How this calculator works
Press-only work — the customer brings the garments and the transfers, you press them — looks like easy money because there are no materials. It is not free, though: the press depreciates, draws power, wears platens, and occupies both the bench and you.
This works out what a cycle actually costs, then prices it. The result is usually higher than the flat dollar-or-two most shops charge.
The formula
- Press cost per hour = total annual cost ÷ billable hours
- Cycle time = dwell seconds ÷ 60 + handling minutes
- Cost per press = cycle time ÷ 60 × (press rate + labour rate) + supplies
- Price per press = cost per press ÷ (1 − target margin)
What to watch for
- Handling normally exceeds dwell. A fifteen-second press with seventy seconds of positioning and peeling is an eighty-five-second cycle, and the press is idle for most of it.
- When handling dominates, a second platen or a pre-press station raises throughput far more than a faster press would.
- Press-only work carries the same setup, communication and scheduling as any other job, which is why a minimum order matters more here than on work with materials in it.
- Platen covers scorch and wear out. Treating them as a scheduled annual cost rather than a surprise keeps the rate honest.
Common mistakes
- Charging a flat dollar per press without knowing what a cycle costs.
- Counting dwell time only and ignoring the handling either side.
- Assuming press-only work has no cost because there are no materials.
- Leaving depreciation out because the press was bought outright.
Frequently asked questions
What should I charge for press-only work?
Work up from the cycle cost. A typical swing-away press with an 85-second cycle costs roughly $0.60 to $0.80 per press once machine, labour and supplies are counted, which at a 45% margin suggests around $1.10 to $1.50 each — plus a minimum order, because the setup and communication are the same as any other job.
How long is a realistic press cycle?
Add the dwell to the handling either side: positioning the garment, pre-pressing to remove moisture, aligning the transfer, closing, opening, peeling and setting aside. A 15-second dwell commonly sits inside an 80 to 100 second cycle, which is why throughput is nearly always limited by the operator rather than the press.
Should I include depreciation on a press I already own?
Yes. Depreciation is the cost of using it up, not a loan payment, and recovering it is how you fund the replacement rather than being surprised by one. A press bought outright still wears out, and pricing as though it were free means the next one comes out of your own pocket.
How do I increase throughput?
Reduce handling, not dwell. If handling is longer than the press time — which the calculator flags — then a second platen, a pre-press station, or simply laying out garments in advance will do more than a faster or hotter press. The machine is already waiting for you.