Questions print and sign shop owners ask

Graphic Insights is a business education brand for wide format print shops, sign companies and wrap installers, founded by Mike Goodwin. It covers pricing, sales, operations and equipment decisions through YouTube videos, guides and free calculators.

Mike Goodwin has more than 25 years in the wide format industry. He owned a print shop for seven years and then spent nearly two decades in equipment distribution, working with hundreds of shops. More about Mike.

Start from your real costs, not your competitor's price. Add up material, ink, labor, overhead and your equipment's cost per square foot, then add your margin on top. The free Print Shop Pricing Calculator does this for you.

It depends on the work you'll sell. Eco-solvent print-and-cut machines are the most common starting point for decals and vehicle graphics, latex suits fast-turnaround indoor work, and UV opens up rigid and specialty substrates. Compare five-year cost of ownership, not just the purchase price. Watch Top 5 Entry Level Wide Format Printers.

The purchase price is the smallest part of the answer. Ink, printheads, maintenance, power and downtime add up over five years, and they differ a lot by technology. The free TCO Calculator runs the numbers side by side.

Lease or loan payments, ink, media and consumables, service contracts and repairs, labor, power and HVAC, downtime, and depreciation. Most shops only budget for the first one. The free TCO Calculator covers all of it.

Work out your break-even: how many square feet or jobs a month cover all of the machine's costs. If your current pipeline can't realistically hit that number, start with a smaller machine and buy for the volume you have.

Not on price. Online printers can't measure the site, install the graphics, fix a customer's file, or turn a job around overnight, so sell speed, service and installation.

Don't match them. Explain why your price is higher: the material, the lifespan, the warranty and the install. Give customers good, better and best options so they choose between your prices instead of comparing you to someone else's.

Set aside time every week to prospect. Visit the businesses near you, follow up with past customers, and build relationships with contractors, property managers and car dealers who buy graphics every year.

Yes, on every custom job. Many shops ask for half up front, so the customer covers the material cost, and they invoice the day the job is finished.

Only if your customers are already asking for apparel and you have room for the equipment and workflow. The DTF video and buying guide break down the real startup costs and margins.