Custom signs, quoted before the coffee cools
Keepsel is inventory and production software for sign makers. Cost boards, paint and hardware per size, keep made-to-order work moving without stock surprises, and quote every custom sign from a recipe instead of a guess.
Try free for 30 days, with 25 Suli messages once you confirm your email (all of Suli from Maker). No card.
A sign in Keepsel
Product
Custom Wood Sign (12 in)
SKU SIGN-WOOD-12
Material
Pine Board
tracked in board-ft · Lumber
Supplier
Timber & Tools Supply
Variations, from Maker
Size, Color
Track everything that goes into a sign
From raw materials to the finished piece, Keepsel keeps sign makers on top of:
- lumber by the board-foot
- blanks
- finish and stain
- hardware
- sandpaper and consumables
Built around how sign makers actually work
Every order is a little different
Names, dates, sizes, colors: custom is the product. Size-tier recipes carry the material math so the personalization stays creative and the pricing stays fixed.
Three sizes, three real costs
A 24-inch sign isn't just a bigger 12-inch: it's more board, more paint, more shipping weight. Per-size costing keeps the big sizes from quietly earning less than the small ones.
Paint and stencils are consumables, not decor
Paint by the ounce, stencil film by the sheet, sealer by the coat. In the recipe they're priced; outside it they're a hobby subsidy.
Big items, real shipping
An 18-inch wood sign ships like furniture, not like a sticker. From the Maker plan, each size's packaging goes into its cost, so the price covers it the moment the listing goes live.
Custom Wood Sign (12 in), costed line by line
This is the math Keepsel does for every product you make: every line from its recipe, updated whenever a material's price changes.
The 24-inch version costs $11.40 in materials and ships heavier. Its price should say so.
Custom Wood Sign (12 in)
- Pine board (1.1 bd-ft)
- $3.85
- Paint + sealer
- $0.75
- Hanging hardware
- $0.45
- Protective wrap
- $0.55
- True cost
- $5.60
- Suggested price
- $32.00
- Margin
- 83%
A day in Keepsel, for sign makers
Stock boards and finishes
Pine by the board-foot, paint and sealer by the ounce, hangers and wrap by the piece.
Recipe each size tier
12-, 18- and 24-inch signs each carry their own board-feet, paint and packaging, costed and priced apart.
Take the order, check the shelf
Check your board count before you confirm a made-to-order sign, and commit with a real date, not a hopeful one.
Paint, seal, ship, log
From the Maker plan, finishing the sign on a work order draws down its materials with its true cost on record (work orders up to 10 a month on Maker as a trial and 100 on Team, unlimited on Business and Enterprise).
Questions sign makers ask
How do I price custom wood signs?
Cost the board-feet, paint, hardware and packaging per size tier, add design and painting time, then margin. Customization itself is premium labor: the name on the sign is why it sells, so the hours behind it belong in the price. From the Maker plan, Keepsel counts that time in each product's cost.
How should I handle different sign sizes?
With a separate recipe per size. Board, paint and shipping all scale with size: three tiers with three honest costs beat one averaged price that overcharges small and undercharges large. From the Maker plan, each size can be a variation of one product, with its own cost, price and stock.
Can I manage made-to-order signs without holding finished stock?
Yes. A made-to-order sign is a product with a recipe and no finished stock: you hold boards and paint, not guesses about which name someone will want next, and your material counts tell you what you can take on.
What does it cost to ship large signs?
Often more than the materials: oversize boxes, padding and dimensional-weight pricing add up fast. Cost packaging per size tier and check carrier dimensional rates before setting a flat shipping price on the big sizes.
How do I keep up with seasonal sign demand?
Wedding season and Q4 both hit sign makers hard. Last year's sales show the wave coming, and from the Maker plan, low-stock alerts at limits set with your lead times in mind keep boards and paint ahead of the rush instead of behind it.
Keepsel for other crafts
Guides for sign makers
All guidesHow to Price Custom Wood Signs (Size Tiers That Earn)
A 24-inch sign isn't a big 12-inch; it's more board, more paint and much more shipping. Price signs by tier and every size earns.
How to Price Custom and Commission Work
Custom work feels flattering, and it's quietly underpaid. One-offs take more time and more back-and-forth, so here's how to price them so they're actually worth it.
How to Forecast Demand for a Seasonal Handmade Business
The holiday rush makes or breaks a maker's year. Here's how to forecast demand so you make enough of the right things, without drowning in leftovers.
How to Track Your Shipping and Packaging Costs
Boxes, tissue, labels, postage: the costs after the product is made. Most makers forget them, and it quietly shrinks every sale. Here's how to track them.
Run your sign business like a business
Know your true cost and margin and keep every material counted. Or try the free pricing calculator first.
Try free for 30 days, with 25 Suli messages once you confirm your email (all of Suli from Maker). No card.