The only way to receive an accurate
printing bid from us is to send to
us the actual article, in the same
packaging type that we would receive
for a production run. We will test
print the article and send it back
to you with pricing. This is not an
engineering "first article for
approval", which we offer for a
small fee (engineers, give us a
call). The general pricing below is
very "general". It does not refer to multi elevation
printing, delicate electronics or
white room medical device marking.
It does assume the article is "print
ready", as in mold release free, no
cleaning required, no plastic
particles. Anodizing must be sealed,
power coated finishes be smooth;
paint resistant to our ink solvents.
Send your sample and we'd be happy
to determine the print possibilities
for you.
Generally first orders are by cash,
check or credit card as there are
hard costs such as tooling that we
require upfront.
A Note on artwork:
please read our Artwork FAQ link
above.
Notes on ink color and the
size of the print:
textured surfaces may require two
hits of ink to fill in the texture.
This will make the ink color appear
darker, richer. Yellow ink looks
different on a white surface than on
a black. Lighter shades of ink will
require two to three hits to achieve
color and opacity on darker surfaces
and the hue of the color changes
accordingly. Inks baked in an oven
will darken and flatten. Inks on a
matte surface will appear matte and
darker. We come within 10% of color
accuracy in these situations.
Artwork will grow over a curved
surface as the rubber printing pad
squishes out. A 1.5" wide art may
grow to 1.6" or 1.7". Sometimes we
reduce the artwork initially as it
will grow to the desired size when
printed. Also, a 4 point type size
is about as can be read on a smooth
surface. When any of the
beforementioned is super
critical, the engineer will order a
"first article", generally costing
from $100-$300., in addition to the
cost of the production run.
Sometimes we do not proceed with
production until the customer has
agreed to pay for test printing.
A Note on shipping:
printed parts may scratch the ink
when shipped in bulk. Of course,
individually bagging of the part
costs more. Parts shipped before
proper ink cure may suffer damage to
the print. We
recommend individual packaging
after 4 days of shelf dry. Some
regular
customers have us bulk package
and ship as soon as the ink is dry
to the touch and have
never experienced any ink durability problems.
If this is your choice, ask for a
small shipment and check the ink
when it arrives.
There is generally a cost for the part holding fixture,
which is a modification of our print
table so that it will hold your
product securely during the print
process. We charge you once for the
fixture, but we own it, since again,
it is a modification of our
equipment to suit your product. We
don't charge for the fixture again
on repeat orders. Similarly we
charge you for a printing plate (cliche)
but we own it. We may make several
cliches during test printing but we
will only charge you for one cliche. Some color
combinations, such as yellow ink on
a black surface requiring two hits of
ink for coverage will cost more, as
will printing on some
textured surfaces. Some plastics
require pre treating before they
will accept the ink. A bottle in a
box can be handled faster than a
bottle that's in a bag and then in a
box, and so forth. Just some primers
on cost.
Plastics and Coated Metals,
one print location, image up to 2.5"
diameter in size on a
part of 1" x 3" x 4".
Housings, unassembled panels and
parts, bulk packaged (not
individually bagged).
Printing on unpainted, molded
ABS,
PVC, PC plastics or on coated metals
(lacquer, solvent, epoxy finish or
fairly smooth powder coating) with
Spot ink colors (not CMYK process).
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
One Color print |
Setup |
$50. |
$50. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.18 each |
may receive a quantity
discount |
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Two Color print |
Setup |
$85. |
$85. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.28 each |
may receive a quantity
discount |
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Three Color print |
Setup |
$115. |
$115. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.38 each |
may receive a quantity
discount |
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Four Color print |
Setup |
$150. |
$150. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.48 each |
may receive a quantity
discount |
Silicon rubber keypad
printing similar to
the one showing on our home page.
White ink on a black rubber keypad
of about 2" x 3". The prices
below include unbagging for printing,
printing and oven cure
and rebagging for shipping. Show us
your project for more accurate
pricing. Typical
tooling and fixturing is $150. to
$500, depending on the part, whether
raised finger pads or flat, and the
color of the ink.
|
|
Up to 250 units |
500 |
1000 |
2500 |
5000 |
10,000 |
|
One Color print |
Setup |
$75. |
$75. |
$75. |
$75. |
$75. |
$75. |
|
|
Print |
$.89 ea |
$.79 |
$.69 |
$.49 |
$.39 |
$.29 |
An ad specialty, award, or
corporate gift item
such as a polished acrylic or glass
paperweight or card holder is
generally packaged by the
manufacturer in tissue paper, then
in a bubble wrap bag, then into a
cardboard box. Unpackaging (200)
units can take 1.25 hours.
Repackaging them after printing can
take another 1.25 hours. At
$50./hour shop labor that's $.63
each unit on top of the print cost.
So, send us a sample for accurate
bidding.
Since we print a lot of USB drives,
here is typical pricing which
includes taking the drive out of a
box, printing it and reboxing it.
The prices are for a print at one
location. Send us a sample of your
drive and we may be able to offer
better pricing.
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
One Color print |
Setup |
$50. |
$50. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.55 each |
$.50 each |
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Two Color print |
Setup |
$85. |
$85. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.65 each |
$.60 each |
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Three Color print |
Setup |
$115. |
$115. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.75 each |
$.70 each |
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Four Color print |
Setup |
$150. |
$150. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.85 each |
$.80 each |
CMYK Printing on
unpainted, molded white ABS, PVC, PC
plastics, one print location, image
up to 2.5" diameter in size on a
part of 1" x 3" x 4". Also known as
full color process printing.
Generally the first setup determines
what changes need to be made in the
artwork densities to get the colors
to turn out. Pad printing cliches
and inks print a very thin (20
micron) film of ink. So, additional
setup costs may be incurred.
|
|
Up to 400 units |
400+ units |
|
Full Color print |
Setup |
$195. |
$195. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.48 each |
may receive a quantity
discount |
Glass jar or stainless steel bottle,
one print location; a 1.5" wide by
2" tall print size is typical on a
3" diameter by 5+" tall cylinder;
with Spot ink colors (not CMYK
process); within a bag, inside an
individual box.
|
|
Up to 288 units |
288+ units |
|
One Color print |
Setup |
$50. |
Setup |
$50. |
|
|
Print |
$1.00 each* |
Print |
$.69 each* |
|
|
Up to 288 units |
288+ units |
|
Two Color print |
Setup |
$65. |
Setup |
$65. |
|
|
Print |
$1.25 each* |
Print |
$.79 each* |
|
|
|
|
*Note: |
We can oven bake (cure the
ink) for an additional $.30
each
unit. This is recommended
for dishwasher safe. |
Glass jar or ceramic
cup,
one print location; a 1.5" wide by
2" tall print size is typical on a
3" diameter by 3+" tall cylinder;
with Spot ink colors (not CMYK
process).
|
|
Up to 200 units |
200+ units |
|
One Color print |
Setup |
$50. |
$50. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.50 each* |
may receive a quantity
discount |
|
|
Up to 200 units |
200+ units |
|
Two Color print |
Setup |
$85. |
$85. setup |
|
|
Print |
$.75 each* |
may receive a quantity
discount |
|
|
|
|
*Note: |
We can oven bake (cure the
ink) on glass items for an additional
$.30
each
unit. This is recommended
for dishwasher safe. |
This page last modified 02-02-10
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