Pricing cut vinyl

[Billct2]

I use cast for anything outside that is going to be there more than a year.

 

[Humble PM]

Thanks guys, very timely.
Did a cut and install for a client yesterday. When I got back to the office, there was a thank you, and a reminder from the client to let them know the cost and send an invoice over to purchasing. Two 6x3' panels, white vinyl text. Fortunately, I'd spoken with their designers, so we had 72pt text in a nice friendly font.

Does anyone not hate cutting QR code?

 

[Patentagosse]

Some of you are collecting nice check for jobs like this. In my area for a layout like Gino's, I couldn't get more than 350$, 400$ if outside the usual 15-20 miles around. Sure I always use cast for peace-of-mind. Many shops would do it for 250$ so we have to be really professional when we are 100$ more, taking time to explain the whole process, that's not just "letters cut in shelf cover vinyl" and so on...
Yes I'm in a commercial building, not working from my basement. Just living in a low market with lots of price cutters

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I'd do it for 50 bucks and a 12 pack. I'm the owner, my labor is free.

 

[Retro Graphics]

2020 Signcraft guide states the following, adjust depending on your hourly rate, which should be at least $60 these days IMO. This is probably the minimum you should charge but not sure of where you are located.

Basic graphics $242 per 8' window figuring $60hr.
Intermediate graphics $317 per window figuring $60hr - sounds like your graphics are intermediate or lay somewhere in-between

If you undercharged then just learn from it. Track all of your time designing - then the cut/weed/mask - then the installing. I do this all separately. Track the material cost. Then put these numbers in your pricing book next to "8' window" so next time you have something to go by. I don't like square foot pricing for cut vinyl, I prefer to price "per the job" and "per the difficulty of the graphics".

I'll do square footage, but I will add a production charge if there is intricate work that will take me time at the cut table.

 

[John Miller]

I'll do square footage, but I will add a production charge if there is intricate work that will take me time at the cut table.

Is your sqft. price for one 12" letter the same as one sqft of 1" letters? Of course not, I use that example to show that sqft prices are not a good way to price cut vinyl. I have a price sheet with the cost of letters from 1" to 24". It's a bit laborious to count letters, so I count one line of small letters, then multiply by the number of lines, you will get a price that makes you money. Putting the cost sheet together is no fun, but this approach works.

 

[garyroy]

Gino's job for $620, now THAT'S how to make money in the sign business.
Fast, neat, permitted, get-r-done. Take a lesson soloinstaller.

 

[Stacey K]

I always use cast on storefront windows. One time I didn't but all it said was "Opening soon" so it was up about 2 months then I removed it and replaced it with something else

 

[Geneva Olson]

Usually cast. Interior & exterior the same. I'd say 90% of them are gonna be white, so that's a color we always have a lot of on hand.

what brand? oracal 751?

 

[Johnny Best]

Yes on 751, good stuff.

 

[Geneva Olson]

3m 7725-10 white. We keep a roll of white, black, and have enough drops of colors to make most anything without a gradient. Always use cast on windows, or it'll look like either a cracked mess or like the vinyl is flying off the window in a year or so.
Even for printed windows, I'll throw the Arlon SLX in the printer before I put up with ij35 curling off. Not a great cost difference after all the labor is figured in.

good to know. thanks!

 

[Sign Pro Salina]

why would you use cast vinyl on a storefront?

Cast vinyl should always be used for long term outdoor installations. If it's a project that's temporary, then that would allow for a calendered vinyl to be used. A quality cast vinyl will will last longer due to it's inherit nature & not have dimensional stability issues. I can't tell you how many times over the years I've seen companies use calendered vinyl for just such installations, only to be there replacing them & the vinyl has shrunk leaving an adhesive outline. Not only the shrinkage, but typically cracked & looking terrible, especially depending on the direction it faces. A good rule of thumb is to always remember cast for outdoor applications & calendered for indoor or short term outdoor use.

 

[gnubler]

Lots of good info here. I've done a lot of window lettering and almost always use my stock calendared vinyl (Oracal 651). It's fine for most windows. For vehicles I only use cast vinyl.

I don't think the OP is charging enough. My cut vinyl prices are $11/sf for calendared and $13/sf for cast. Installations are based on an hourly rate. Every job is different so that varies...up on a ladder or fighting with bushes/landscaping adds to the time. I always make a site visit before quoting a job, or at least look at the building on Google street view to see what the terrain looks like.

 

[gnubler]

If you undercharged then just learn from it. Track all of your time designing - then the cut/weed/mask - then the installing. I do this all separately. Track the material cost.

I just went through this on a job that was done in-house, making custom outdoor signs out of Coroplast with reflective lettering on both sides. Initially I quoted the customer $20 each thinking that would cover it, but said I wanted to do a trial run first to make sure I could meet that price. I did a test with a batch of 10 signs, started a timer, and timed myself from start to finish...all the plotting, the weeding, masking, application, cutting & assembling the signs, etc. After all that plus figuring in material costs it came out to having to charge $65 per sign to make it worthwhile. I explained to the customer that it just wasn't cost effective, not for what these signs were for (temporary snow signs for winter use) and he understood. It was all the reflective cut vinyl that made them so expensive.

 

[JBurton]

Coroplast with reflective lettering on both sides

This made my stomach drop.

I quoted the customer $20 each

Well that's my cost on one plain coroplast sign, double sided would be 30, unless I'm subbing them out to a flatbed printer.

I do like how you were upfront about your estimate's viability, I've done this before. Though most of the time I feel like I'm wasting my time explaining how I can try to cut some cost when I could have easily made twice as many signs if I didn't stop to convince the customer how I can cut some cost... it's not like he's going to go testify to your next customer for you or anything.

 

[gnubler]

That's why I wanted to do a test run first, I honestly didn't know how long the production would take (these were the driveway markers I mentioned in another thread, for snow plowing). I was probably on crack when I threw out the initial quote, not realizing how much labor was involved. At least now I know that these are not a viable product and won't be making them again. Live & learn...

 

[JBurton]

Did you think to sub the work out and at least take your cut?

 

[Johnny Best]

Well you made a trail run and found out you needed more money and did the customer end up buying them from you at $65 each d/s with reflective?

 

[gnubler]

No, I told him it wasn't cost effective. He originally wanted 200 of them and I didn't want to scare him off.