Sideshow Premium Art Prints

[Johnneeukca]

Originally Posted by TheStig88

I'd try for an upgrade if you can swing it. I think it's gorgeous frame job for $120 and it fits the piece perfectly, but that's just me.

I totally agree that it looks gorgeous in the SS frame but I can't help but wonder what the outside corners of the frame will look like after its been through the shipping-grinder. For that reason, and the others stated, I felt print only was the way to go (mind you, there's no guarantee that it even the print itself will arrive unscathed).

[OrangeCrush]

Had these been 13x19, I would have ordered every last one of them...well, most likely. Given that thier 18x24, I might buy one of two here and there, but will most likely skip most of them. Just hate larger portfolios. Makes looking at prints a total chore. I guess I could always matt them and store them in print boxes, but then your adding another $30 bucks per print and 18x24 print boxes take up a lot of space and weigh a ton when full. 13x19 would have been so much better in my opinion. At the very least, Sideshow could offer 2 editions, one that is 13x19 and one that is 18x24.

I really wish they would just start including prints in with the statues. This in my opinion is one of the best moves XM studios has made thus far.

As for framing, I have said this many times in the Aspen print thread, learn how to frame your own prints!! It requires very little investment, is easy as pie and you can ensure that its done using archival framing methods. It will cut your framing costs by 60-70%. I am betting Sideshow isn't using archival framing methods.

Originally Posted by Mitch

lol.

I hope they utilize a double box plan. Shipping tube only is risky. I just had a pair of prints get creamed by the USPS. The worst part was that one of the prints was not only numbered but the last of the run.

The tubes used should be 3", not 2" otherwise the posters get to drastic of a permanent curl to them. The tube should then be placed in a custom sized long square box.

Much safer all around & if it costs a bit more it is WELL worth it.

All quality art prints should be shipped flat. Rolling prints actually stretches the paper fibres, which is why its so hard to get rolled prints to lay flat again. The more tightly you roll a print the worse it will be. Not to mention, shipping flat is the best way to ensure no damage occurs to the print itself during shipping.

The single best shipping method for prints is as follows:

1 - put the print in a print bag
2 - get 4 sheets of cardboard or foam core that is at least 1" wider in both length and width than the print itself. For 18x24 prints, you would want 20x26" sheets.
3 - center and tape the print bag w/print down to one of sheets of foam core/cardboard.
4 - sandwich the print between a 2nd sheet of foam core/cardboard.
5 - double up and sandwich the print and 2 sheets of foam core/cardboard between 2 more sheets of foam core/cardboard.
6 - Tape all 4 sheets together, on all 4 sides.
7 - insert into a quality flat shipping box that is the same size as the sheets of foam core/carbboard. For 18x24, Krafts 20"x26" Easy-Fold Mailers are perfect.
8 - tape up the box using quality shipping tape.

#3 is vital as it ensures the print wont move around during shipping. The print moving around during shipping is how the VAST majority of prints that get mailed flat wind up getting damaged. You follow these guidlines and your package is basically bomb proof. Basically, the only way the print can get damaged at this point is if something actually punctures into the package itself, and it needs to do so pretty deep to hit the print. In roughly 20 years of collecting prints, I have seen every shipping method that exists in regards to prints. This is BY FAR, the best methd out there. The cost of the materials is roughly 3-5 bucks and its worth every penny as using this method ensures your print will arrive in 100% perfect condition.

[The Mule]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

I really wish they would just start including prints in with the statues. This in my opinion is one of the best moves XM studios has made thus far.

This. So much, this, I won't stop repeating it. At the price points we are at, even a small print is welcomed. The Mythos line had perfect packaging. Too bad Sideshow is so inconsistent in almost everything.

[Synzaic]

They used to include prints.....people complained. If they included prints and increased the prices automatically by $75 people would complain BIG TIME.

But people had been requesting that sideshow sell them.....and now they are. Happy times.

