Print estimating software prices a wide format job before you print it: media and ink per square foot, printer time by quality mode, nesting on the roll, lamination, mounting and finishing. SignEstimator does this for sign and print shops, next to channel letters, monuments and wraps.
Many shops run a wide format printer all day and also fabricate signs. Posters, banners, wall graphics, window graphics, rigid boards and trade show prints sit next to channel letters and cabinets on the same job list. Most print quoting tools only know paper and presses. Most sign tools treat print as one flat price per square foot.
SignEstimator handles both. Wide format jobs and sign jobs use the same material library, the same labor and machine rates, the same overhead rate and the same quote link. Your estimators learn one tool, and your owner sees one margin report.
If you are looking for wide format printing software, large format printing software or print shop management software for a sign and print shop, this page explains what SignEstimator does and where it stops.
SignEstimator is an estimating and quoting tool. It is not a RIP and it does not drive your printer. Your RIP still handles color, profiles, print queues and nesting for the actual output.
What SignEstimator does is price the job before it reaches the RIP. It uses the same ideas your RIP uses, such as roll width, print mode and nesting, so the quote matches what the printer will really use. Once the customer approves, the job moves on, and on the Team plan it becomes a production work order with print time per station.
Every rate below comes from your shop. The amounts on this page show the method and are not market prices.
Each media in your library has a roll width, a cost per square foot and a waste factor. Ink cost is stored per square foot per print mode, because a dense, high quality print uses more ink than a light, fast one. The estimate takes the printed area and multiplies it by both.
Printers run at very different speeds in production mode and high quality mode. Enter your real speed for each mode in square feet per hour. SignEstimator divides the area by that speed and multiplies by your printer hourly rate. A large order in a slow mode can tie up a printer for a day, and the price should show it.
A 24 by 36 inch poster on a 54 inch roll leaves a strip of unused media unless you place two side by side. SignEstimator nests pieces across the roll width you choose and shows the media length used, not just the printed area. That gap is real cost. For rigid boards, nesting works the same way on 4x8 and 5x10 sheets.
Gloss, matte or floor laminate is priced per square foot with its own waste, plus laminator time. Switch it on for outdoor work, floor graphics and anything handled often.
Prints mounted to foam board, PVC, ACM or corrugated plastic need substrate cost, mounting time and cutting. Substrate is priced per sheet with nesting, so you see how many sheets the job really uses and how much is left.
Contour cutting, hems, grommets, pole pockets, standoffs and packing each get their own line. Small finishing steps add up on a big order, so they belong in the estimate, not in your memory.
This is an example job with example rates. It shows how the lines add up. Use your own rates in SignEstimator.
In this example, the job is 20 prints at 24 by 36 inches, laminated in matte, mounted to 3 mm PVC and cut to size. Two prints fit across a 54 inch roll, and four prints fit on each 4x8 PVC sheet.
| Line | How it is calculated | Example amount |
|---|---|---|
| Media | 30 linear ft of 54 inch roll, 135 sq ft plus 8 percent waste at 45 cents per sq ft | $65.61 |
| Ink | 120 sq ft printed at 35 cents per sq ft | $42.00 |
| Print time | 120 sq ft at 80 sq ft per hour, 1.5 hours at $45 per hour | $67.50 |
| Laminate | 135 sq ft at 40 cents per sq ft plus laminator time | $79.00 |
| PVC substrate | 5 sheets of 4x8 at $38 each | $190.00 |
| Mounting and cutting | 2 hours at $50 per hour | $100.00 |
| File prep | 0.5 hours at $65 per hour | $32.50 |
| Overhead | 20 percent of cost | $115.32 |
| Cost total | Sum of lines | $691.93 |
| Sale price at 45 percent margin | Cost divided by 0.55 | $1,258.05 |
Example numbers, use your own rates. In this example, switching to a faster print mode lowers the print time line. SignEstimator shows the new price and margin right away, so you can offer both as options.
A retail fit out may need window graphics, wall prints, a lightbox and channel letters. In SignEstimator they are lines on one estimate and one quote link. The customer approves the whole package, or picks good, better and best options on the Shop plan.
The Shop plan also adds email-in quoting, so a request for posters or banners can turn into an AI draft from the email text. Pricing always uses your own materials and rates, and the estimator reviews every line. Accepted quotes export to QuickBooks Online and Xero.
On the Team plan, approved jobs move to the jobs board with stages for Estimate, Quote, Approval, Production, Installation, Invoice and Profitability. Production work orders show print and laminate time per station, purchase orders cover media you need to buy, inventory tracks rolls and sheets, and job costing compares actual media and hours with the estimate.
For banners and cut vinyl, see the vinyl sign pricing calculator. For a wider view of tools for your shop, read about sign shop software and see sign estimating software pricing.
Plans are flat with seats included. Solo is $24 per month billed yearly for 1 user. Shop is $74 per month billed yearly for up to 5 user seats. Team is $199 per month billed yearly for up to 20 user seats. Multi-location is $449 per month billed yearly for unlimited user seats and up to 5 locations. Yearly billing saves 50 percent. There is no free plan and no trial, and every plan has a self-serve checkout.
No. SignEstimator is an estimating and quoting tool. It prices jobs before they print. Your RIP still handles color, profiles, queues and output nesting.
Yes. Print jobs and sign jobs share one material library, one set of labor and machine rates and one quote. That suits sign and print shops that do both.
You enter your real speed in square feet per hour for each print mode. The estimate divides the area by that speed and multiplies by your printer hourly rate.
Yes. Pieces are nested across the roll width you choose, and media is priced by the length actually used plus your waste factor, not only by printed area.
Yes. Import materials from a CSV file with unit cost, roll width or sheet size and waste factor, or add them one by one in the material library.
The Team and Multi-location plans add a jobs board, production work orders, purchase orders, inventory and job costing, so it covers shop management for sign and print shops. It is not built for offset or digital press work on paper.
Run one demo estimate on the homepage without an account, then pick the plan that fits your shop. Cancel from the billing page anytime and export your quotes and customers anytime.
