How much do you charge per sq foot.

[bob]

I have a minimum and a maximum square foot price. Currently it runs from a maximum of $24.00 to a minimum of $6.00. Just where any particular job ends up on this spectrum depends entirely on the size of the job. I use a formula that reduces to...

minimum+(maximum-minimum)/(total image area)

This formula becomes asymptotic about the minimum charge, which in English, means that the larger the job the closer to the minimum it gets but it never actually gets to the minimum.

For example, for 100 3x4 decals the total image area, including spacing, would be ~10 square feet. By the formula the price per square foot would be 6+(24-6)/10 or $7.80 per square foot. This is just the printing charge, the charge for the linear feet of media unrolled for this job is added to this as well as lamination, if any.

This generates a pleasing curve where the large the total image area the closer to the minimum square foot price. This has the added charm of automatically adjusting for large volumes of small objects and divorcing the charge for the media from the charge for the printing.

[gographics]

Bob,

What do you do for a mark up on your media?

so you take the sfp for printing $7.80 and add that to your total media marked up price for the total sfp, or when you quote it do you quote as print sfp and then media cost?

This is a huge help, pricing is always a concern... I really like this curve idea.

currently I am doing a septic truck. 30" roll of 3m IJ180C-10 and 30" roll of matching laminate. Approx 110 sqft of total media will be used at .98/sqft on the vinyl and .71/sqft on the lam.

6+(24-6)/110 = (?) multiplied by marked up media cost = total sqft for job

Above how do you get the $7.80? When I do the math I keep getting 2.4, am I missing a step?

[gographics]

ahhh...just got it, divide first then add the six. haha

so my print cost would be 6.16/sq ft.

then just figure out the mark up on the materials and add that to the print cost

I like that idea... so what should I mark up the material... I will search the forum to see what others are charging.

Thanks!

[John Miller]

My standard mark up for materials is 50%. If there is a special substrate that I have to buy That I may not use again, or something like foamcore that may get damaged before it gets used, the client pays for the total purchase. For example, if you buy a short roll of special stuff for a job, put the whole cost of the roll into the job. Your mark-up becomes the balance of the roll. If that doesn't feel like its good for you, add a 50% mark-up. Remember, retailers standardly markup what they sell 100-300%

[bob]

Originally Posted by gographics

ahhh...just got it, divide first then add the six. haha

so my print cost would be 6.16/sq ft.

then just figure out the mark up on the materials and add that to the print cost

I like that idea... so what should I mark up the material... I will search the forum to see what others are charging.

Thanks!

I routinely mark up media and substrates 100% and, as others do, if I have to buy a whole sheet of substrate or a roll of obscure media, they get to pay for the entire thing as well. 100% markup. Moreover I figure media on the total linear feet unrolled for a job, not merely the image area. Your milleage may vary.

As regards the $6.16/sqft, that's using my numbers which work for me in my situtation. You might want to contemplate your own mininum and maximum square foot prices that will work for you. Just ask yourself what is the absolute minimum for which you'll work, that's the minimum. Then ask yourself if someone wants a single 12"x12" print, how much you want to fire up the printer, load media, etc. for just that one piece. That becomes your maximum.

[The Sign Lady]

In McKinney, TX, the going rate is $13-15/sq. foot just for the print
$18/sq. foot installed onto vehicle or substrate (if on substrate...double your cost of the sub. material + $18/sq. for the print)

[Sign Works]

Lately I've encountered several situations where Sign Shops, Print Houses, Brokers, etc. are buying wholesale at $1.00 per sq ft or less and selling retail for $2.00 per sq ft or less, $1.85 on one qoute, compete with that!

[bigwater]

It's easy to compete with that. Give them service. Provide a superb product in a timely fashion that blows their socks off.

I'm hating life right now, selling signs faster than I can print them because all of the $1-2/sf houses are quoting two weeks out... the political season you know. I'll be in the shop in about three hours to stick the 700 sq ft of vinyl that printed overnight, and will clear about 5 grand in pure profit... on a Saturday. Give the folks what they want and bank the cash.

Yep, newbie to this forum, but not new to the business. You cannot convince me that I can't compete with the buck a sqare crowd. I've got something they don't have. Service.

[jcuads]

You're hating life right now and you are clearing $5000 in pure profit in a couple of days. What are you sticking the prints to and how much are you charging? Please tell me.I don't get this post.

[bigwater]

The "hating life" was meant to be sarcastic. These prints were stuck to 20 4'x4' and 12 8'x4' 4mm coroplast blanks. I had ~700 square feet of 3621 cal (~$150.00) + 22 sheets of 4mm coro at ~$8.50 each. Total bill came out to $5600.00. They got their order less than 48 hours after it was placed, and wrote the check with a smile on their face.

Orders are already stacking up for the general election, but it looks like I'll only get about half of the orders that I've committed to making. That's because half of the candidates are going to lose in the primaries