Five assumptions that make any wall printer calculator look better than real life

A wall printer calculator is only as honest as the numbers you put in it. That includes ours. The ROI calculator and the cost model on this site do the math correctly, but the math can’t tell you how many walls you’ll actually book. These are the five inputs that most often make a projection look better than the year turns out.

1. Booked jobs, not possible jobs

It’s easy to enter the number of walls you could print in a month. The number that matters is the walls someone has agreed to pay for. In the first months that number is usually lower and lumpier than people expect. Run the calculator with the jobs you have real conversations about, then run it again with half that.

2. Close rate

Not every quote turns into a job. If you send ten quotes, how many do you expect to win? If you’ve sold any service before, use what you know from that. If you haven’t, start low and adjust once you have a few months of real quotes behind you.

3. Hours on site, not hours printing

The printer prints 10 to 20 square feet an hour, depending on resolution and surface. That’s the printing. A job also has travel, wall prep and cleanup, plus about 30 minutes to set up and break down the printer. If a calculator only counts print time, your cost per job will look lower than it is. Time your first few jobs end to end and use those hours.

4. Days the printer doesn’t print

Maintenance takes about twenty minutes every other day the printer runs. There are also days you’re traveling, waiting on a client’s wall to be ready or redoing a section. Leave room for those days instead of assuming the printer runs every working hour.

5. What it costs to find the work

Ads, samples, a website, time spent on calls and walk-throughs. Every booked job carries some of that cost. Many calculators leave it out. Put in what you plan to spend each month on getting found, even if the number is just your own time.

Run it three ways

Instead of one projection, run three:

• Slow: fewer booked jobs, a low close rate, more hours per job
• Expected: the numbers you honestly believe
• Good: the year where most things go right

If the slow version still works for you, the decision is easier. If only the good version works, that’s worth knowing before you buy.

The numbers we can give you

Some inputs aren’t guesses. Printer packages start at $29,995 for certified reconditioned, $39,995 for the Tech Series and the Floor Series, and $44,995 for the Pro Series. Ink runs about $160 a litre, about fifty cents a square foot printed. Most printed jobs sell for $20 to $40 a square foot. The print head is a wear item at about $2,000 on the Pro, and it lasts about a year to a year and a half on UV ink. Most owners set a $500 minimum for any job. There’s no annual software fee.

The rest is your market, your time and your clients. If you want help thinking through yours, the team in Wilmington will walk through it with you.

Questions people ask

Is the ROI calculator accurate?

The math is accurate. The result depends on the inputs, especially booked jobs, close rate and hours on site. Run it with a slow, expected and good case.

What does ink cost per square foot?

About fifty cents a square foot printed, with ink at about $160 a litre.

What do printed jobs usually sell for?

Most printed jobs sell for $20 to $40 a square foot, depending on the surface, the artwork, travel and the market.