Shop business terms
What is 50% deposit?
Also called: Upfront payment, deposit invoice
The 50% deposit is the sign trade's standard payment structure — half the job's value paid before production starts, the balance due on completion or installation.
Custom work can't be restocked: a sign with someone else's name on it has one buyer. The deposit covers material and committed labour if the customer walks, filters out non-serious orders before design time is spent, and funds the material purchase on larger jobs. Half up front, half on completion is convention across the trade; rush work and new customers often justify more.
The operational half matters as much as the percentage: the deposit should be collected at approval, logged against the job, and shown on the final invoice. Deposits chased by memory are deposits that get missed — which is why shop software ties the deposit to the approval step.
PrinterFlo takes the deposit on the approval link →
Related terms
Software that speaks the trade
PrinterFlo runs print & sign shops on one board — quotes that price by size and material, proofs approved from one link, and a production checklist the quote writes for you.