Print protection is easy to underprice. The coating itself is visible on an invoice, but the labour, drying space, waste and occasional rework often are not. A sound quote starts with an honest picture of your own costs. This guide gives you a structure to work from; the figures have to come from your own business, because every shop’s materials, labour rates and overheads are different.
What goes into the cost
- Coating material: work out how much you actually use per job size from your own records, including what is left in trays and rollers.
- Consumables: rollers, tape, cloths, cleaning solvent, PPE and waste disposal.
- Labour: set-up, coating, moving prints, inspection and clean-down, not just the time spent applying.
- Space and time: drying racks and floor space tied up while prints dry, and the effect on lead times.
- Equipment: if you use a coating machine or laminator, a share of its cost and maintenance.
- Risk: an allowance for occasional rejects and reprints, based on your own history.
Building a price
- Time a representative batch of jobs from set-up to clean-down, across a few sizes.
- Record material and consumable use for the same jobs.
- Apply your labour rate and overhead recovery to the time recorded.
- Add your rework allowance, then your margin, using whatever approach your business already uses for other services.
- Decide on a pricing basis that suits your work, for example by area, by standard size band, or as a fixed charge per piece with a minimum.
- Review the numbers after a few months of real jobs and adjust.
Remember that the set-up and clean-down time is largely fixed, so very small jobs cost proportionally more to coat. A minimum charge, or coating small jobs in batches, helps cover that.
Presenting it in the quote
Show protection as its own line rather than hiding it in the print price. That makes its value visible and lets the customer make an informed choice. Describe what it does in plain terms: added resistance to water, chemicals and abrasion, and UV inhibitors to help slow premature fading. Avoid promising a specific lifespan; how long a print lasts depends on the ink, media, display conditions and care. Our guide to print longevity explains why.
Where it is appropriate, offer it as the standard option for work that will be handled, displayed unglazed or used in demanding settings such as hospitality venues, and explain what the customer gives up if they decline it.
Be clear about lead times
Coated work takes longer because of drying and curing. Build that into the delivery date on the quote so customers are not surprised, and avoid offering same-day coated work unless your tests show it is achievable for that combination.
For product information to help you cost your coating stage, ring us on 01252 624 411 or ask through the contact form.