How much does it cost to start a photo booth business?
Congratulations on taking the first step in starting your own photo booth business! Lets discuss the most asked question . . . how much does it cost?
Price is important. There’s a lot of variables out there that will dictate the cost to start a photo booth business. Some are obvious factors such as cost of the actual photo booth, but there are also many hidden costs.
While it’s impossible to give a firm price, the outline below gives a very accurate range.
Photo Booth Equipment
iPad based photo booth shell – $800 – 2000
iPad – $400 – $1000
OR
DSLR based photo booth shell – $1200 – 3500
Computer – $500 – 1000
DSLR Camera – $300 – 700
USB hub, assorted cables and power supplies – $100
Printer – $600 – 1200
Additional Gear and Supplies
Props – $100 – 500
Backdrop(s) $300 – 500
Scrapbook Supplies – $20 – 50 per event
Printer media (paper and ink) $100/box (800 prints)
Software
One-time fee (typically DSLR software) $200 – 500
Subscription (typically iPad software) $20/month to $150/month
Digital Scrapbook & Sharing Station Software – $30/event to $500/year
General Business Expenses
Insurance – $400 – 2000 a year
Marketing/advertising – $0 – 5000
Let’s synthesize the above numbers into a few real world examples on what you can expect to spend in your first year in business.
*The prices set below are retail cost — keep in mind, items frequently go on sale.
Most Basic Option
Roaming Photo Booth (MobileMax) – $1099
Refurbished iPad – $400
Basic iPad software – $20/month
Insurance – $400
Marketing – Word of mouth
Total: $2139
Mid-Level Option
Hybrid Roaming / Stationary Booth (CurveMax Duo) – $2099
Refurbished iPad – $400
Upgraded iPad Software – $100/month
Backdrop – $300
Props – $100
Insurance – $400
Marketing – $50/month
Total: $4899
High-End Option
DSLR Booth and Printer Stand (CurveDSLR) – $2998
Refurbished Computer – $600
DSLR Camera – $300
Booth Software – $300
Scrapbook Software (CaptureBook) – $30/month
Printer – $750
Printer Media (paper & ink) – $500
USB Hub and cables – $100
Backdrop – $300
Props – $100
Insurance – $400
Marketing – $100/month
Total: $7908
While the above options are a very good estimate on typical startup costs to start a photo booth business, you need to keep in mind that prices and business plans vary greatly. Maybe for you, marketing is much more important and you’d want to increase the budget on that. Also, you could easily save $1000 or more by waiting for a sale.
Hopefully this blog article has answered some of your questions on starting a photo booth business. Feel free to comment below with any questions that you might have and be sure to check out the full line of photo booths offered on our website.
Danny Max
Max Photo Booth Design
