As you may remember I have made reproductions of my work available worldwide through the Saatchi Online website. Last night they notified me that with immediate effect they are changing their pricing structure for open edition prints so the minimum price I am able to charge for a 8"x10" print is now US$40. Considering the stage I am at in my career and the fact that I have no part to play in the quality control process other than supplying the master photograph I do not consider this to be a fair price from a consumer point of view, however good the print process and paper. Limited editions and things made specifically to become prints should be priced at levels that reflect their attractiveness, their status as art and the time and money invested in them but I think open edition on-demand digital reproductions should be priced far more aggressively and democratically; they should be a very affordable way to get high quality and accurate reproductions of my images into people's homes so they can start to build relationships with my work.
The long and the short of it is that, although this may change as my skill level and profile rise, I believe $40 is too much for this particular size and type of print. The small print of the email said that work already up there can remain at current prices, so all work up to Mudward and Floodward is available at a more competitive price. I will not be adding any more work to the site and will look for an alternative way to provide this service. I'll post further developments as they occur.
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