Automatic versus Manual Processing Photo Station Company operates a printing service for customers with digital cameras. The current service, which requires employees to download photos from customer cameras, has monthly operating costs of $5,000 plus $0.20 per photo printed. Management is evaluating the desirability of acquiring a machine that will allow customers to download and make prints without employee assistance. If the machine is acquired, the monthly fixed costs will increase to $10,000 and the variable costs of printing a photo will decline to $0.04 per photo.

(a) Determine the total costs of printing 20,000 and 50,000 photos per month.

Units Current Process Proposed Process

20,000 $ _________ $______

50,000 $______ $_______

(b) Determine the monthly volume at which the proposed process becomes preferable to (cost less than) the current process.

_______ Units