Print Job Estimate Worksheet
A good print estimate lists every cost between artwork and delivery, then adds markup so the quote protects margin. This worksheet gives estimators a repeatable layout for sheetfed, web or flexo jobs that exports straight to Excel.
| Cost item | Category | Quantity | Rate | Markup % (%) | Cost | Selling price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$85 | $106 | ||||||
$88 | $110 | ||||||
$330 | $396 | ||||||
$56 | $70 | ||||||
$350 | $438 | ||||||
$120 | $156 | ||||||
$90 | $99 |
Set the markup per line to reflect risk and your pricing policy. Divide the total price by run quantity to get a price per piece, and add spoilage to paper quantity before you quote.
Connect estimates to actual job costing
Optional: we review how job costing is captured in your ERP and where estimate variances can be reported.
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How to use the worksheet
Add a row for each cost item and pick its category. Enter quantity and rate in the unit that applies, such as plates, sheets, kilograms or hours, and set a markup percentage. Cost is quantity times rate. Selling price adds the markup. Totals and gross margin appear underneath. Replace the example rows with your own and keep the template as a starting point for every quote. Add spoilage to paper quantity before you enter it.
- Paper: add makeready and running spoilage sheets
- Press time: include makeready, not only running time
- Plates: one per colour per side unless reused
- Finishing: fold, die cut, laminate, bind
What a print estimate normally includes
Most print jobs break into prepress, plates or cylinders, substrate, ink, press time, finishing, packing and delivery. Outside services such as foil or embossing add another line. Estimators calculate press time from impressions, speed and makeready, and paper from sheets including spoilage. Ink follows coverage. Some shops price per thousand with run-length breaks, which you can reproduce by copying the sheet for each quantity. This sheet does not replace a print MIS but is the check most estimators build in Excel.
Reading margin and markup
Markup is added to cost, margin is measured against price. A 25 percent markup on cost is a 20 percent margin on price. The sheet shows the real gross margin so you can compare it to your target. A high markup on press time with a low markup on bought-in paper is common because paper has pass-through risk. If gross margin is below your floor, look at spoilage, makeready and outside services first, because they are the lines estimators often undercount.
Common mistakes and ERP notes
The usual errors are ignoring makeready, not adding spoilage, missing finishing speeds, forgetting freight, and quoting without a cost-per-piece check. In an ERP, a print job maps to a routing with operations for prepress, press and finishing, and a bill of materials for paper and ink. Compare your actual job cost to the estimate after each job, and feed the variance back into the rates in this sheet.
- Include makeready and spoilage
- Record actual versus estimate per job
- Keep hourly rates current by press
- Add outside services and freight
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I estimate the cost of a print job?
List every cost: prepress, plates, paper with spoilage, ink, press time including makeready, finishing, packing and delivery. Add the lines for total cost, then apply markup or a target margin to reach the selling price.
What is the difference between markup and margin?
Markup is the percentage added to cost. Margin is profit as a percentage of price. A 25 percent markup gives a 20 percent margin. Quoting on margin target needs price equal to cost divided by one minus margin.
How much paper spoilage should I add?
Spoilage depends on press, colour count and finishing. Offset jobs commonly need a few percent plus makeready sheets per colour, and finishing operations add more. Use your press log history rather than a flat guess.
Can I get a price per thousand?
Yes. Divide total selling price by the run quantity and multiply by 1,000. Repeat the sheet for different run lengths because makeready is fixed, which makes longer runs cheaper per piece.
If estimate versus actual job cost is hard to compare in your ERP, we can build an agent that reads job costing data and summarises variances. Ask for a short review.
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