Pricing - Advanced letter model

Pricing in the Advanced Letter Model lets you combine several calculations into a price that matches your real production costs.

When you choose Letter Material Cost, this model works out the cost from the material length each letter needs. The system measures the outline of every character, takes half of that length as an estimate of its midline (centreline) path, and multiplies it by your material rate.

This guide shows how to set up Pricing for the Advanced Letter Model.

Accessing the Pricing Settings

1. Go to the Sign Customiser Admin:

   • Universal subscribers: Go to Home in your account.

   • Shopify users: Open the app in your Shopify admin.

2. Click on Customisers in the menu.

3. Select your customiser.

4. From the left-hand menu, go to Core Setup → Pricing.

Step 1: Create a New Pricing

1. In the Pricing section, select Add Pricing to create a new pricing, or edit an existing pricing.

2. Under the Advanced Letter Price Settings, enter:

   • Label – the customer does not see this label

Step 2: Configure Letter Pricing

There are two ways the letter portion of the sign can be priced:

• Fixed Cost Per Letter

• Letter Material Cost

Fixed Cost Per Letter

Charges a fixed amount per letter, or a different price for each letter position within a size boundary. For example, $5 per letter or $10 for the first two positions.

Use this for simpler pricing where the material hardly changes.

• Every letter costs the same – a base price plus one price that applies to every letter.

  

• Price by position – a base price plus a separate price for each letter position. The count of positions continues across all lines of text.

  

In both diagrams, Base price means the Sign Start Price that you set for each size boundary.

Letter Material Cost

Prices each letter by the material length it needs. The system measures the outline of each letter, takes half of that length as an estimate of its midline (centreline) path, and multiplies it by your Letter Material Cost. ​ ​_For more details, follow this guide: Letter Material Cost._

Configure Letter Pricing

1. Scroll to Letter Pricing.

2. Choose one of the following:

   • Fixed Cost Per Letter – choose one of the following:

     • Every letter costs the same

     • Price by position

   • Letter Material Cost

   

3. Click Save.

Step 3: Configure Sign Dimension Pricing (Shipping Logic)

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Your shipping carrier’s pricing method (area or volumetric).

• Parcel dimensions (width, height, depth).

• Packaging allowances, if you use them (for example foam inserts or protective wrapping).

Shipping or dimensional costs can be set in two ways:

• Flat parcel

• Volumetric parcel

Flat parcel

The system calculates shipping from the surface area of the sign (width × height).

In each size boundary, you can set shipping as either:

• A flat parcel cost, or

• A price per square centimetre (cm²) or square inch (in²), depending on your Store’s length unit (the other value is calculated automatically)

Example

If a sign is 60 cm wide by 40 cm high and your rate is 0.0154 per cm², the system calculates the shipping cost from the total surface area.

Volumetric parcel pricing

The system divides parcel volume by the volumetric divisor from your shipping carrier to get the volumetric weight. Parcel volume is (sign width + Width Packaging Allowance) × (sign height + Height Packaging Allowance) × Fixed Sign Depth. The sign width and height are the overall size of the sign that the customer orders, including any border margin. Use the divisor that your shipping carrier gives you. For example, Australia Post uses a cubic conversion factor of 250 kg per cubic metre. The StarTrack terms apply 250 kg/m³ unless a service agreement or a written agreement sets another factor. 250 kg/m³ is the same as a 4000 cm³/kg divisor. Your carrier agreement can set a different divisor.

When you create a new pricing, the app fills in a suggested starting value for the length and weight units of your Store. Existing pricing keeps its own value and unit:

• Suggested starting value for inch/pound Stores: 139 in³/lb

• Suggested starting value for centimetre/kilogram Stores: 5000 cm³/kg

• Suggested starting value for centimetre/pound Stores: 2268 cm³/lb

• Derived starting value for inch/kilogram Stores: 305 in³/kg. This is not a carrier value.

Check your carrier’s current guidance before you save the value.

Configure Volumetric Parcel Pricing

1. Scroll to Sign Dimension Pricing - (Shipping Unit Pricing).

2. In that section, choose Volumetric parcel.

3. Look at the Volumetric divisor value. For a new pricing, the app fills in a value for the length and weight units of your Store. Existing pricing keeps its own value and unit. Use the divisor that your shipping carrier gives you.

4. If your Store uses Shopify product generation, choose if you want to use Shopify shipping rates:

   • Check or clear the Add weight to product instead of calculating price option:

     • Unchecked – the system adds the shipping cost to the product price (in Step 4: Add Size Boundaries).

     • Checked – the system adds the volumetric weight to the generated Shopify product. When the product uses Shopify shipping rates, Shopify calculates the shipping price (see Using Shopify Shipping (Optional)).

5. Click Save.

Using Shopify Shipping (Optional)

You can use Shopify shipping rates instead of working out shipping in the app.

