Getting started in wraps goes beyond the actual installation and equipment as you also learn to price yourself to make a profit. When we’re quoting a wrap project, the pricing gets broken down into three areas — graphics, design, and installation. Each of these areas directly affects how you price your wraps.
You’re in business to turn a profit, so you must know your material and overhead costs and price your graphics to cover these costs and make you a living. We’ve created a spreadsheet for all our graphics and signs that breaks the pricing down by the square footage, with price breaks for larger projects.
When pricing installation, there are a couple of approaches. Some companies price out installation based on a per square foot rate – for example, if an install is 200 total square feet, then it’s a flat price per square foot whether it’s a box truck or a sedan.
We price our installation based on the vehicle itself and its unique obstacles. We can wrap a large box truck or trailer as fast or faster than a small sedan in some cases simply because we’re dealing with fewer obstacles and less trimming.
After so many years of installing, we have a pretty good idea of how long it will take to wrap a particular vehicle. If we’re wrapping a utility bed truck with many small boxes and handles that will require a lot of trimming, then we take that into account and add a little more time. If it’s a Sprinter van, we’ll consider the concave areas and small rubber trim areas that need to be trimmed out.
