Are Others Underquoting?

One of the most discussed topics among screenprinters on social media is one in which someone is complaining about others that supposedly underquote the price to customers. In effect, that will be anyone who can do the job for less money.

The reality is that every printer will have a unique cost on overhead, labor, and margins to stay in business. A manual printer will never be able to compete with a contract printer with an automatic. There is a huge difference in price between cranking out 30 shirts an hour and 500 or more per hour as related to overhead and labor costs.

If a printer is paying rent on the facility and making a lease payment on equipment, the overhead will be much higher than a printer who owns the building and equipment that is free and clear and only paying property taxes.

The advantage will always to the printer who can exceed the expectations of the client. This is an open-ended conversation as to expectations, of course, and the price is almost always the least concern. What good is the least expensive price if their job is not of the quality that was expected or delivered past the expected time?