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Vinyl Sign Graphics Pricing

B

BB Promos

New Member
We are brand new to the group. We do promotional products, but have been doing some smaller scale sign and graphics work, mostly for friends and family. We have a job we are trying to work out for pricing, so any help would be appreciated, and I will try to attach a picture for reference. The material will be Lumina Cast 2100 Series, in Fiesta Pink and white. Old graphics will need to be removed from the 2 roadside sign sides, the 2 door window graphics, and from the 2 sign post signs. The project entails:

(2) Sign sides for a roadside sign @ 13" x 72"
(2) Glass door window graphics, 1 @ 15" x 22", and the other @ 9" x 22"
(1) Sign on foamcore board @ 24" x 36"
(2) Sign post graphics @ 6" x 12"

Thank you for the input.

~Paul
Deiree Bridal.jpg
 
visual800

visual800

Active Member
(2) Sign sides for a roadside sign @ 13" x 72" $460.00 would do it on acm and place over old signage or $550.00 if removing old
(2) Glass door window graphics, 1 @ 15" x 22", and the other @ 9" x 22" $200.00 with removal of old
(1) Sign on foamcore board @ 24" x 36" $220.00 but would do it on 1/8" pvc
(2) Sign post graphics @ 6" x 12" $60.00 place on acm
 
Stacey K

Stacey K

I like making signs
I also do materials x2 plus labor. You should also have a minimum installation cost which includes one hour at XX and then XX per hour after that.

Don't forget that with installation it takes time to pack up the signs, gather any tools or screws/nuts, etc. The pricing table is a great idea, spreadsheet, etc. Include in your price the time to estimate, the time to create an invoice. I have a minimum charge of $5 that gets added to each invoice for invoicing and estimating and it goes up from there. Even tiny little jobs take time to create the invoice, calculate the price. If you are shipping things then "packing time" should be considered. Not so much that you have to charge this stuff for every order but it's standard on my invoice so I don't FORGET to charge if needed.

If you are just starting out, you might consider looking into some sign pricing software and there are some reference online such as SignCraft Pricing guide, The Sign Expert Pricing Guide and software - that's a WHOLE new can of worms with many threads on here.

Way too much information, sorry. I should get back to work LOL
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Somewhere around $1,500 to $2,000 depending on the conditions.

Since you primarily do trinkets and mugs are you actually insured to do work on someone else's property ?? By law, you should be supplying them with coi, w-9 and workman comp information in order to perform work somewhere other than in your OWN shop. Then, you need to obtain permits to do the work on someone else's property.
 
bob

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Far more import to be consistent than to account for every minute of labor. Meaning that an X" x Y" sign on Z material costs the same regardless of copy and/or complexity. Your net may not be consistent for similar signs but if your pricing model is anywhere near correct it evens out. Doing it this was lends itself to having your target labor integrated into size. Then you can use a curve such that the larger a sign is the less per square foot or acre or whatever.
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
I have set sq ft pricing for various materials, makes it easy to figure out costs on the fly for ballpark quotes. Hourly rate for installs, the more you do the more you'll know how long it takes. Add travel time & incidentals like Stacey mentioned.

I'd be pretty close to what Visual800 posted above.
 
B

BB Promos

New Member
I really appreciate the replies, both with some help on pricing and overall guidance. I will make some adjustments to this, but this was my first run through before having any pricing help like Visual800 provided:

(2) Sign sides for a roadside sign @ 13" x 72" $450
(2) Glass door window graphics, 1 @ 15" x 22", and the other @ 9" x 22" $250
(1) Sign on foamcore board @ 24" x 36" $150
(2) Sign post graphics @ 6" x 12" $125
___________________________________________________________________________________
Total Estimate: $ 975.00

Labor was estimated at 9 hours @50 = $450.00
Material Costs (No overhead or profit): 1 Roll of Lumina 2100 Fiesta Pink $97.99 (Special color, entire roll) = $97.99
.33 Roll of Lumina 2100 White $90.98 (Partial Roll used) = $30.02
Misc. Shop Supplies (Appl. Tape, Cleaners, Tac) = $50.00
Overhead, Cutter Usage, Markup and Profit = $346.99
Total = $975.00
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
Your overhead is factored into the labor rate. Cutter usage is part of overhead. Markup is on the material. Profit it what's leftover after all that.
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
ColorCrest said:
Does this explain to gnubler that the OP is charging more or less than the $50 labor rate shown?


Is this to say that the Cutter (equipment) should not be shown as marked up and only Material should be marked up?
Click to expand...
You're not selling your vinyl cutter so why would it be marked up? The deprecation and operating costs associated with the equipment are part of overhead.
 
G

garyroy

New Member
Labor is way too low. You should be getting $125/hour minimum for labor outside of your shop, plus travel time.
The guy who comes to service my printers gets $150/hour labor and $125/hour for travel time, 1 way.
 
Last edited:
Stacey K

Stacey K

I like making signs
You're labor is too low. You should charge a minimum of $80+ per hour in-shop. More for on-site. I made the same mistake when I started I only charged $65hr then found out quickly I had to jack it up or not pay my bills.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Y'all are saying it like the OP is worth it. He primarily sells trinkets and stuff. No experience doing this kinda work, plus does he have insurance and obtaining the proper permits. Is he at all qualified to do this...... let alone worth $125. an hour ??
 
B

BB Promos

New Member
Gino said:
Y'all are saying it like the OP is worth it. He primarily sells trinkets and stuff. No experience doing this kinda work, plus does he have insurance and obtaining the proper permits. Is he at all qualified to do this...... let alone worth $125. an hour ??
Click to expand...
That is exactly why I joined this site, and posed the questions. Constructive criticism is a win/win for all, as I want to make sure I do things correctly, don't forget anything, and also do not undercut the market. The project that I submitted a proposal for work is someone I know, and the sign company they normally use is 2 months out.

And to some of the other posters, I lumped the overhead/markup/profit together for this post, and am still figuring out markup and overhead numbers. I usually markup materials 35%. My overhead is small (I know that's what all the new guys say), but my other business does already pay the building rent, heat, AC, and electric, internet, phone, etc. I know I need to allocate part of it to keep in line with what I should count towards overhead, especially if we expand more into sign and graphic work.
 
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