🧩 Understanding Custom Components in PriceCal
Custom Components are flexible add-on elements you can create for your print products to cover extra costs or options that aren’t part of the standard setup — such as finishing, cutting, folding, packing, lamination, or eyelets.
They allow you to tailor pricing based on your real production workflow and give your customers more choice and clarity.
💡 What Is a Custom Component?
A Custom Component is an additional, chargeable option that can be added to any product type — whether it’s a Sheet, Booklet, Packaging, Area, or Item.
Each Custom Component includes:
- A name and description (e.g., “Lamination”, “Cutting Type”, “Fabric Type”)
- A calculation type (e.g., per sheet, per piece, per sqft, or by perimeter)
- Optional bulk discounts to maintain better pricing control
This ensures every service or accessory is accurately reflected in the total cost.
🧭 When to Use Custom Components
Use Custom Components whenever your print product involves:
- Additional finishing or accessories (e.g., Eyelets, Frames, Poles)
- Surface treatments (e.g., Gloss / Matte Lamination, Spot UV)
- Add-on services (e.g., Folding, Packing, Assembly)
- Optional features your customers can enable or skip
If it affects cost, time, or options — it should be a Custom Component.
⚙️ Custom Component Calculation Types
When setting up Custom Components, choosing the right calculation type is critical for accurate pricing:
By SQFT → Price based on the area
- Use for: Lamination, surface coatings, UV coating, varnish
- How it works: Calculates cost based on the total printable area (square footage)
- Example: If lamination costs $0.50/sqft and your print is 10 sqft, the cost = $5.00
By Absolute → Price based on total quantity in order
- Use for: Die-cut, kiss-cut, folding, gluing, packing, assembly
- Logic: These processes are applied to each finished piece, not to the printing sheet. Whether you print 1,000 business cards on 10 sheets or 50 sheets, you still need to die-cut, fold, or pack 1,000 individual pieces.
- How it works: Charges based on the total quantity ordered, disregarding the number of sheets used
- Example: If die-cutting costs $0.05 per piece and customer orders 1,000 business cards, the cost = $50 (regardless of whether those cards were printed on 10 or 50 sheets)
By Sheet → Price based on the number of sheets used
- Use for: Special sheet handling, sheet-level finishing processes that don’t depend on imposition
- How it works: Charges based on the actual number of large sheets required for production, disregarding imposition
- Example: If a special sheet process costs $2.00 per sheet and the job requires 50 sheets (even if producing 1,000 pieces), the cost = $100
By Perimeter → Price based on length
- Use for: Eyelets, frames, poles, hemming, edge finishing
- How it works: Calculates cost based on the perimeter/length of the print (used primarily with SC-Area)
- Example: If eyelets cost $0.20 per foot and your banner is 10ft x 3ft (perimeter = 26ft), the cost = $5.20
🎯 Quick Decision Guide
Ask yourself: Where does this process happen in my workflow?
| Calculation Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
| By SQFT | Process covers the entire surface area (lamination, coating). |
| By Absolute | Process happens to each finished piece (die-cut, fold, pack) |
| By Sheet | Process happens to the full sheet before cutting (special handling) |
| By Perimeter | Process happens along the edges (eyelets, hemming, frames) |
💡 Key Difference: By Absolute vs By Sheet
By Absolute = Finishing happens to individual pieces (after cutting)
By Sheet = Finishing happens to entire sheets (before or instead of cutting)
Choose wisely based on your production workflow to ensure accurate pricing and profitability!
Best Practices & Tips
✅ Modular Setup: Create separate components (e.g., “Lamination” and “Cutting Type”) instead of combining too many features into one.
✅ Use Correct Calculation Type: Match the calculation type to where the process happens in your workflow (see table above).
✅ Provide “Not Required” Option: Always include a “Not Required” option to give customers flexibility.
✅ Use Bulk Discount for Large Jobs: Apply tier discounts for volume-based finishing to stay competitive.
✅ Write Clear Names: Use descriptive labels like “Matte Lamination (Indoor)” or “Eyelet – 4 Corners”.
✅ Test Your Setup: Run sample orders to verify pricing accuracy before going live.
🧱 Example Scenarios
- Lamination (By SQFT) for business cards
- Die-cutting (By Absolute) for custom-shaped stickers
- Folding (By Absolute) for brochures
- Perfect binding (By Absolute) for catalogs
- Eyelets (By Perimeter) for banners
- Lamination (By SQFT) for outdoor signage
- Poles and frames (By Perimeter) for displays
- Embroidery (By Absolute) for apparel
- Heat transfer (By Absolute) for mugs
SC-Box and SC-Packaging Products
- Gluing (By Absolute) for box assembly
- Special coating (By Sheet) for premium packaging
🎯 Summary
Custom Components make your PriceCal setup flexible and powerful — letting you adapt pricing for every product, upsell services smoothly, and ensure full cost visibility for both you and your customers.
By understanding the four calculation types and applying best practices, you’ll create a pricing system that accurately reflects your production workflow and maximizes profitability.
Ready to set up your Custom Components? Start by identifying which finishing services and add-ons your customers need most, then build them systematically using the guidance above.
