Stop Guessing
What to Charge

Most engravers don't fail because of their machine.
They fail because they price jobs wrong.
Fix that—and everything changes.

$25

Baseline Minimum

~$1/min

Machine Time

~$65/hr

Design Time

⚙️

Quality Work

🔧

Solid Machine

💰

Right Pricing

📈

Real Profit

Busy doesn't mean profitable.

Quick Pricing Calculator

Use this to build your floor price. Adjust up for value, rush work, and customer hassle.

Minimum Charge ($)

Laser Time (minutes)

Rate per Minute ($)

Design Time (hours)

Design Rate ($/hr)

Complexity Add-On

Your Quote Breakdown

Minimum: $25.00

Laser Time: $0.00

Design Time: $0.00

Complexity: $0.00

Suggested Starting Quote

$25.00

Note: Use this as your floor. Adjust up for value, revisions, rush work, difficult fixtures, cleanup, compliance details, and customer hand-holding.

Where Most People Go Wrong

You've got good work. You've got a solid machine. But if your pricing's wrong, you're still losing money.

Guessing on pricing
Taking jobs that weren't worth the time
Spending more time designing than engraving
Pricing based on what "feels fair"

That's not a machine problem. That's a pricing problem.

-$$$

Lost profit per week

Not charging for design time

Taking jobs below minimum

Underpricing complexity

Free revisions and fixes

How to Price a Job

Setup / Minimum

Communication, handling, setup, loading the file.

$20–$30 baseline

"If it's not worth your minimum, don't take the job."

Laser Time

Time on the machine equals money.

~$1/min

"Machine time = billable time."

Design Time

If you're at a computer, you're working.

$60–$80/hr

"Design work isn't free."

Complexity

Deep engraving, multiple locations, bad files, cleanup, odd setups.

Add +$15–$60

"Problems cost money."

Final Price

Sum it all up.

Your floor quote

"This is your floor—not your ceiling."

If you skip one of these, you're losing money.

Common Job Examples

Pistol Slides

$40–$150+

Surface area coverage
Depth (shallow vs deep)
Design complexity
Setup and fixturing
File quality and cleanup

AR Lowers

$30–$120+

Single vs multiple locations
Logo size and detail
Material type
Design revisions
Rush timeline

Deep Engraving

Higher than surface

Longer machine time
More passes required
Tool wear considerations
Post-process cleanup
Precision requirements

Simple vs Complex

Price accordingly

Logo ready = simple
Custom design = complex
Multiple revisions = complex
Difficult fixture = complex
Bad file = add time

"The customer isn't paying for laser time—they're paying for the result."