Blueprint and plan print shop

Architecture and engineering firms, general contractors, developers, property managers, homeowners with renovation plans and local government permit applicants.

Per-sheet or per-square-foot printing, scanning fees, binding and mounting, rush charges, and project accounts billed monthly to regular firms.

• Customer service
• Handling equipment and basic repairs
• Organizing many jobs at once
• Reading plan sizes and scales

• Check your city or county for a business license and zoning rules for commercial print space
• Register with your state for sales tax and check how it applies to printed documents
• General liability and property insurance, plus workers' compensation once you hire
• Equipment lease or financing costs, and the repair downtime that comes with them
• Customers may stop using paper plans as more work moves to digital, so plan to add services such as scanning and document management
• Client plans can be confidential, so decide how you protect and delete files

Estimates suggest startup costs typically run around $20,000 to $60,000, depending on your premises and on whether you buy or lease printers, a large-format scanner and a copier.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $5,000 to $25,000, depending on location and how many firms and walk-in customers you win, from roughly 30 hours a week. Adding scanning and document services may help as work goes digital.

Check your city or county for a business license and zoning rules for commercial print space. Register with your state for sales tax and check how it applies to printed documents, and check general liability, property and workers' compensation insurance.