Full Version: Pricing Correctly / YAG vs CO2
From: Jim (JEARMAN) [#78]
28 Mar 2005
To: logojohn [#77] 28 Mar 2005
My experience is that unpackaging/repackaging is usually more laborious that the actual laser engraving (or pad print/screen) process yet customers think it should be free. The usual comment is "Well, all you need to do is take them out of the box and put them back...How hard can that be".
Someone still has to pay for the labor and we charge for it. Our policy is that if product arrives to us packaged only in open ended, loose fitting poly bags that we will not charge for packaging. Anything more that that gets charged for. If the engraving time is faster that the unpackaging time then we will always unpackage the product before it's presented to the laser. In the case of a very long burn time then we will unpackage and repackage, if possible, at the engraving machine.
We have more personnel involved in unpackaging and repackaging than we actually have as engravers. I wish that everyone would give us product "bulk packed" and do their own fullfillment packaging. Decoration of product has a much higher perceived value than packaging and we can charge more per unit for it although our labor costs are roughly the same as for packaging.
Regarding your artwork and your question about pad printing: Your single layer art is what we would use. If this job was pad printed on a 2 color station then the blue would still be wet when we tried to print the black on top of it. Registration is tricker but the end result is better.
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