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How can embroiderers ensure they’re accurately quoting jobs?

To quote a price accurately, you need to know or get at least a rough estimate of the following details:
  1. Are you providing the product, or are they? It is in your best interest to provide the product for at least two reasons:
    • You make more profit.
    • You have options if something goes wrong while you are doing the decorating. If they are providing the product, who is responsible for making sure that what is in the boxes is what they said is in the boxes?
  2. What is the product? Different products require different setups, different stabilizers, and different needles. Consider caps vs. flats, sweatshirts vs. performance fabric, leather jackets vs. bolts of fabric.
  3. What exactly is going on the product?
    • Where is the design going? An easy to hoop placement or something that is tricky?
    • Are there additional designs being added beyond the initial hooping?
    • How big will the design or designs be?
    • How is the design being created? Embroidery, screen print, heat press, sublimation, digital garment printer, engraving? Multi-media?
  4. How many items are in the order, and are they all the same or is it a combination of different kinds of products?
  5. Where is the art or design coming from? Do they even have a design yet, does the art not yet exist in a digital format? Do they have a ready-to-use file or do you need to digitize it?
  6. When do they need it by? If you have to miss another order’s deadline or something in your personal life to make that deadline, is that reasonable, or can you work with the customer to set a timeframe that has less of an impact on you and your current workload?
  7. How is the finished order getting to them? Are they picking it up, or are you shipping it? Are you bulk folding the order, individually bagging all the items, adding labels with individual names?
Consider these questions among other essential aspects when giving price quotes.
jennifer cox

Jennifer Cox

Jennifer Cox is one of the founders and serves as president of the National Network of Embroidery Professionals (NNEP), an organization that supports embroidery and apparel decoration professionals with programs and services designed to increase profitability and production.

View all articles by Jennifer Cox  
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Charlie Fox

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