Signage quote that gets the sign up

What goes on a sign quotation

A signage quote has to cover three jobs at once: design, fabrication and installation, often at height and sometimes with power. This template puts the proof, the materials, the installers’ hours and the access equipment on separate lines, with lighting as an optional upgrade. Open the sample fascia sign in the quote maker, or download it in Word, Excel or PDF.

A sign quotation should describe the finished sign precisely enough that another sign shop could price the same thing: size, material, lettering method, mounting and lighting. Then it adds the work around the sign itself: proofs, removing the old sign, access and any permit.

1. Size and materialWidth and height, and the substrate: aluminum composite panel, acrylic, PVC foam board or a lightbox. Give the thickness and edge finish too.
2. Graphics methodCut vinyl, digitally printed vinyl with laminate, routed lettering or built up letters. Each one costs and lasts differently outdoors.
3. Design and proofA proof showing the sign to scale on a photo of the building, with the number of revisions included.
4. Site surveyMeasurements, wall type and fixing method checked on site before production, so the panel actually fits the fascia.
5. InstallationNumber of installers, hours, fixings and mounting height. Brick, stucco and timber cladding each need different fixings.
6. Access equipmentLadders, a scaffold tower or a boom lift, with the number of hire days. Never bury lift hire inside the labor rate.
7. Lighting and powerTrough lights, backlit letters or a lightbox, and who makes the electrical connection. A licensed electrician normally does the final hookup.
8. Permits and approvalsSign permits from the city or the landlord’s approval, with who applies and who pays any fee.

Sample signage quote with example prices

Northsign Studio is quoting Hartley Bakery for a fascia sign. Design covers the sign design and proof with two revisions. Materials list a 3.0 x 0.6 m aluminum composite panel (about 10 x 2 ft) and cut vinyl lettering with the logo. Labor is two installers for three hours, and Equipment adds one day of access equipment hire, for a $1,375 subtotal. An LED trough light is optional at $620, and the deposit is 50%. Prices are examples.

Edit the Northsign Studio quote

6 lines are filled in, from sign design and proof to led trough light. Put in your own signage rates, then download the PDF.

Open the signage sample

How to price a sign job

Sign makers price panels and printed graphics by area, lettering by area or by the set, and installation by the hour plus access costs. Design is a fixed fee per sign. Pricing each part separately protects your margin when the customer changes the size or skips the install.

1. Per square footPanel and printed vinyl priced by area, with a minimum charge for small signs. Quick to recalculate when the size changes.
2. Fixed price per signOne figure for a standard product, such as an A-frame or a set of window decals. Fast to quote for repeat items.
3. Materials plus laborMaterial cost with markup, plus fabrication and install hours. Best for one off signs, built up letters and anything illuminated.
4. Supply onlyThe sign delivered without installation, for customers who use their own builder. State that fixings and fitting are not included.

Panel, acrylic and vinyl prices move often, so keep your margin in view with the markup calculator. Banners and flyers for the same customer can go on a separate print quote.

Worked example: frosted vinyl and lettering for two shop windows

A customer wants privacy film and their name on two front windows, each 6 ft wide by 5 ft high. The rates are examples.

1. Area6 × 5 = 30 ft² per window, so 60 ft² for both.
2. Frosted film60 ft² × $6 = $360, supplied and applied.
3. LetteringCut vinyl name and phone number, two sets at $85 each: $170.
4. Old graphicsRemoving faded decals and adhesive: 1.5 hrs × $75 = $112.50.
5. Install and totalApplying film and letters: 3 hrs × $75 = $225. Total: $360 + $170 + $112.50 + $225 = $867.50, and a 50% deposit is $433.75.

Film comes on rolls of a fixed width, so a window wider than the roll needs a join or produces more offcut. Price from the roll, not just the glass.

What a sign quote includes and excludes

Signage quote mistakes

Most sign jobs that go wrong were measured or approved badly, not priced badly. These are the slips that send a panel back to the workshop.

• Quoting from the customer’s measurement and finding the fascia is 4 in narrower on site.
• Pricing install labor but not the lift needed to reach a second story fascia.
• Not checking whether the city or landlord needs a permit before production starts.
• Leaving the electrical connection out, so the lit sign sits dark waiting for an electrician.
• Cutting vinyl before the proof is signed, then remaking the panel over a wrong phone number.
• Saying nothing about the old sign, which can take longer to remove than the new one takes to fit.