Print Job Cost & Price Estimator
Fit the job on your sheet, add up what it costs you, and see what to charge. The costs shown are examples: replace them with your own paper, press and labour costs.
The job
The sheet
Your costs (examples, replace with your own)
Pricing
Price for the job
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Price per piece
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Your cost
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Cost per piece
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Profit
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Margin / markup
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Pieces per sheet
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Sheets to print
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Where the cost goes
| Item | Amount |
|---|
The same job at other quantities
| Quantity | Sheets | Your cost | Price | Price per piece |
|---|
How the estimate is built
- Pieces per sheet. The usable area is the sheet minus the unprintable margin on every edge. Pieces are laid out in a grid with the gap you set between them, in both directions, and the better layout is used. A 3.5 x 2 inch card with a 0.25 inch gap fits 21 to a 12 x 18 inch sheet.
- Sheets needed. The quantity divided by pieces per sheet, rounded up, plus the extra waste percentage and the spoilage sheets you set for make-ready and mistakes.
- Costs. Paper and printing are charged on every sheet including the waste. Set-up, labour and finishing are added on top. The total is your cost.
- Price. Margin divides the cost by 1 minus the margin; markup multiplies it by 1 plus the markup. If the profit would be below your minimum profit per job, the price is raised to cost plus that minimum.
Margin or markup?
They sound alike but give different prices. A 40% margin on $34.13 of cost is a $56.89 price, while a 40% markup is $47.79. Pick one and use it consistently. See the markup calculator and the profit margin calculator.
Ways to bring the cost down
- Choose a sheet that fits well. Changing the sheet size or the gap can add a row or column of pieces and cut the number of sheets.
- Check the quantity table. If 600 pieces fills one more sheet than 500, the extra pieces cost very little.
- Keep waste honest. Track real spoilage on past jobs and use that figure rather than a guess.
To size the artwork for the job, use the bleed and trim calculator, and for the paper itself, the paper weight converter.
Frequently asked questions
How does the estimator work out the cost of a job?
It fits as many pieces as it can on your sheet, in either direction, to find the pieces per sheet. From the quantity it works out the sheets needed and adds waste for set-up and mistakes. It then adds paper, printing, finishing, set-up and labour using the costs you enter, and applies your margin or markup to give a price.
Where do the default costs come from?
They are only examples so the page shows a working result. Every cost depends on your paper supplier, your machine and your labour, so replace them with your own figures. The estimator never looks up prices.
What is the difference between margin and markup?
Markup adds a percentage to the cost: a 100% markup on $50 of cost gives a $100 price. Margin is the share of the price that is profit: a $100 price with $50 of cost is a 50% margin. The same price is a 100% markup and a 50% margin, which is why mixing them up leads to underpricing. The markup calculator and profit margin calculator convert between them.
What is the gutter and the unprintable margin?
The gutter is the space left between pieces on the sheet so they can be cut cleanly, and it is usually twice the bleed. The unprintable margin is the strip around the edge of the sheet that the press cannot print on. Both reduce how many pieces fit, so the estimator subtracts them before counting.
Why does price per piece fall as quantity rises?
Set-up, labour and spoilage are costs per job, not per piece, so they are spread over more pieces as the quantity grows. The quantity table on the page shows this: the same card costs much more per piece at 100 than at 5,000.
Does the price include tax, shipping or design time?
No. It covers the print job itself using the costs you enter. Add design time, delivery and any outsourced work to the labour or finishing fields if you want them in the price, and use the GST/HST calculator for sales tax.