Understanding Screen Costs

April 1, 2008

Some considerations for evaluating screen costs include what type of frames you use and whether you stretch them yourself or buy them prestretched and precoated.

One of the biggest challenges for a startup or small shop is figuring out what true screen costs are and ensuring these costs are reflected in pricing. If you are not charging enough in your price structure for screens, you have to charge more for something else. To figure out screen costs, consider more than just the price of the screen.

It's also important to separate your direct costs from your general overhead. If you are buying a wooden, pre-stretched screen, it will cost between $15 and $30 per screen. Static screens (aluminum or steel) are $30 to $50 stretched, and retensionables are $50 to $100. In-bound freight will be about 10% to 20% of that cost.

To get screens ready, there are several steps involved in determining the cost. First, you must stretch fabric and buy panels or prestretched frames. It will take about 15 minutes each to get these screens ready. If you use a fabric stretcher, you have an initial investment of about $300 to $3,000.

Also, I do not charge a cost for the depreciation on the machine or the light bulb when calculating my total screen costs. We replace that bulb about every 6,000 screens. It is a significant additional cost, but I place it in my overhead costs. After about 6,000 screens, our exposure time has lengthened to the point that it is worth spending money on new bulbs.

— Information provided by Greg Kitson, Mind's Eye Graphics, Decatur, Ind.

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