TT57 135 Posted April 20, 2015 got a request to print artwork for tshirts. I am not applying, just printing. I have an excell worksheet that helps me calculate cost but for one 11 x 17 print it says approx. $4... . That is ink = $3.75..and paper. = about .25 pc. . Really ? $3.. for one print. for ink. SO the question is: how do I calculate actual ink usage per sheet. I know- you can't define how much ink is used actually but surely someone in the world has measured somehow ? Since i have not done any business subbing, this is new. The request comes from a friend who screen prints and maybe the order is lots of colors so he is thinking subbing. I didn't ask, i just needed to learn pricing anyway. This may open up the door to do his subbing if the price is reasonable but about $4. per sheet @ 80 sheets won't get the job. Thanks guys/gals for all your help. I am using the Epson 7610 with refillable carts. They are practically unused/new . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GraphxNMore 282 Posted April 21, 2015 There was an estimation sheet somewhere. It seems like a full sheet of 8.5X11 is around $1.75 for a Ricoh 3110. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted April 21, 2015 If you look at a company like ACP Technologies that will print sublimation transfers for you, their prices range from $4-6 per 13 x 19" sheet, depending on amount of coverage http://www.acp.com/support_transfers.htm Transfer sheets in that size are less than $0.50 per sheet (the large paper I use runs me $0.39 per page + S&H), so the big expense is how much ink you'll be putting down, and if you're using Cobra Ink sublimation ink in your printer, then your total cost per page will be under $1.00 (probably much less). A full set of replacement inks for my printer is less than $100 (and I'm using 6-color inks, so it would be even cheaper for a 4-color printer) and I know for a fact I can get a lot more than 100 13x19" pages out of a set of inks (probably more like 300+). So the big question is, what is your time worth to set up this job, hit print and sit back until it's done, then manually examine each page. Add in a little for wear and tear on your system and you've got your answer. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TT57 135 Posted April 23, 2015 OWJones - REALLY 300 sheets. ?? Wow, i called Cobra and was told 30 . Maybe she misunderstood what i asked. !!!! 30 seemed kinda low to me . Its not even a total sheet coverage. Just 2 images. - 1 around 8x10 and another pocket size. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
signyouup 178 Posted April 23, 2015 OWJones - REALLY 300 sheets. ?? Wow, i called Cobra and was told 30 . Maybe she misunderstood what i asked. !!!! 30 seemed kinda low to me . Its not even a total sheet coverage. Just 2 images. - 1 around 8x10 and another pocket size. Maybe she was thinking cartridges. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted April 24, 2015 Yeah, I'm buying 4 oz per color refills for a CISS system - that's 24 oz. of ink. It takes a lot of prints to put a dent in that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted April 24, 2015 When I first got my Ricoh 3110 Conde told me they estimate $1.00 per sheet cost. I have used that as my guide line. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted April 25, 2015 When I first got my Ricoh 3110 Conde told me they estimate $1.00 per sheet cost. I have used that as my guide line. That's because Ricoh ink is a lot more expensive than Cobra Ink for the Epsons. For me, the transfer paper is always more expensive than the ink. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites