Laser Engraving and Custom Fabrication Invoicing App (2026)
Custom cut-and-engrave work has three costs customers never see: art and file prep, machine setup, and the run itself. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) saves those as separate priced lines, takes a deposit before material is cut, and turns an approved quote into an invoice with per-unit pricing and a rush line when the deadline moves.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the solo maker's money workflow — art and setup billed separately from the run, deposits on custom work, per-unit pricing with quantity breaks, and rush fees — not on CAD/CAM, nesting software, or production scheduling.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Solo makers: art and setup lines, deposits before cutting, per-unit runs, rush fees |
| Square | Free + 2.6% + 10¢ | Counter and market card payments |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| Shopify | $39/mo+ | Selling a fixed product catalog online |
Three costs, only one of which the customer sees
A custom job looks like machine time. It’s actually art, setup, and run — and two of those three are invisible unless you put them on the quote.
- Art / file prep — hourly, or a flat vectorizing fee
- Setup — fixed per job, per material change
- Run — per unit, with quantity breaks
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Art, setup, and per-unit run as separate saved lines, deposit taken before cutting, rush fee available, invoice generated from the approved quote.
2. Square — free + processing
Great at a market table, thin on quoting custom runs.
3. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic invoicing, no quote-to-invoice flow.
4. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoices plus light bookkeeping.
5. Shopify — $39/mo+
Built to sell a fixed catalog online, not to quote bespoke jobs.
Deposit before the material is marked
A personalized product is worthless to everyone except the person who ordered it. The deposit isn’t about trust — it’s the only thing that makes a cancelled custom order survivable, and every experienced shop takes one.
Proof approval belongs in writing
Send the proof, get a written yes, then cut. “That’s not the font I wanted” after a run of 200 is a business-ending afternoon if the approval was verbal — and a non-issue if it wasn’t.
Quantity breaks explain themselves
Publish the breaks on the quote — 1–10, 11–50, 51–200, 200+. It answers the price question before it’s asked, and it quietly encourages the customer to order the larger tier.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge for art and file prep?
Yes, as its own hourly line. Cleaning up a customer's blurry logo into a cuttable vector is skilled work that happens before the machine is even switched on, and it's honestly the hour most shops end up giving away for free.
How do I price a run of 200 versus a run of 5?
Setup as a fixed line plus a per-unit rate with quantity breaks. That structure explains why five pieces aren't a fortieth of the price of two hundred — which is the question every custom shop gets asked and few answer well.
Do I need a deposit on custom work?
Always, on anything personalized. A hundred tumblers with someone's company logo have exactly one buyer, and a 50% deposit is what turns a cancelled order from a loss into an inconvenience.
Should I charge a rush fee?
Yes, a stated percentage. Rush work displaces other paying jobs on the machine, and a shop that absorbs every deadline compression ends up running permanently late for standard rates.