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Help on Pricing Installation

songprinting

New Member
Hello everyone,
New to this forum. We are a printing, graphic and design company and a few years ago we were asked to do some signs and it has evolved from there. We finally invested in an Epson wide format about 18 months ago so we could do less outsourcing.

I am the quoter mostly and still have challenges finding a sweet spot for pricing vinyl installation. We have a unique job right now that I need to quote installation. I've already quoted the printing of the decals but would love some advice on a range for installation.

It's going to be laminated decals for 10 huge garbage trucks for our local city. The area is 78" x 46" and we'll be printing the decals in two pieces. Will be installed on both sides of the trucks so essentially we'll be installing 40 decals (laminated and transfer taped of course). Got two guys to do this.

Any suggestions would be really welcomed!
Sue
 

victor bogdanov

Active Member
Is it a pretty flat surface or does it have some complex features? How high up on the truck?

I would do 46" x 78" in one piece, saves on install time not having to line up.

If it is ground level and pretty flat I would charge $250 per truck for the install so about $2500 for the install . Should be able to knock it out in a day
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
* Will you be traveling to their site ??
* Will all the trucks be washed and thoroughly clean for a final alcohol wipe down ??
* Will you need ladders and possibly a walk plank ??
* Will you be using air egress vinyl and lam ??
* Have you seen the condition of all the faces to be decorated, or are you taking their word ??

I'd also do it one piece.
 

songprinting

New Member
Is it a pretty flat surface or does it have some complex features? How high up on the truck?

I would do 46" x 78" in one piece, saves on install time not having to line up.

If it is ground level and pretty flat I would charge $250 per truck for the install so about $2500 for the install . Should be able to knock it out in a day
Pretty flat. Middle of the truck, ladder required. I get that doing it in one piece would be preferable but we didn't want to outsource and our laminator is only 30" wide (yes, we do need a wider one!). The design however means it's pretty easy to line up one of the pieces against the other one.

Thanks - were thinking about day or day and half.
 

songprinting

New Member
* Will you be traveling to their site ??
* Will all the trucks be washed and thoroughly clean for a final alcohol wipe down ??
* Will you need ladders and possibly a walk plank ??
* Will you be using air egress vinyl and lam ??
* Have you seen the condition of all the faces to be decorated, or are you taking their word ??

I'd also do it one piece.
Yes, but site is about 5 minutes away where the City store the garbage trucks when not doing their rounds.
Yes, but good point - I should make that a condition (in writing) so we have no surprises about the condition
Yes, just ladders
No, reg vinyl and lam
Taking their word lol!
 

JBurton

Signtologist
Why ?? Not a good place to cheap out.

Hey, I can make another pitch for substance materials here. Sounds like a good application for 444LSE if you're worried about the powder coat on the trucks not being the best surface to stick to, or their PM2755 if you're confident in that surface. Both have air egress properties.
 

songprinting

New Member
Hey, I can make another pitch for substance materials here. Sounds like a good application for 444LSE if you're worried about the powder coat on the trucks not being the best surface to stick to, or their PM2755 if you're confident in that surface. Both have air egress properties.
Surface is pretty easy - clean and painted vehicle. Power washed before we start
 
Just my 2 cents, but I would use wrap vinyl and laminate. I have found that regular vinyl on vehicles, even on flat surfaces will fail within about a year, although I am in South Florida.
 

Bxtr

New Member
I think $250/truck sounds about right, you should use a vinyl with air release. The difference in the cost you'll recoup in your labor or redos.
 

CanuckSigns

Active Member
Do yourself and your customer a favor and outsource the printing onto the proper film, something like ij180, or at the absolute minimum Ij40c, and do it in 1 piece, install will take literally half the time, and the film is properly rated for vehicles, so they won't come back in a year when it starts peeling off.
 

songprinting

New Member
Thank you for all the advice here. This is new territory for us and it all makes sense. Will look into air release and printing in one piece.
 

visual800

Active Member
Id say $275 per truck because you know they aint clean some stuff may have to be scraped, should be easy install and jopefully at that price they will all be there at once
 

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
$500 install, $500 for prints each truck. You're going onsite so that adds value. $1200 like song print said is good. Sub that print out and put it on air egress vinyl...will make it so much easier
 

hybriddesign

owner Hybrid Design
like everyone else is suggesting I agree and cast air release with cast lam or else we often use 3M IJ40 which is a lot cheaper and still works very well

Sometimes on those type of trucks the decals get trashed so quickly you don’t need the really long lasting films but air release film is so much faster to install and more importantly, when down the road they call you to remove and install new ones better film is WAY WAY easier to remove cleanly.
 

Modern Ink Signs

Premium Subscriber
$400-$450 per vehicle assuming (2) decals at that size per vehicle.

3M / Avery cast wrap vinyl with lam.
Installed at your shop. Add $$$ if travel.

Should take 2 guys no more than an hour to install.
 
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