a character card it would be $2 but if you just want an ATA, and don't care if te back side is blank, then it would be $1.

While mobilehorror has been a great resource, I've found that it isn't quite the quality that I like for character cards. I end up pulling my card out of my collection, scanning both sides, and use that instead.

brojase

01/19/2011, 19:38

machineman

01/19/2011, 23:17

I was looking for a service like this a few months back and had inquired here at the site on a couple of threads. I never got any takers on someone doing this kind of thing, so I went and bought a new printer. Still, I might buy some if you get it going.

Bat-Phreak

01/20/2011, 08:15

Good point. I know I was basing my thoughts off of those Orange Construct tokens. Would $1 a card side be reasonable? So if you need the front and back of a character card it would be $2 but if you just want an ATA, and don't care if te back side is blank, then it would be $1.

While mobilehorror has been a great resource, I've found that it isn't quite the quality that I like for character cards. I end up pulling my card out of my collection, scanning both sides, and use that instead.

$1 per side for a color printed, laminated card is fair. You could also offer a nominal discount on an entire PnP set from a release, maybe knock off a buck or so.

For the objects, a local Judge purchased some sort of hand-held punch-thingie from a teacher supply store, and can kerchunk the objects/bystanders out by the dozen! He always has a pocket full of Lians, Alfreds, etc, to give to new players.