Outsource the printing of signs and vehicle wraps?
Some of the biggest concerns when entering the solvent/wide format printing market are maintenance, material waste, and the time it takes before your printer becomes obsolete. However, there can be many benefits, such as control of your workflow, color management and choice of media to offer to your clients. I’ve been on both sides of the fence. Initially, I outsourced all my printing to a local digital imaging company that specialized in POS printing but had the capabilities of Roland Eco-sol.
It was a fairly easy process, sending my digital files and receiving prints within days for installation. I would recommend outsourcing vehicle wrap printing to smaller sign shops that want to keep their cost per square foot the same. Many suppliers and manufacturers price solvent ink and conformal media, for example, at about $1.50 per square foot. This may be the actual price of the solvent ink and media purchase, but what this does not take into account is: damaged or spliced sections of media, misprints, test prints, maintenance such as head replacement (every year for most depending on usage). ) and, of course, a protective media laminate.
When you factor some of these things into the equation, your actual price per square foot of vinyl falls between $2.75 and $3.00. Of course, there are ways to lower your costs, such as buying a bulk ink system, buying volume media, and simply using less expensive vinyl, but if you want to keep things simple, you can outsource your prints and collect your markup. . In most areas of the country, finished vehicle wrap media can sell for between $8 and $15, depending on the market, the media, and the volume being purchased.
I came across a sign printing company that offers online ordering with a 24-hour turnaround time that ships via UPS. Signs365.com produces wholesale sign printing and is based in Utica, Michigan. They offer 14oz printing. Economy magnetic finished vinyl banners (Orajet 3651) and 3M Controltac IJ180-10c vinyl films, and full color coroplast site signs. The only thing I don’t see in their menu of services is perforated window film, which is an absolute must for vehicle wraps.
Your site offers instant online quotes, so I took a look to see if I could actually make money using your service. Let’s say I’m doing a full vehicle wrap, including the roof of a windowless Chrysler PT Cruiser. If you drill 250 sf in 3M IJ180-10c laminate you get $1274.88 or $5.10 per sf. More shipping. At $5.10 per square foot, I personally could mark well up to $10 while adding design and installation on top. Not a bad choice overall, but think: If you’re not dealing with the headaches of printing and lease payments, you have more time and money to work with!