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The short answer
Cost a print job from the bottom up: sheets needed (including spoilage), plates (one per colour per side on offset), make-ready and run time, ink, finishing and design, then overheads and margin, with VAT on top only if you are registered. Take a deposit at least equal to the money you must spend outside the shop before the press runs, which on most offset jobs means about half, and do not cut paper or make plates until it has cleared and the proof is signed.
Most printing presses that lose money do not lose it on the press. They lose it in the quote: a ream that was cheaper last month, plates nobody counted, lamination priced from memory, or a customer who approved the proof, paid nothing and never came back for 2,000 calendars. This guide sets out a costing method you can use for every quote, and a deposit rule that protects your cash.
The six cost blocks in every print quote
Whatever the job, from a funeral programme to a run of exercise books, the cost falls into the same blocks. Write each one on the job sheet, even when it is zero.
- Paper or board. Work out how many finished items fit on one press sheet (the "ups"), divide the quantity by the ups, then add spoilage for make-ready and finishing. Price the sheets at today's purchase price, not last month's.
- Plates or set-up. On offset, you need one plate per colour per side: a full-colour (CMYK) job printed both sides needs eight plates. Digital and large-format jobs have no plates but often have a set-up or file preparation charge.
- Make-ready and machine time. The time to hang plates, register colours and run the sheets, costed at an hourly machine rate that includes the operator, power and fuel for the generator.
- Ink and consumables. Heavier coverage (solid backgrounds, dark photos) uses more ink; price it rather than ignoring it.
- Finishing. Cutting, folding, creasing, lamination, UV, perforation, numbering, binding, die-cutting. If you send it out, use the outside supplier's written price.
- Pre-press and delivery. Design or typesetting, proofs, revisions beyond the first one, and dispatch.
Overheads (rent, generator maintenance, salaries not tied to one job) and your margin sit on top of these six blocks. Many presses use a fixed overhead charge per job plus a percentage markup; whatever you choose, write it down so every quote is built the same way.
A worked example: 1,000 A5 flyers, full colour both sides
Every price below is an example to show the arithmetic, not a market rate. Use your own supplier prices.
| Item | Working (example) | Cost (example) |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | 1,000 ÷ 8 ups = 125 sheets, plus 13 for spoilage = 138 sheets at ₦250 | ₦34,500 |
| Plates | 4 colours × 2 sides = 8 plates at ₦6,000 | ₦48,000 |
| Make-ready and run | Fixed example charge | ₦20,000 |
| Ink | Medium coverage | ₦8,000 |
| Cutting | Guillotine to A5 | ₦5,000 |
| Design | One layout, one revision | ₦15,000 |
| Overhead charge | Fixed per job | ₦19,500 |
| Total cost | ₦150,000 | |
| Markup | 25% of cost | ₦37,500 |
| Price before VAT | ₦187.50 per flyer | ₦187,500 |
Check the sum: 34,500 + 48,000 + 20,000 + 8,000 + 5,000 + 15,000 + 19,500 = ₦150,000. Notice that plates cost more than paper on a short run. That is why offset quotes per unit fall sharply as quantity rises, and why a customer asking for "just 300" may be better served on a digital press.
VAT on the quote
VAT in Nigeria remains 7.5% under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025. A small business, defined as turnover of ₦100 million or less with fixed assets of ₦250 million or less, is exempt from registering for, charging and filing VAT, though it may opt out of the exemption, according to Forvis Mazars (March 2026). If you are registered, the 2025 Act requires a VAT invoice to show your TIN, registration number, invoice number, the date, the customer's name, the gross amount, the VAT charged and the rate (Mondaq, May 2026). On the example above, VAT at 7.5% would add ₦14,062.50, making ₦201,562.50.
The deposit rule
A simple rule works for almost every job: the deposit must at least cover the money you will spend outside the shop before the job is finished. On the example, paper, plates and cutting come to ₦87,500, which is about 47% of the ₦187,500 price. Asking for 50% (₦93,750) covers that outlay, so if the customer disappears you have not funded their job.
- Offset jobs with plates and special paper: 50% or more, because plates have no resale value.
- Jobs on unusual stock (textured board, metallic paper, branded packaging): enough to cover the whole stock purchase, which may mean 70% or more.
- Short digital runs for walk-in customers: full payment upfront is common, because the job is printed while they wait.
- Repeat corporate customers with purchase orders: you may agree credit terms instead, but put the terms in writing and track the invoice.
The balance is due before release, not after delivery. A finished job sitting in your store is your strongest leverage; once it leaves, you are a creditor. For more on deposit sizes across trades, see how much deposit to take before work starts and taking deposits and part-payments for orders.
What the quote itself should say
A quote is the price you will be held to. Section 115 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 says a business must not require a consumer to pay more than the price it displayed, and that the price must be shown in naira. So write the quote carefully and include:
- Exact specification: size, paper weight and type, colours, sides, finishing and quantity.
- Validity period, for example seven days, because paper prices move.
- Over and under tolerance: whether you deliver exactly 1,000 or within an agreed margin.
- Proof approval: work starts only after a signed or written proof approval; errors the customer approved are reprinted at their cost.
- Deposit amount, balance due on collection, and how long you will store an uncollected job.
- Whether VAT is included, and your TIN if you charge it.
What to check first before you accept a job
- Today's paper price from your supplier, in writing or on a message you can keep.
- Whether the customer's file is print-ready (resolution, bleed, colour mode), or whether design time must be added.
- Machine capacity: can the job run before the customer's deadline without pushing another paid job late.
- Deposit received and confirmed in your account, not a screenshot.
- Proof signed off before any plate is made.
Where Pryme fits
With a Pryme Business Account you can send the quote as an invoice through Invoicing and let customers pay the deposit by bank transfer through Checkout, which is free. The Finance agent can prepare deposit and balance reminders for a person to approve, so nothing goes out without your say.
Questions people ask
How much deposit should a printer collect in Nigeria?
There is no legal percentage. A sound rule is to collect at least what you must spend outside the shop before the job is done (paper, plates, outsourced finishing). On most offset jobs that comes to about half the price.
How do I calculate the cost of printing flyers?
Count the sheets needed from the number of items per sheet plus spoilage, add plates (one per colour per side for offset), machine time, ink, finishing and design, then overheads and margin. The worked example above shows each step.
Do printers charge VAT in Nigeria?
Only if they are VAT-registered. Under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, businesses with turnover of ₦100 million or less and fixed assets of ₦250 million or less are exempt unless they opt in. The rate is 7.5%.
Can a customer refuse to pay if there is a mistake in the print?
It depends on who made the mistake. If the error was in a proof the customer approved, the reprint is usually at their cost; if the press deviated from the approved proof, the press should reprint. Put this in your quote terms.
Sources
- Forvis Mazars: 2025 NTA, VAT key business changes (16 Mar 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Mondaq: Examination of the VAT provisions under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 (28 May 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Section 115, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 (LawGlobalHub) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.