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Founders Lab

06 Pricing

How pricing works

No packages, no surprise line items. We quote each project individually, and the quote shows every item separately.

price = f(complexity, material, size, quantity, iterations, packaging)

Six things that drive the price

  1. Model complexity

    f1

    A flat bracket and a mechanism with moving parts don’t take the same time to design. Part count, joints and tight tolerances drive the hours.

    less: one part, simple shape more: many parts, mechanism

  2. Material

    f2

    A PLA form study and a functional part in a heat-resistant or flexible material differ in both material cost and print time.

    less: standard filament, plywood more: engineering filament, special sheet

  3. Size

    f3

    Bigger means longer prints and more material. Parts larger than the print bed are split and joined.

    less: palm-sized more: larger than the bed

  4. Quantity

    f4

    With a single prototype, all the setup and tuning lands on one part. As quantity grows, the cost per part usually drops.

    less: one prototype more: small batch

  5. Iterations

    f5

    Each new version means some design time and another print. We state upfront how many revisions are included.

    less: 1–2 versions more: many rounds

  6. Packaging

    f6

    A plain box, a custom-cut insert and an engraved lid are different amounts of work. You can leave packaging for later.

    less: no packaging more: custom box + insert + engraving

How a quote comes together

  1. 1

    We review your brief and any files.

  2. 2

    If needed, a short call fills the gaps.

  3. 3

    We price each step separately: design, prototype, revisions, batch, packaging.

  4. 4

    You get a written quote; nothing starts until you approve it.

The first call and the quote are always free.

Ways to protect your budget

  • ✓ Make the first prototype a form study in a cheap material; move to the real material later.
  • ✓ Separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves early on.
  • ✓ If you have a similar product, bring it — measuring saves a lot of time.
  • ✓ Packaging can wait until the second stage.

Got an idea? Let’s start there.

Tell us about your project How it works