Gerber Edge sticker pricing

[styleyouneed]

I just added a Gerber Edge/HS15 combo to my shop and am having trouble coming up with pricing. My problem has always been I look at cost, time involved and figure a price. Usually I end up lower than i should be. Before when we printed die cut stickers there was more labor between printing, lamination, cutting etc. Now there is no lamination needed, we don't have to check the printer every so often during print production, we don't have 4 reg marks to line up for cutting, we don't have to sit there while cutting to make sure it stays on reg. Edge printing send to print, walk away, come back change ribbons and repeat step 1, load end line up one mark for cutting start the job and walk away. Come back to finished job read for weeding.

With The Edge printing is pretty much like screen printing. The more colors the more work. I know what my per ft cost is for foil and vinyl material and how much labor is involved with multi color prints. I came up with a starting price of $5 per ft CUT for one color print and $1 more per ft for added colors. This is of course walk in price and leaves me some room to wiggle with our repeat customers.

Just wondering what other Edge owners charge to make sure I'm not under or over charging. Also what do you charge for other things pertaining to Edge printed stickers, lamination, scuff guard etc. Like i said we JUST added this Monday so we still haven't even scratched the surface of possible revenue generation.

Thanks in advance!

If you could list:
Location
Per ft price for one color
Per ft price for additional colors
add-ons or other offered "Edge" services

Pennsylvania
$5 per ft ONE color print on standard vinyl
$1 per ft each additional

 

[jfiscus]

you're cheap.
also, you DO need to laminate these prints if they're going outside.

 

[styleyouneed]

just the reason i posted the thread. To see what others are charging and where i am at. So what are you charging?


Also why would i need to laminate if its a thermal print. I have read tons of posts on numerous sights of people getting 3+ years with no lam. This is machine will be used for customer stickers not industrial conditions.

 

[paul luszcz]

You need to laminate if the prints are going outside because otherwise the colors will fade much sooner than you or the customer expect. We've had an Edge since 1996. We did mostly interior work until 2002 then switched to exterior.

We fell for the old "you don't need to laminate thermal prints" trick and ended up replacing tons of embarrassing graphics that had certain colors fade to invisible.

Every color fades at a different rate. Black is good, purple and pink only last a year or two. I have No parking signs that now read Parking and that's just one example.

For pricing, we determine our cost like every other product and take it from there how much we can mark it up. I've never been able to figure out per foot pricing.

 

[styleyouneed]

we have sublimation for signs and flatbed printing for bigger signs. we will ONLY use this for small decals, stickers etc. We deal with a lot of clothing brands and companies who want cheap promo stickers. I too try to price everything per job but unfortunately i am not always around for my sales manager to check on prices vs. labor.

 

[jfiscus]

FWIW, we purchase 54" rolls of 8519 lam and have it cut down to 13.5" widths.
Trust the responses here, our edge machines have made millions over the years, ours both still run here every day just as much as our solvent printers.

Add a buck or so to both of your item prices and see how that goes for base pricing on 220 vinyl.
Go up significantly for specialty materials.

 

[styleyouneed]

so you manually lam then run the punch vinyl through your cutter? We do have a laminator and scrap 12" cut off rolls laying around.

I will add the $1 too. Like i said i just never had a printer like this we use sublimation or inkjet wide format. Thanks for the info.

 

[J Hill Designs]

should be priced on a sliding scale - 1sq ft 1 color $62 - 25 sq ft 1 color $17 psf -- 15-20% raise in psf price per additional color

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

I don't think pricing per square foot really works with decals because there should be a price difference between 1 decal that 11"x11" and 360 decals that are .5"x.5", although they both fit in 1 sq ft. (Is that math right? You can fit 19 rows and 19 columns in 1 sq ft of .5" decals with .12" between them = 361 decals.)

 

[styleyouneed]

$67 for the first foot! man that seems to be a little high compared to our pricing? What is your market. No one has stated their market just pricing ideas. Yeah if your in vegas or miami you can get top dollar.

 

[Billct2]

How long does it take to set up, print, load to plotter and cut, then we frog juice, dry, weed, tape?
That's not to mention client time. billing and are these only for supplied designs?
It's kinda like screen printing, the first ones expensive after that they get reasonable.

 

[Fred Weiss]

You're way low, IMHO, and you need to have some adjusters in your calculations. We've been Edge printing since 1998. The following is our print and cut retail pricing by the linear inch and 11.8" height:

Easy to normal weeding, no transfer paper, delivered in vertical columns.

One spot color on IP vinyl = .93

One spot color on 220 HP vinyl = 1.00

One spot color on reflective vinyl = 2.55

Each additional spot color = .30

Each additional metallic color = .45

Each additional Medal color = .60

UV/Abrasion Guard Clear overprint = .30

Overlaminate = .60

Transfer paper and individual trimming out = .30

Difficult weeding or any other extra time cost = .20 to .50

Minimum per item print run = 25.00

Volume discounts based on dollar amount of order:

$200.00 = 5%

$500.00 = 10%

$1,000.00 = 15%

$2,500.00 = 20%

Break points in decal height are important. For example, a 6" x 9" decal will only run one up. If the height is reduced to 5.87", the job will run two up effectively cutting the price in half for the customer. In addition, don't forget to charge for edge bleeds at the full printed image size ... not the finished size.

5.87" = Two up

3.87" = Three up

2.87" = Four up

2.25" = Five up

1.87" = Six up

Example pricing:

1,000 2" x 3" two spot color ovals on 220 HP White with edge bleed and UV/Abrasion Guard overprint. Image size with bleed = 2.08" x 3.08". Finish in five up columns without transfer paper.

Total print: 1,000 / 5 x 3.08" = 616"
Price per linear inch = $1.60
Total price: 616 x 1.60 = $985.60
Volume Discount: 985.60 x .1 = $98.56
Price after discount: 985.60 - 98.56 = $887.04

Total print and cut length: 616 / 12 = 51.33' (not counting gaps)
Price per linear foot: $887.04 / 51.33 = $17.28

 

[artofacks1]

I'm in the helmet decal game and our prices per decal 30" square per pair is $4.40 one color printed on convex and laminated with convex. Each additional color is .30 more if it is spot. If it is medal its 3.00 more per pair and if its bronze, silver its 1.00 more per pair.

The goal is to print 4 up per every 11.8 x 11.8 so we are looking at $8.80 per every 11.8" for one color.

I wish the e$timator app gms promised me worked on the system I use and that would help loads though.

 

[bob]

should be priced on a sliding scale - 1sq ft 1 color $62 - 25 sq ft 1 color $17 psf -- 15-20% raise in psf price per additional color.

Exactly. The formula I have used for years is: (MAX-MIN)+(AREA*MIN)+MATERIAL Where MAX is the most you would charge psf for a single foot^2 or less, MIN is the minimum you would charge regardless of size, AREA is the integer number of foot^2 with which you are dealing, and MATERIAL is your fully marked up price for all material UNROLLED, not necessarily used. Here everything is marked up at least 100%.

With this formula the price starts at your MAX and becomes asymptotic about your MIN in a pleasing curve. You and you alone have to determine just what your MIN and MAX should be.

 

[styleyouneed]

AWESOME ways of looking at pricing guys, Thanks for the ideas and insight!