Quote query

[anji]

I am starting out in framing, working from home. I have done stuff for myself and odd bits and pieces for others. My plan is to go public, but I'm not ready yet. I work within a large organisation and have been asked whether I would be interested in framing a management team photo board. You know the sort of thing - like they have in big supermarkets/hospitals/hotels. I've been asked to give them a quote and have met with their contact and have a good idea what they want. It will have fourteen photos 80 x 100mm, one photo 100 x 130mm and a window at the top with the 'title'. For the frames I've already done for people, I've worked on the cost of materials and multiplied it, but this one will be more complicated, with multi-apertures of different sizes. How do I quote for it?

Thanks, Anji

[Spit]

Same as usual, but with a charge for each aperture, say £1.50-£2.50.

[Jonny2morsos]

Might be cheaper to find someone with a computer mount cutter and get them to cut the mount for you.

John.

[Spit]

Actually it wouldn't.. how do you think they make back their £10k+ investment?

CMC makes life easier for the framer, bulk orders/unusual mounts are easier to do - but the initial outlay has to be recouped within a few years to make it worthwhile.

[Roboframer]

For the frames I've already done for people, I've worked on the cost of materials and multiplied it, but this one will be more complicated, with multi-apertures of different sizes. How do I quote for it?

What you describe is not difficult to plot or to cut - you can use your mount cutter margin guide for most of the outside cuts, if not all (assumimg you have a machine such as a Keencut Ultimat etc) - but still you need to charge for the time it takes to plot and cut all those apertures - I use a sliding scale £X per aperture for up to 5 - a bit less for 5-10, less still for 10-20 and less still for 20 plus.

Actually it wouldn't.. how do you think they make back their £10k+ investment?

In many ways - a couple of which you detailed .....

CMC makes life easier for the framer, bulk orders/unusual mounts are easier to do

If you take on an employee that can do the same for you, you'd be paying him/her that outlay, and more, year after year - we pay employees to make life easier for us - they don't generate the footfall/turnover - the footfall/turnover generated them! I have a CMC because my workload warrants it - not to generate a workload.

- but the initial outlay has to be recouped within a few years to make it worthwhile.

But with a CMC you have to pay a 'salary' in advance - but just the once, after that all it'll need is a bit of looking after and a bit of pocket money (new blades, software upgrades, etc) But of course, depending on how good you are at selling - it can actually generate sales quite easily - but it still needs YOU.