Cutting Costs, Eliminating The Middle Man

I decided that there was an opportunity to grow my art business by offering prints and cards of some of my paintings. After investigating printers and printing costs, I have come to the conclusion to buy a nice small printer and do the work myself. I will cut out the middle man. I worked for 27 years in the printing industry. I can purchase paper reasonably from suppliers and print up to 11 x 14 or a little larger with no problem. The printer I am looking at is one that my sister always has and is printing her photography on. She even clued me in to a good paper supplier. The printer she has offers a good rebate for purchasing as well as a dvd of Photoshop Elements. So, it sounds like a really good deal all around. It will cost me a little up front, but I think I can recover my expenses with just a few print sales. So, after I go visit with my sister and we print a couple of my things, if I am happy with the results I will purchase a printer. I am excited about that. I will have more than expensive original paintings to offer. I think it will greatly expand my customer base. People with less expendable income with be able to purchase a print or an art card and still have a copy of a painting of mine that they have marked as a favorite. It will be cheaper for me to mail prints out than deal with shipping paintings. So, it seems like a very good idea. I will eliminate the middle man and keep a higher percentage of the profits.