Need Help Pricing out a job please

[what the]

There is a printer who wants me to laminate his large format digital prints with me. I told him to bring in the prints and buy the roll of laminate and I'll finish it off with my laminator. How much per sq ft is normal to propose for pricing? What is industry standard for this- he is a foreseen ongoing customer.
Thanks,
Amber

 

[Gino]

Do you have the appropriate laminate..... and the size he needs ??

If so, charge your normal price by the square foot, job or however you do it, add in your overhead, some profit and then consider giving a trade discount..... if you feel a need to do so.

Being a printer and first time cusomter, really doesn't warrant any special prices, in my opinion. It's your shop, so you call the shots/prices. Don't let him give you the same ol' I'll bring more your way. tell him, I'll give ya a discount on your 10th order with us. Every 10 orders and I'll consider a discount based upon your spending, thus far.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

if he is supplying the materials, what is your hourly shop rate to cover your man hours and shop overhead with a margin? charge that. pretty simple.

Also what Gino said about the special pricing. If you're doing work as basically a wholesale service ... any special pricing should be on overall volume for the account, not a per job thing. (if it even warrants it.)

 

[JgS]

I don't let anyone supply their own material. Its too much of a risk chancing their cheep material won't damage my machine. So it's a normal shop rate with a volume discount.

 

[iSignDesigncom]

wholesale alminating

2.00 a sq ft calandard lam

 

[Biker Scout]

I get charged $1 sq. ft. by a local shop when I bring my own lam. (Coincidentally that's what he charges when he laminates using his material but makes the prints)

 

[ProWraps]

make sure to factor in any damage done by you and or your equipment. it does happen. also consider, if you damage a panel, it may require a reprint of an entire run or side of a vehicle to make sure there is no color shift. personally, we would turn it down. all the risk and not much of a reward.

not trying to be negative nancy, just take it from someone that has learned from having to fix/pay for mistakes in a situation like this.

its like anything else, if you go into it prepared knowing all the variables and bill accordingly, you will be fine.

 

[iSign]

same as ProWraps, I've always turned down this high risk, low profit opportunity...

I have a decent laminator, but it still eats prints from time to time... I hate the hell out of that lowering my profits, but if I ended up shelling out cash for the chance to help another printer who doesn't want to own his own equipment, I'd have to break something :Oops:

 

[BobCap]

I understand where you guys are coming from. Although I own a print/sign shop in a small town in Northern Minnesota.

The local "Big Guy" print shop, world famous for their map printing, discovered we have large format printing capabilities.

We now print his maps. I do it at a fair price and make money. He doesn't have to do the large print runs he did before so it lowers his inventory levels.

He has now also started sending us other small print jobs he doesn't want to do.

Win / Win.

Bob Cap
AAI
Gilbert, MN

 

[Gino]

Instead of accepting your own mistakes, re-word this one... and put the ball back in their court.



If we make a mistake, it is known, they will have to supply us more media at NO cost to us. We will forgo the material we lost, but not theirs.

It's the same thinking as if there are difficult digging conditions, the customer pays for unknowns. If we are doing work and need to be on a roof, any leaks prior or after our work we are 100% free of all and any repairs or costs..... even if we cause them.

Why would you want to be responsible for breakage you can't control using some possible unknown factors ??

I tell customers I will do it over and over again til we get it right, but if you supply, help or do it yourself, you get charged accordingly.

 

[MikePro]

+1 to adding terms to the agreement, to reduce your risk.

but still.
to turn-down a chance to make $$$ due to the high risk of laminating?!? oh my god, you should just get outta the biz now if you don't trust yourself enough for such a simple task.
the only thing I've ever ruined while laminating, was the first/last two feet of a roll.
....but better believe they'd be paying me $100+/hr, for my ability to make sure their product comes out pristine.