How to Price Silhouette Cameo Projects for Profit
How to price Silhouette Cameo projects: vinyl, blanks, print and cut, machine wear, weeding and design time, with decal, sticker and shirt examples.
In this guide
Silhouette Cameo and Portrait machines are popular for decals, stickers, shirts and paper crafts. Print and cut makes them great for stickers and labels. This guide shows how to price Silhouette projects so the machine, materials and your time are all covered.
- Project price = materials + blank + machine cost + design, cutting and weeding time + overhead, then profit and fees.
- A print and cut sticker sheet costs about $4.73 to make and sells for about $7.
- Blades, mats and the machine wear out. Add a small machine cost per hour.
- Charge more for detailed designs that take longer to weed.
Why Silhouette projects need a full price
The materials for one decal can cost under a dollar. That makes it easy to forget the time it takes to design, cut, weed and pack.
Print and cut also uses ink, sticker paper and registration test cuts. Price those too.
The steps
1. Cost the material
Vinyl, sticker paper, cardstock or HTV by sheet or square inch.
2. Add the blank
Shirt, mug, card or tote.
3. Add machine cost
Blades, mats and the machine spread across hours, often $1 to $3 an hour.
4. Time design, cutting and weeding
Fine details take longer to weed.
5. Add overhead, profit and fees
Use 10% overhead, 30% profit and selling fees.
Worked example: decal, sticker sheet and shirt
$20 an hour, 10% overhead, 30% profit and 10% fees.
| Vinyl window decal | Print and cut sticker sheet | HTV shirt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | $0.70 | $0.85 | $1.10 |
| Blank | $0.00 | $0.00 | $4.50 |
| Machine cost | $0.15 | $0.20 | $0.35 |
| Packaging | $0.20 | $0.25 | $0.40 |
| Labor at $20.00/hr | 0.15 hr = $3.00 | 0.15 hr = $3.00 | 0.35 hr = $7.00 |
| Overhead (10%) | $0.41 | $0.43 | $1.33 |
| Cost to make | $4.46 | $4.73 | $14.68 |
| Plus 30% profit | $5.79 | $6.15 | $19.09 |
| Cover 10% selling fees (divide by 0.90) | $6.43 | $6.83 | $21.21 |
| Suggested price | $7 | $7 | $22 |
Decals and sticker sheets are small sales. Bundles and multi-packs make each order worth more.
Pricing mistakes to avoid
- Skipping registration tests. A failed print and cut wastes ink and sticker paper. Test first.
- Pricing every decal the same. Detailed designs take longer to weed. Price by size and detail.
- Forgetting machine wear. Blades and mats wear out. Add a machine cost.
- Selling designs you don't have rights to. Check licenses for fonts and images.
What you keep on each sales channel
The same HTV shirt at $22.00 leaves different money in your pocket depending on where it sells. This uses the $14.68 cost to make from the example above, with Etsy's current transaction, processing and listing fees and Square's in-person card rate. Shipping, sales tax and ads are left out.
| Where it sells | Buyer pays | Fees | You keep | Profit over cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy (6.5% + 3% + $0.25 + $0.20 listing) | $22.00 | $2.54 | $19.46 | $4.78 |
| Your own website (about 2.9% + $0.30) | $22.00 | $0.94 | $21.06 | $6.38 |
| Craft fair, card reader (2.6% + $0.15) | $22.00 | $0.72 | $21.28 | $6.59 |
| Craft fair, cash | $22.00 | $0.00 | $22.00 | $7.32 |
| Wholesale to a shop (50% of retail) | $11.00 | $0.00 | $11.00 | -$3.68 |
On Etsy, fees take about 12% of a $22.00 sale. If a sale comes through Etsy Offsite Ads, add another 15% (12% for shops over $10,000 a year), so build that into your price if you're enrolled. Wholesale at half of retail loses $3.68 per piece here. Either raise retail, lower your cost, or set a separate wholesale price with a case minimum.
Silhouette pricing checklist
- Material cost.
- Blank cost.
- Machine cost per hour.
- Design, cut and weed time.
- Overhead, profit and fees.
- Bundles and packs.
Price your cutting machine time
Type your machine, blades, mats and hours into the peach cells. The calculator shows your machine cost per hour.
Get the Cutting Machine Time Cost CalculatorCalculators that help
- Print and cut: Cost print and cut jobs. Use the Print-and-Cut Cost Calculator.
- Weeding time: Price weeding labor. Use the Vinyl Weeding Time & Labor Calculator – Complexity Levels, Labor per Design & Order Hours.
- Single design: Cost a single vinyl design. Use the Single Vinyl Design Cost Calculator – Vinyl, Transfer Tape, Cutting & Weeding Labor, Retail & Wholesale.
- Sticker sheets: Price sticker sheets. Use the Sticker Pack & Sticker Sheet Product Pricing Calculator – Retail, Wholesale & Consignment.
Common questions
How much should I charge for Silhouette decals?
Many small decals sell for about $3 to $8. In this guide a window decal prices at about $7.
Is Silhouette print and cut profitable?
It can be for stickers and labels, if you price ink, paper and time.
How much does a Silhouette cost per hour to run?
Many makers use about $1 to $3 an hour for blades, mats and machine wear.
Should I charge for weeding?
Yes, it is labor.
Can I sell designs from the Silhouette store?
Check the license for each design.
Is Silhouette or Cricut better for selling?
Both work. Price the same way.
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