To enable this:

• Select Volumetric parcel (see Step 3: Configure Sign Dimension Pricing)

• Enable Add weight to product instead of calculating price option

Then configure shipping in Shopify:

Step 1: Set up Shipping in Shopify

1. Go to Shopify → Settings → Shipping and delivery.

2. Edit the shipping profile where you configure rates for generated products.

Step 2: Create Shipping Zones

A shipping zone is a group of countries or regions, such as Europe or North America. Shopify uses shipping zones and rates to define where you ship your products to.

For detailed setup instructions, see Setting up shipping zones.

Step 3: Add Shipping Rates

For each zone, add a rate for each weight range listed in your supplier’s shipping table.

For detailed setup instructions, see Setting up shipping zones and rates.

Step 4: Add Size Boundaries

Size boundaries are pricing tiers based on sign dimensions. They let you change the price as the sign gets bigger.

The size ranges in the diagram are an illustration only. The system does not use a minimum size for a boundary. It uses the first boundary where both the width and the height of the sign are within the boundary’s maximum, as the rules below explain.

For example:

• Smaller signs → higher cost per unit.

• Larger signs → lower cost per unit.

How Size Boundaries Work

The system follows these rules:

• First Match Rule – The system uses the first boundary that the sign fits in

• Infinity Rule – The last boundary applies to all larger signs

• Both Dimensions Apply – A sign must fit in both the width limit AND the height limit of a boundary

• Progressive Sizing – When a Store has more than one size boundary, each boundary must be larger than the previous one in both Maximum Width and Maximum Height. Every Maximum Width and Maximum Height must be greater than 0. The system does not compare Fixed Sign Depth between boundaries.

• One Boundary Minimum – at least one size boundary is required

Tips for Success

• Start Simple – Start with 2-3 size boundaries and expand as needed

• Consider Your Costs – Set boundaries where material or labour costs significantly change

• Test Your Pricing – Use the preview function to verify pricing accuracy

• Regular Reviews – Review and adjust boundaries as your business grows

Example Scenarios

Both examples use the same three size boundaries. Each limit is width × height:

• Size Boundary 1 – 200 × 300 cm

• Size Boundary 2 – 400 × 600 cm

• Size Boundary 3 – 600 × 800 cm

Example 1

A sign is 440 cm × 350 cm (width × height). Its height is inside Size Boundary 2, but its width is more than the Size Boundary 2 limit of 400 cm. The system uses the pricing of Size Boundary 3 (material, shipping, base price, and so on).

Example 2

A sign is 180 cm × 500 cm (width × height). Its width is inside Size Boundary 1, but its height is more than the Size Boundary 1 limit of 300 cm. The system uses the pricing of Size Boundary 2 (material, shipping, base price, and so on).

Create or Edit a Size Boundary

1. Scroll to Size Boundaries.

2. Click Add size boundary or edit an existing one.

3. In the Size Boundary section, set the following dimensions:

   • Maximum Width and Maximum Height – you can edit these fields only when the pricing has two or more size boundaries. With one size boundary, both fields are locked.

   • Fixed Sign Depth: For Volumetric parcel pricing, enter a value greater than 0 in each size boundary. The editor does not save a depth that is too small or too large. Maximum Width and Maximum Height select the size boundary. The system uses Fixed Sign Depth to calculate parcel weight. The visualiser does not show it.

     The image below shows the setting in an inch Store.

     

4. Under Letter and Sign Pricings Inputs, set:

   • Price Per Letter – if using Fixed Cost Per Letter – Every letter costs the same

   • Click Edit position prices to set the price for each position – if using Fixed Cost Per Letter – Price by position

   • Letter Material Cost – if using Letter Material Cost

   • Sign Start Price - (Optional) – your base cost

     

5. Set the shipping fields for the parcel type you chose. If using Flat parcel, set the following in the Sign Dimension Price - (Shipping Unit Price) section:

   • Parcel Cost, or

   • Price per cm² or Price per in² (the other value is calculated automatically)

     

   If using Volumetric parcel, set the following in the Packaging Allowances - (Optional) section:

   • Width Packaging Allowance

   • Height Packaging Allowance

   • Cost per kg (or Cost per lb, if your Store uses pounds) in the Shipping Cost Configuration section. Your carrier gives you this value. The field shows only when Add weight to product instead of calculating price is not checked. When you check that option, the card shows Weight Configuration and no cost field. Cost per kg and Parcel Cost stay disabled until Fixed Sign Depth, Maximum Width and Maximum Height are greater than 0.

     

Your Advanced Letter Pricing is now set up. Next, go to Fonts.

FAQ

How does Price by position work if there is a line break?

For a sign with AB on the first line and CD on the second line, A uses Letter 1, B uses Letter 2, C uses Letter 3 and D uses Letter 4. The line break does not reset the sequence.

For AB CD, the space is free. C still uses Letter 3, and D uses Letter 4.

The system adds the Sign Start Price of the selected size boundary to the position charges. It does this before it applies any discount.

How many letter positions can you have for Price by position pricing?

You can set prices for up to 100 letter positions. If a customer enters more letters than you set prices for, each extra letter uses the price of the final position.