soloinstaller
New Member
How long does it take for you to letter a truck from start to finish with spot placed graphics, including clean/prep time? No wrapping. Something like the pic attached. Just a fairly simple set of decals, nothing crazy.
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How long does it take you to letter a truck?
- Thread starter soloinstaller
- Start date
CanuckSigns
Active Member
Johnny Best
Active Member
First time, 4 hours to get everything right.
Rmurray321
New Member
Don’t forget to include reprint time when you screw something up!
TinFoilHat
Signs of The Times
Yeah, about one hour for someone with experience. Beginner level probably at least two hours.
TinFoilHat
Signs of The Times
What would y’all charge to install something like this? I would probably be around 225-275
I'd say even 1 hour is generous!
Next time a letter vehicle comes into a shop, time it from the moment you start cleaning to the moment you start driving it out.
I'm counting 3 pieces on the back, 2 on the sides. So that's 7 decals to measure and get straight.
I'd probably be at an hour if trying to rush and get it out the door.... The guys we employee would be at 1.5 to 2 hours.
kcollinsdesign
Old member
If the graphics are already printed, cut and masked with guidelines in place (and assuming they are the right size), the installation process would proceed as follows:
1. Clean truck (time dependent on how dirty it is and if other graphics need to be removed). Estimate 15 minutes for a fairly clean truck.
2. Mark truck with All-Stabilo pencil for correct alignment. 30 minutes
3. Tape graphics in place. 20 minutes
4. Apply graphics. 60 minutes
5. Clean up and dispose of installation materials. 5 minutes.
6. Prepare invoice and file job information. 10 minutes.
Total invoice for installation: 140 minutes (we bill at 15 minute time segments) @ shop rate. If your shop rate is $85.00/hr, then $212.50 plus 25% margin for installing graphics we did not print: $283.00. If I need to quote the job add an additional $85.00.
If I need to drive to the shop, add $110/hr. plus $0.95 mileage charge.
1. Clean truck (time dependent on how dirty it is and if other graphics need to be removed). Estimate 15 minutes for a fairly clean truck.
2. Mark truck with All-Stabilo pencil for correct alignment. 30 minutes
3. Tape graphics in place. 20 minutes
4. Apply graphics. 60 minutes
5. Clean up and dispose of installation materials. 5 minutes.
6. Prepare invoice and file job information. 10 minutes.
Total invoice for installation: 140 minutes (we bill at 15 minute time segments) @ shop rate. If your shop rate is $85.00/hr, then $212.50 plus 25% margin for installing graphics we did not print: $283.00. If I need to quote the job add an additional $85.00.
If I need to drive to the shop, add $110/hr. plus $0.95 mileage charge.
tulsagraphics
New Member
About 45 minutes. I hardly use measuring tapes for this kind of work (too slow, and doesn't guarantee optimal positioning). Toss the panels up there with magnets, get a quick eye on it / adjust... then step back 20 feet to make sure it looks right and adjust if necessary. Aesthetics are more important than precise measurements.
How do you use Stabilo for alignment? The majority of my work is Fleet and I've seen Stabilo marks on some trucks i'm rebranding. It always seemes like it's double the work. I just tape the graphics roughly in place than measure one corner than the other with a tape. A quick double check of the original corner then tape one side for the hinge.
I would be an hour installing this depending on how clean it was. Pricewise I'd be around $95/ea (install only) for any qty over 5. For reference I just did just over 100 trucks with 2 graphics on each side and the tailgate. I was under an hour on each one for the install.
White Haus
Not a Newbie
Really??? What kind of magnets do you like to use on new Ford trucks....?
Smartass comments aside, I get what you're saying but having some kind of reference that can be duplicated on the other side/other vehicles is pretty important, IMHO.
Theres a lot of people who eyeball it and wont spend the extra 5 minutes to use a tape measure.
You can tell by all the trucks you see with graphics slanted, drifting up / down, where on one side of the vehicle the graphics end 1" from the brake light...then 6" on the other side of the vehicle, start 10" from the bottom of the drivers door...then 20" from the bottom of the passangers door.... etc.
At least in my area.... There is a lot of shoddy work where people just eyeball... That or they dont know how to use a tape measure. We print everything out...especially for fleet, and our installer marks up the proof with his measurements...Then when the same make / model comes in for branding in 6 months we can make it look exactly the same as the first. You can lie to yourself and say you'll remember where it is, or that you can tell where it goes based on the proof... But what if a different installer is there doing the install? Or there is something unforseen on the vehicle and you adjust it from the proof... eyeballing might save 5-10 minutes of time on an install, but its not worth the trade off.
Half our fleet vehicle clients came to us because the last supplier they used placed the graphics all over the map - We've had more than 1 show us a lineup of 10 vehicles and not 1 graphic was in the same spot... So we're a bit more picky on the process, and make sure everything goes within a quarter of an inch as the last vehicle did - Don't care how good at eyeballing you are, no way you're doing that with multiple vehicles
You can tell by all the trucks you see with graphics slanted, drifting up / down, where on one side of the vehicle the graphics end 1" from the brake light...then 6" on the other side of the vehicle, start 10" from the bottom of the drivers door...then 20" from the bottom of the passangers door.... etc.
At least in my area.... There is a lot of shoddy work where people just eyeball... That or they dont know how to use a tape measure. We print everything out...especially for fleet, and our installer marks up the proof with his measurements...Then when the same make / model comes in for branding in 6 months we can make it look exactly the same as the first. You can lie to yourself and say you'll remember where it is, or that you can tell where it goes based on the proof... But what if a different installer is there doing the install? Or there is something unforseen on the vehicle and you adjust it from the proof... eyeballing might save 5-10 minutes of time on an install, but its not worth the trade off.
Half our fleet vehicle clients came to us because the last supplier they used placed the graphics all over the map - We've had more than 1 show us a lineup of 10 vehicles and not 1 graphic was in the same spot... So we're a bit more picky on the process, and make sure everything goes within a quarter of an inch as the last vehicle did - Don't care how good at eyeballing you are, no way you're doing that with multiple vehicles
White Haus
Not a Newbie
Agreed on all fronts. Slapping it up and not actually getting measurements (and documenting them) is just sloppy workmanship. I don't care how good your "eye" is.
Yes, I can paste up graphics by eye-balling it and probably be 90% there, but I sure as hell aren't just calling that good enough.
Whether or not or customers want/notice/care if all their trucks are the same, doesn't really matter to me. It's called taking pride in your work and I'd rather be on that side than the "I can get it done real quick and cheap" side.
Stacey K
I like making signs
This is very close to what I would charge. You have a bit more for cleaning/placement than I would have. OP: it's important not to forget the little things like #5, #6
If the truck looks like this, it's easy to measure. Some trucks are more of an "eyeball" situation because they don't have clear lines to measure from like this one. I take that into consideration. A couple times my eyeballs deceived me and I had to reprint and apply - it happens LOL