Printing, Labels & Industrial Converting worked example

Print Setup Cost at 72% percent of setup billed to the customer: a worked example

This worked example runs the print setup cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 72% percent of setup billed to the customer instead of the typical 100%. Estimate press setup cost from makeready labor hours, the loaded press rate, and wash-up material.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Make-ready labor hours: 3 hours (held at the documented default)
  • Combined operator and press hourly rate: 95 $/hr (held at the documented default)
  • Percent of setup billed to the customer: 72 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 100)
  • Wash-up and setup material waste cost: 140 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total setup cost = setup hours x operator+press rate x chargeable share% + wash-up cost.
  • Total print setup cost works out to 345 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Print setup cost per unit works out to 115 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable print setup cost works out to 205 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed print setup cost adder works out to 140 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where percent of setup billed to the customer sits at 100% and the headline result is 425 $, this scenario comes in 18.78% below the baseline at 345 $.
  • Use it when quoting a run, evaluating whether to bill setup fully, or benchmarking make-ready efficiency across presses and operators. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total print setup cost: 345 $ (headline result)
  • Print setup cost per unit: 115 $ / piece
  • Variable print setup cost: 205 $
  • Fixed print setup cost adder: 140 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Print Setup Cost calculator, set percent of setup billed to the customer to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.