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What would you price this at?

jchristians

New Member
Sorry, simple job...but, just getting started and suck at pricing. :)
No design (besides cut file and color bleed), full color print on vinyl with contour cut around letters/logo...installed on rear truck window.
4' wide x 2' tall. Installed. thanks!

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Gino

Premium Subscriber
$135.00 laminated and installed.

Shouldn't take but $20 worth of ink, media and 10 minutes to instal.
 

TXFB.INS

New Member
assuming it is a solid glass rear window, we would be $179, cast printed with lamination & installation


you say you are just getting started, but your profiles says you been here since 2007..... borrowing an account or been MIA
 

jchristians

New Member
assuming it is a solid glass rear window, we would be $179, cast printed with lamination & installation


you say you are just getting started, but your profiles says you been here since 2007..... Borrowing an account or been mia

been mia :)
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
So, if I can follow along here.........

For years, this place boasts about a pair of magnetics at maybe $45 for the pair. Maybe $65 for the pair. That includes the magnetic material, print, laminate and applying it onto the magnetic. I would give my cost and everyone would make fun of how much I got, which was quite a bit more than the others. Now, some of us post a more realistic figure for the other little shops asking, where not more than $20 out-of-pocket expense is needed along with a few minutes for printing and laminating and maybe 5 to 10 minutes to instal and we're still being made fun of.

How is it..... no one is ever right in this place ?? Does everyone have 'dream customers' or is it possible, some of ya just make this sh!t up ?? :banghead:
 

reQ

New Member
Wow really? is that installed?

for 2x4 ft digital decal printed on cast & laminated yes. Specially OP said file was provided to work with. At some prices like 170 & more, you guys are charging $20+ sq/ft for a decal which is a bit to much in my opinion. My price is based on minimum shop rate charge of $75/hr (which is plenty for messing around / setting up printer / laminating etc.) & $68 dollars worth of decal itself.

If some of you can get much more than that - good for you, really, but our market area does not allow that (well i can ask 500 dollars for that but i won't get it lol)
 

Jester1167

Premium Subscriber
On small jobs like these DON'T get caught up in square foot pricing. Instead think about each and every step it takes to do a job and create a shop minimum whether it's computer cut letters, installation or a digital print. Five years ago before I started an installation only company we charged $65 minimum for a digital print of 4 square feet or less and another $20 minimum to cut, weed and mask, if needed, and cut them down (And that was for simple shapes and included time and material waste). If you needed four 6" print cut circles that was $85 and that is $85 a square foot.

Those are the types of jobs that eat up your time and profit and you end up wondering where your day went. Shop minimums also get rid of the cheap skates, tire kickers, time wasters and you don't have to waste any time quoting small jobs.

If you do have a loyal customer you can either wave or reduce the minimum (but let them know you doing it or you don't get credit for it). You can also up the quantity. If I have a potential customer that I think may be a good customer I will usually double or triple their quantity for the minimum making sure to stay under the 4 square feet allotted.

Example: Customer comes in and just won an award. He has 3 vehicles and brings in the art and wants nine 6" circular logos (Angie's list, Builder of the Year... something like that). I do the math in my head and that's around $10 a piece for 9. So I let them know I have minimum for print cut graphics and it's $85, but for that minimum I could produce up to 16 decals. I usually add verbiage like; if you get another vehicle or damage one of the decals you have extra and you can also use them to advertise on your storefront or personal vehicles. Yes I have a minimum but I have given them ideas how they can use the extra and created more value for that minimum.

Why did I say up to 16? If I get a head strike or a drop of ink on one or two decals, I'm not printing 2 more.

The added value has limits. I'm not giving them 420 1" decals for $85 though. I might give them 80 or 100, you have to balance the minimum against labor cost, and perceived value. I used Stouse's catalog to make sure I don't short myself in larger quantities and never beat their pricing.
 

Techman

New Member
you guys are charging $20+ sq/ft for a decal which is a bit to much in my opinion

Why?
Why Not charge that much?

Why would a business person feel charging as much as possible is a bit much?
We are not living in a socialist commune ,, yet,,
We are supposed to charge a lot for every thing. That is the way of being in business.
I feel any business person who downs the price should find another line of work.


If some of you can get much more than that - good for you, really, but our market area does not allow that

Then quit marketing to a market filled with those who won't pay a higher price..
 

Joe300i

New Member
Here's what I hear from this question...

A customer gives this design and says "Here, the design is finished, and here's the jpg. Now all I want is that on my back window, and the size is 4'x2'. I'm pretty busy, so I'll have to have my brother bring the truck to you to get done"

So immediately in my mind, here are the steps that this job is going to take...

1. The image isn't vectorized, so I'll have to do that.
2. There's going to be drama and bull**** with phone calls, emails and text messages back and forth about the time that either him or his brother will be dropping the truck off, and ultimately, wasting maybe 30 min of my time just with that.
3. After it's vectorized, and the computer work is finished, I'll have to load the printer, load the laminator, print it, laminate it, then feed it back through, and contour cut it, then weed it, then mask it. Then I have to
clean his window and install it, and if there's any mistakes, I'm liable for it, and I will indeed fix it. Then, when the job is complete, they'll decide on his "brother" to pick the truck up, and he'll say "ah, I thought he already paid you for that!, let me call him and see if he can run the money down to you, because I'm in a hurry. Then, he'll come back 5 minutes later and say "he wanted to know if he could drop the money off to you tonight at 7:30 after he's finished working?".

So that my friends, is why I'm at $220, all day long. I've been a graphic designer for roughly 15 years, and I've been installing and dealing with customers for 5 years since I started my business, and let me tell you that doing the actual job is literally 50% of the total job, if that makes sense. There are great customers out there, absolutely, but unfortunately, some people can just be totally ridiculous, and you never know who's going to try and put it to you. Now, for long standing customers, sure, I'll give them a break on the price, absolutely. However, when it comes to new clients, I'm just higher than most of my competition for the reasons above, that's just how it is. Everything is a headache. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
 
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