What does it cost to run a booth, and when does it pay back?

Monthly costs for one booth

• Paper and ink: about $0.24 a print on the standard printer. 1,000 sessions a month is about $240.
• Rent: malls often ask for a fixed rent, a share of sales, or both.
• Card fees: a few percent per payment, paid to your payment provider.
• Software: Core is included in year one, then $199 a year per booth.
• Staffing: an unattended booth needs a short visit to refill paper. A studio needs someone on site.

Work out break-even

1. Pick your price. Many booths charge about $8 to $15 a session, depending on the city.
2. Take off what each session costs you (print and card fee), say about $1. What is left is your margin.
3. Divide your monthly costs by that margin. That is the number of sessions you need each month.
4. Divide the booth price, delivered, by your monthly profit. That is your payback time in months.

Our financial template does this for you, and the ROI guide has worked examples.