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48" x 96" digital print mounted to a customer furnished MDO signboard?

phototec

New Member
What is the typical price for a 48" x 96" digital print mounted to a customer furnished MDO signboard?

How much extra to laminate the graphic before mounting to the signboard?

Thanks
 

eahicks

Magna Cum Laude - School of Hard Knocks
I'd be about $350 for laminated print, mounted to their board.
 

2B

Active Member
we would be $239 print, lam and applied.

NOTE:
A customer provided substrate will carry ZERO warranties

EDIT: we also retain the right to refuse the installation if it will damage/get dirty our equipment or be too much of a hassle
 
Last edited:
$256 for calendered with laminate, $208 without laminate.
$296 for cast with laminate, $232 without laminate.

We would charge an additional $12.50 to mount using an application table.
 

CanuckSigns

Active Member
$256 for calendered with laminate, $208 without laminate.
$296 for cast with laminate, $232 without laminate.

We would charge an additional $12.50 to mount using an application table.

You would only charge $12.50 to mount it? why so little, I would be at least $50 to mount it with our rolls roller. by the time you load the sheet on the table, align the print, mount it and trim the excess you would loose money at $12.50, not to mention if the client chooses to do away with the laminate on the 2 mil it's like applying a wet noodle, way more likely to mess it up and need a reprint, on your dime of course.
 

TimToad

Active Member
$256 for Oracal 3165RA with 210 Lam.

Another $40 to mount.

NO WARRANTY on client supplied materials.
 

ddarlak

Go Bills!
all depends on what you printed it on, as far as customer supplied material, i would still mark up their material as if i purchased it.
 
You would only charge $12.50 to mount it? why so little, I would be at least $50 to mount it with our rolls roller. by the time you load the sheet on the table, align the print, mount it and trim the excess you would loose money at $12.50, not to mention if the client chooses to do away with the laminate on the 2 mil it's like applying a wet noodle, way more likely to mess it up and need a reprint, on your dime of course.

I agree, you are most likely right on point. However, the truth is, we have no set pricing for mounting prints on customer supplied substrate so I pulled that number out of my arse based on how much I would charge to mount a print to our own substrate, which is probably still low but it keeps us competitive with how we price our substrates and prints. All in all, it's about a 5-7 minute job with an application table and even though we probably should charge more we just don't. The table pays for itself every day just with laminating prints alone.

I think I tend to look at the mounting capability as an added bonus, since we used to mount prints by hand and charged accordingly (closer to your $50 price point) but then we ended up pricing ourselves out of a lot of jobs that way. Now with the table, I can mount and trim at least eight 4 x 8 panels per hour, so $12.50 per panel doesn't seem all that bad, but I get what you're saying.

I used to feel the same way about mounting unlaminated prints but as long as they are completely outgassed and I work from the center out, I've never had an issue.
 

TimToad

Active Member
ij35c + 3420 satin lam = 193.75, another 100 to mount. Even though it takes 15 min to set up and use the laminator to mount the print, I hate doing it on someone else's dirty material. If it was my material it would be 193.75 + 125 or so.

The "dirty material" comment raises a good point. We usually tell folks wanting us to mount to their material that not only all bets are off on a warranty for the print, but that we also reserve the right to refuse to risk damage to our equipment trying to machine mount a print until we see the material in person.

They also are informed in advance that unless they use a good quality, oil based enamel on the background, they should expect premature failure. We're happy to toss some cheapskate a old beat up squeegee and send them off with the print than handle some sheet of total garbage. That type of customer is likely come back and complain or slam you on social media after the print falls off in six months.

Considering they are using MDO, I'm assuming this client knows at least a little bit about what they are doing.
 

TimToad

Active Member
Gez this is low. I'm at $395 printed laminated and mounted. But really I don't mount to other's boards...only new...and then I'm $495

You can get a full coverage print on ij35C with gloss lam from Signs365 for $2.50 per square foot which is: $90 with shipping. Unless there is substantial design time involved, charging $300.00 to layout the sign, order a print, accept its delivery and mount it to someone else's substrate seems rather exorbitant compared to 99% of the rest of us who shared our estimated cost.

What is more confusing is how a sheet of MDO which if enamel finished costs almost $80 wholesale and in your estimation is only marked up enough to add $100 to the job.
 

TimToad

Active Member
I'd opt for the primed version, wrap an extra 1/2" around the edges onto the back. $65/panel, cost.

We buy the primed too and give the front a single coat of Chromatic or Ronan bulletin white after the edges get extra two coats of primer with a little roller and then the enamel goes on. We NEVER mount prints to anything that hasn't had a decent coat of some kind of oil based enamel.
 

Z SIGNS

New Member
You can ask whatever you want.I would probably be around 8/900 doll hairs range and hope they don't agree.because I have never found profit in dealing with "How much? I'm going to bring you the the board" kind of people. I'd rather focus on profitable work. I guess it depends on what kind of work you want to do and how much you think it's worth.
 
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