There is no consultation, no “request a quote” form and no minimum quantity to reach us for. The price comes out of five inputs, and you can work it out yourself on the back of an envelope. Here are the actual numbers.
The five inputs
- how much cut length the drawing contains, in millimetres
- the footprint of the drawing, in square centimetres
- the material, and its thickness
- the quantity
- which add-ons you tick
Every material has two rates
One rate for cut length, one for footprint, plus a setup fee and a maximum thickness we can actually cut that material at.
| Material | Per mm of cut | Per cm² | Setup | Max thickness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear acrylic | $0.0020 | $0.0130 | $14 | 10 mm |
| Black acrylic | $0.0022 | $0.0140 | $14 | 10 mm |
| Veg-tan leather | $0.0028 | $0.0165 | $14 | 6 mm |
| Steel rule foil | $0.0046 | $0.0300 | $22 | 2 mm |
| MDF | $0.0014 | $0.0075 | $12 | 9 mm |
| Card stock 2 mm | $0.0012 | $0.0060 | $12 | 3 mm |
Two materials used to sit in this table: PVC foam and POM (Delrin). They are gone, and the reason is not price. Lasering PVC releases hydrogen chloride, which becomes hydrochloric acid inside the machine and attacks the optics and the rails; the fumes are toxic to breathe. POM releases formaldehyde. No power, speed or extraction setting makes either of them safe — the problem is the material, not the setup — so neither is cut here.
The footprint is the bounding box, not the shape
This matters more than any other line on this page. The footprint is measured over the rectangle that just contains the drawing. A 120 × 80 mm panel charges for 96 cm² whether it is a solid plate or a thin open frame.
Cut a 40 mm circle out of the middle of that panel and the footprint charge does not move at all. All that changes is the cut length, by about 125.7 mm. Sparse designs are not cheaper on area. If you want to cut material cost, cut the outer size down, not the material out of the middle.
Thickness multiplies the whole per-piece cost
| Thickness up to | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 2 mm | × 0.90 |
| 3 mm | × 1.00 |
| 5 mm | × 1.18 |
| 8 mm | × 1.42 |
| 10 mm | × 1.70 |
| 12 mm | × 2.00 |
The threshold is inclusive, so 4 mm and 5 mm cost the same and there is no reason to ask for 4.
Quantity discounts are a step, not a curve
| Quantity | Discount |
|---|---|
| 1 – 4 | 0% |
| 5 – 9 | 8% |
| 10 – 24 | 15% |
| 25 – 49 | 22% |
| 50 – 99 | 30% |
| 100 and up | 38% |
Going from 24 pieces to 25 is worth seven percentage points. Going from 25 to 26 is worth nothing. If you are near a boundary, cross it.
Add-ons
- Adhesive backing — $0.35 per piece
- Engrave both sides — $0.50 per piece
- Edge polish — $0.40 per piece
- Colour fill — $0.30 per piece
- Stitch holes — $0.02 per hole
Stitch holes are the only charge counted per hole, and they sit on top of the cut length they already add. Twelve 1.5 mm holes add 113.1 mm of cut length and $0.24 per piece if you tick the box. Leave it unticked and the holes are still cut — they simply are not charged separately.
The formula
- per piece = (cut mm × cut rate) + (cm² × area rate), then × the thickness multiplier, then + add-ons
- after discount = per piece × (1 − the tier discount)
- subtotal = after discount × quantity, then + the setup fee
- add 35% if you asked for rush
- if the total is under $15.00, it becomes $15.00
Nothing is rounded in the middle of that. The arithmetic runs on the unrounded figures and rounds once, for display.
Worked, on a real job
A 120 × 80 mm panel in clear acrylic, 3 mm thick. Cut length 400 mm, footprint 96 cm².
- One piece: $0.80 of cut + $1.25 of footprint = $2.05, no discount on one, plus the $14 setup → $16.05
- 25 pieces: the same $2.05, less 22% = $1.60 each, plus one $14 setup → $53.94, or $2.16 each
- 25 pieces, rush: $72.81, $2.91 each, and 2–3 working days instead of 3–5
Look at the first line against the second. On a single piece, $14 of the $16.05 is the setup fee — you are mostly paying for the machine to be prepared, not for the cutting. That is the whole reason volume changes the picture so much, and it is the honest reason to order 25 rather than one.
Setup, rush and the floor
The setup fee is charged once per job, not per piece. We waive it on your first cut. Worth knowing: on a single small panel the waiver does not get you below the minimum — the subtotal drops to $2.05 and then the $15.00 floor takes over, so you pay $15.00 either way. We would rather say that than let you discover it at checkout.
Rush is 35% of the subtotal and it buys 2–3 working days instead of 3–5. It is not described as priority handling because it is not a queue position — it is a longer day for whoever is at the machine.
Any order whose total lands under $15.00 is charged $15.00. If you are close to the line, adding a piece is usually cheaper than the floor.
None of this is a trade secret, which is why it is on a page anyone can read. You see the price before you commit, and if you want the working for a particular job, ask and we will send it.