Quotes and estimates for print and sign work

A quote in print and sign software is a sum built from the job's own details. Size, quantity, material and finishing go in. A price comes out. The useful question isn't whether the software can add things up. It's whether it adds up your way.

The usual inputs

Job costing is described as determining the labour and materials cost for each job in a systematic way, then using that to create a quote.¹

For print and sign work, the inputs usually look like this.

• Size. Width and height of the finished piece, and sometimes the sheet or roll width it comes from.
• Quantity. How many, and whether price breaks apply at higher runs.
• Material. Paper, vinyl, board or another base, each with a cost.
• Ink or print process. Some shops price colour and black differently.
• Finishing. Cutting, laminating, folding, drilling, hems.
• Labour. Set-up time and run time.
• Outside work. Anything sent to a trade supplier.

Why size and quantity do the heavy lifting

One reference says wide-format printing is more economical than methods such as screen printing for most short runs, depending on print size, run length and the type of substrate.² So the same artwork can price very differently at ten copies and at a thousand. A quote tool that only multiplies a unit price by quantity will miss that.

Those printers feed from a roll rather than single sheets.² So waste can come from the roll width, not just the piece size. Ask the maker whether the software works out how pieces fit across a roll, or whether you enter the waste yourself.

Overhead and margin

Costs don't stop at materials and labour. Overhead, sometimes called burden, may be applied to a job as a rate.¹ Rent, power and machine time are examples. Check whether the software lets you set an overhead rate or a markup, and whether each can differ by product type.

A tool with one global markup is simple. It also treats a cheap flyer and a custom sign the same.

Rules, tables and one-off prices

Most software offers some mix of these ways to price:

Look at how easily you can override a calculated price. Sign shops especially get jobs that don't fit a table.

Specifications make quotes comparable

A request for quotation works best when it states the specifications, because that lets each supplier price the same item.³ The same holds inside your shop. If your quote form has fixed fields for size, stock and finishing, two staff members will price the same job the same way.

A quote also covers more than the price per item. It might include payment terms, quality level or contract length.³ Check whether the software puts an expiry date on your quotes.

From quote to job

The best test is the handover. When a customer says yes, does the quote turn into a job ticket with one click? Or do you retype it?

Also ask:

• Does the quote show tax correctly for your country? Check your tax authority's guidance, such as the ATO, HMRC or IRS, for how sales tax, GST or VAT applies. The software can't answer that for you.
• Can the customer accept the quote online?
• Does the final job compare back to the quote, so you can see where the estimate was wrong?
• Can you save a quote as a template for repeat work?

Prices change often. When you read a maker's pricing page, write down the date and the currency.