[Rycher]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

All quality art prints should be shipped flat. Rolling prints actually stretches the paper fibres, which is why its so hard to get rolled prints to lay flat again. The more tightly you roll a print the worse it will be. Not to mention, shipping flat is the best way to ensure no damage occurs to the print itself during shipping.

The rolled shipping is a concern of mine as well. As I understand it, rolled is the more cost effective way of shipping, but if it means the difference between potentially damaging the print during the framing process I would gladly pay more for the better method. Perhaps SS could give the buyers the option to choose which method of shipping (rolled or flat)? If cost is an issue and the buyer is willing to take the risk then he/she could just choose the cheaper alternative. Just my 2 cents.

[PureInvasion]

Originally Posted by Synzaic

They used to include prints.....people complained. If they included prints and increased the prices automatically by $75 people would complain BIG TIME.

But people had been requesting that sideshow sell them.....and now they are. Happy times.

Fyi...those prints were smaller and fairly poor in terms of actually quality. $80 for a solid print is a good deal, especially one that doesn't sell out in 10 seconds (ie Mondo)

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by Rycher

The rolled shipping is a concern of mine as well. As I understand it, rolled is the more cost effective way of shipping, but if it means the difference between potentially damaging the print during the framing process I would gladly pay more for the better method. Perhaps SS could give the buyers the option to choose which method of shipping (rolled or flat)? If cost is an issue and the buyer is willing to take the risk then he/she could just choose the cheaper alternative. Just my 2 cents.

Print collectors deal with damage more than any other hobby in my opinion. It got so bad at one point for me on ebay, that I literally stopped buying prints altogther from sellers that I didnt already have dealings with. Most people simply don't know how to properly ship prints. They don't realize how easy it is for them to get damaged during shipping, especially these days. They arent like other collectibles, where you can just throw them in a box with some peanuts and all is good. And dealing with damaged prints is a total pain in the butt, which is why most print collectors are willing to pay more to ensure thier print arrives undamaged. I have met very few print collectors that would rather save a few bucks and have thier prints shipped in tubes as opposed to quality shipping methods like the one I detailed up above.

So your opinion falls right in line with most other print collectors. At least give people the option for a quality shipping method. If these prints are shipped in tubes, it will make me just that much more hesitant to buy them.

Originally Posted by The Mule

This. So much, this, I won't stop repeating it. At the price points we are at, even a small print is welcomed. The Mythos line had perfect packaging. Too bad Sideshow is so inconsistent in almost everything.

I am right with ya. I have sent emails to Sideshow on multiple occasions regarding this and even brought it up to the CS rep I spoke to on the phone. I would much rather have a print than most of the ex bonuses we have seen as of late. Given how cheap digital prints are to produce, it just doesnt make sense not to include a print.

I am betting Sideshow is doing the printing themselves for the premium print line. Doesnt make sense to do it any other way these days. They probably purchased a mid level Epson printer like the Stylus Pro 7900 or the 7890. If that is the case, they could produce 13x19 prints to include in with the statues for roughly 2-3 dollars per print. I myself use an Epson 7900 so I know the cost per print extremely well. Those are the printers that Aspen uses for thier Michael Turner prints. The quality is amazing with Epsons Ultrachome inks. Basically, given the cost of digital printing these days, it just makes no sense not to include prints in with the statues. They already have artwork made up for most of them anyways so there is zero cost on that front. Hell, raise the price of the statues by $5 bucks and throw in a print. I am betting most people wont compain. In fact, I am betting most people would be thrilled. I know I would.

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by Synzaic

They used to include prints.....people complained. If they included prints and increased the prices automatically by $75 people would complain BIG TIME.

But people had been requesting that sideshow sell them.....and now they are. Happy times.

