How to price custom signs on Shopify
Short answer: price each sign material per square foot with a minimum, then add what changes the job: double-sided printing as a percentage, stakes and mounting holes per piece, rounded corners as a flat fee, and quantity breaks for runs. Customers see the total as they type the size, and a Shopify Function charges it at checkout.
Why sign pricing doesn't fit variants
A sign shop sells yard signs by the hundred, one-off aluminum panels, and ACM fascias cut to a wall. The same material comes in any size, single- or double-sided, with or without stakes, and the price per sign drops on a bigger run. Shopify's variants would need a row for every combination, and the run discount isn't a variant at all.
Example rates
| Material | Rate per sq ft | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Coroplast 4 mm (yard signs) | $4.50 | $15.00 |
| ACM 3 mm | $8.64 | — |
| Aluminum .040 | $12.00 | $35.00 |
| Extra | Charged as | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Double-sided | Percentage of the sign | +40% |
| H-stakes | Each | $2.50 |
| Rounded corners | Flat | $8.00 |
| Mounting holes | Each | $1.50 |
| Quantity breaks | Off each sign | 10+ 10%, 25+ 15%, 50+ 20% |
Use your own rates; these make the arithmetic below easy to follow.
The order things add up in
Trimsize works a sign's price out in a fixed order, so the totals are predictable:
- Material: area × rate, never below the minimum.
- Fixed extras: flat fees and per-piece extras like stakes and holes.
- Percentages: like double-sided, on the price so far.
- Quantity breaks: off each sign, when the order reaches a break.
See How prices are calculated for every step, including pricing rules.
Worked examples
Coroplast yard signs, 24 × 18 in
| Step | Working | Price per sign |
|---|---|---|
| Material | 24 × 18 ÷ 144 = 3 sq ft × $4.50 = $13.50, below the $15.00 minimum | $15.00 |
| Two H-stakes | 2 × $2.50 | $20.00 |
| Double-sided | $20.00 + 40% | $28.00 |
| 50 signs | 20% off each: $28.00 − $5.60 | $22.40 |
Fifty of them cost 50 × $22.40 = $1,120.00. A single-sided sign with no stakes is $15.00; double-sided, $21.00.
Aluminum and ACM
| Sign | Working | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum, 12 × 18 in | 1.5 sq ft × $12.00 = $18.00, below the $35.00 minimum | $35.00 |
| Aluminum, 24 × 36 in, rounded corners, 4 holes | 6 sq ft × $12.00 = $72.00 + $8.00 + 4 × $1.50 | $86.00 |
| ACM, 48 × 24 in | 8 sq ft × $8.64 | $69.12 |
Set it up with Trimsize
- Install Trimsize and choose your trade under What do you make?: Yard sign, ACM panel, Aluminium sign or Magnetic sign all have ready-made pricing with example rates.
- Set your rates and minimums per material. See Materials.
- Add the extras: printed sides as a choice priced as a percentage, stakes and holes as numbers priced per piece, corners as a yes/no. See Add-ons.
- Add quantity breaks for runs (Pro). See Quantity breaks.
- Add the block to your product page and place a test order.
Selling ten sign products? Price them all from one template and change rates in one place.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the area unit. A rate of $4.50 per square foot is $0.03125 per square inch. Pick the unit your rate is quoted in, and let customers type inches anyway.
- Discounting the minimum away. Quantity breaks apply to the whole sign, including the minimum. Set breaks you're happy to give on a small sign too.
- Double-sided as a flat fee. Printing the back costs more on a big sign; a percentage scales with the size.
Questions
How do I charge more for double-sided signs?
Add a choice for printed sides, with double-sided priced as a percentage, for example +40%. It applies to the sign's price after its fixed extras, so it scales with the size.
Can I give a lower price per sign on bigger orders?
Yes, on Pro. Set up to four quantity breaks, each a percentage off every sign from a quantity on, and the product page shows the breaks under the price.
Can customers upload their sign artwork?
Yes. Turn on artwork upload and customers attach their file next to the size, with a resolution check for the size they ordered. The file is saved to your store's Files and its name shows on the order.
Can a shopper order a size I can't cut?
No. Set the smallest and largest width and height per product, and the product page and checkout both refuse sizes outside them.