printing decals

[Elite restyling]

so I've been printing for a while and have recently been asked on a weekly basis for decals from local businesses ive been turning them away just because ive never known how to price these and as much as i get asked i think it could be a good source of income. basically everyone is wanting 100 plus printed, laminated, kiss cut stickers. should i be charging per sticker? per square ft? is there a going rate?

also with a regular plotter single color stickers ive just been adding the dimensions and dividing by 2 so a 5x2 ive been 5+2=7÷2=$3.50 which is working great for small orders of 5 but ive had a couple people want 100+ plotted single color stickers should i be doing this for a lot cheaper on large orders?

sorry for this confusing question but ive been researching and can't find any good answers. thank you!

 

[Solventinkjet]

Get some quotes from your local competitors over the phone and see what they are pricing. Don't go too much lower or higher than they are. Too low and you're selling yourself, and the industry, short. Too high and you aren't competing. You should be considering your cost per square foot on everything including wasted vinyl. Once you know your cost per square foot, you can figure out how much you are able to discount without shooting yourself in the foot for the bigger jobs. If your cost on the vinyl, laminate and ink for decals is more than $1 per square foot, re-think your vendor situation / stop paying list price for everything. In general, for a standard printed and laminated decal, your cost should be somewhere around 20 - 25 cents per square on the ink, 25 - 30 cents per square on the vinyl and 25 - 30 cents per square on the laminate.

 

[Fred Weiss]

You might find this thread very helpful.

 

[bannertime]

On decal types that I'm not totally familiar with, I'll use the Stouse catalog as a guide. Some times I'll even quote directly out of it. A lot of times customers don't even flinch and some times they say it's way too high. So I tell them to give me a minute while I calculate the exact cost instead of a cookie cutter approach. Set the file up exactly how you will print it and find the square footage of material used. Apply your square foot material price, add in laminate, contour or perf cutting cost, tape, cutting, packaging, etc. See how far off you are from the catalog price and adjust fire.

 

[rjssigns]

Our industrial labeling is charged per square inch. We have three rates depending on what is used. It took a while to figure it out, but works quite well. YMMV.

 

[Elite restyling]

thanks guys. one more quick question.... what material are you guys using for decals?

 

[henryz]

Printed or cut, least expensive way possible. Oracal products are always good for decals I use a product called Permagloss about $.20 per sq. ft. and durability is pretty good for decal or window vinyl unless you need a high performance vinyl for a more professional job.

 

[Customml]

I charge $5 each single color decals 10" to 12" long and under x 5" tall and under. People pay with no problems. For larger quantity i will give them $.50 or $1 off.