$75?? The cost of digital prints are ridiculously low these days. You can produce high quality 13x19 giclee prints for roughly 2-3 bucks apiece, not including the cost of the printer. The printer will cost around $3,000, which is nothing for a company like Sideshow. In fact, I am betting they already purchased one for thier premium print line. They are making a HUGE profit off of thier premium print line as 18x24 prints cost around 6 bucks a pop on those printers. Even lower if you buy the paper and ink in large quantities. They are already making a profit off the statues themselves. Given how cheap they are to produce, they should be throwing in a 13x19 print with the statues as a bonus or just raise the price of the statue by $5 to cover the costs. Given the edition sizes we are seeing with statues today, Sideshow could charge an additional 5 bucks for a print and they could literally cover the cost of the printer itself, along with the prints, with just a single statue. I would compain too if they tried charging me 75 bucks to include a print in with the statues. That is nothing short of raping your customers.

Of course, its pretty clear the route they have chosen to take. Instead of throwing prints in with the statues, which again would cost next to nothing for 13x19 prints, they are making them a separate product altogether. That way they can make a huge profit off of them, as opposed to just including them in the statues. Given the edition size and the cost per print for 18x24 prints, Sideshow is looking at a roughly $17,000 profit per print, again, not incuding the printer itself. Given it takes time to produce them and you do proofs and such so I would bring that down to roughly $15,000 per print. I was really hoping Sideshow would change thier stance on this issue, but the premium print line all but guarantee's that isnt going to happen.

Again, this is one area where XM rules supreme. You get a print with each statue for free, as long as you pay for a certain percentage of the statue up front. A great idea, one I would take advantage of everytime if Sideshow were to offer such a deal, but again, its clear now the only way people are getting prints from sideshow is by spending $75 bucks. Definitely not what I was hoping for, but I guess its better than nothing.

[Synzaic]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

$75?? The cost of digital prints are ridiculously low these days. You can produce high quality 13x19 giclee prints for roughly 2-3 bucks apiece, not including the cost of the printer. The printer will cost around $3,000, which is nothing for a company like Sideshow. In fact, I am betting they already purchased one for thier premium print line. They are making a HUGE profit off of thier premium print line as 18x24 prints cost around 6 bucks a pop on those printers. Even lower if you buy the paper and ink in large quantities. They are already making a profit off the statues themselves. Given how cheap they are to produce, they should be throwing in a 13x19 print with the statues as a bonus or just raise the price of the statue by $5 to cover the costs. Given the edition sizes we are seeing with statues today, Sideshow could charge an additional 5 bucks for a print and they could literally cover the cost of the printer itself, along with the prints, with just a single statue. I would compain too if they tried charging me 75 bucks to include a print in with the statues. That is nothing short of raping your customers.

Of course, its pretty clear the route they have chosen to take. Instead of throwing prints in with the statues, which again would cost next to nothing for 13x19 prints, they are making them a separate product altogether. That way they can make a huge profit off of them, as opposed to just including them in the statues. Given the edition size and the cost per print for 18x24 prints, Sideshow is looking at a roughly $17,000 profit per print, again, not incuding the printer itself. Given it takes time to produce them and you do proofs and such so I would bring that down to roughly $15,000 per print. I was really hoping Sideshow would change thier stance on this issue, but the premium print line all but guarantee's that isnt going to happen.

Again, this is one area where XM rules supreme. You get a print with each statue for free, as long as you pay for a certain percentage of the statue up front. A great idea, one I would take advantage of everytime if Sideshow were to offer such a deal, but again, its clear now the only way people are getting prints from sideshow is by spending $75 bucks. Definitely not what I was hoping for, but I guess its better than nothing.

Are you one of the people who used to complain when the ex was a print? "Ugg stupid ex print, I would take a switch out hand instead! Or maybe a switch out weapon that the character used once and that I will never display him with. "

[Synzaic]

$79 is not a lot in this hobby......save up $10 more and you can buy the Indiana jones replica hat for $90. Or save $4 and get a single hot toys styrofoam hall of armour. When you search products by price the prints are in the second lowest category (bit too much for the under $50)