How to use the Print Cost & Profit Calculator

Before you can know if a signing is worth taking, you need to know what it actually costs you. This calculator breaks that down into three things: what you spend to print, what you spend to drive, and what you keep after both.

Step 1 — Paper costs

Look at your paper reams at home. How much did you pay for a ream of letter paper? How many sheets are in it? Type those numbers in. Do the same for legal paper if you use it. The calculator figures out exactly what each sheet of paper costs you — usually just a penny or two, but it adds up fast across hundreds of pages.

Step 2 — Toner and drum

Check the box your toner cartridge came in — it will say how many pages it's rated for (something like "2,000 pages"). Type in what you paid for it and that number. Do the same for your drum unit. The calculator figures out what each page you print actually costs you in ink and drum wear. Most notaries are surprised by how little this is per page, but again, it adds up.

Step 3 — This closing

How many sheets did you print for this signing? Type in your letter pages and legal pages separately. The calculator adds them up and tells you your total print cost for that job.

Step 4 — Mileage

Type in how many miles you drove to get to the signing. If you dropped off documents at a FedEx or UPS on the way home, add those miles too. Then put in your return miles home. The calculator uses the IRS rate of $0.70 per mile, but you can change that if you track your own actual vehicle costs.

Step 5 — Your fee and your time

Enter the fee you accepted for the closing. Then enter how long the whole job took you — including drive time there, the signing itself, any drop-off stop, and the drive home. Be honest here. That total time is what you actually traded for this fee.

Reading your results

The bottom section shows you everything at once. You'll see your total costs, your fee, and your net profit — what you actually keep. The bar shows you visually how much of your fee goes to costs versus profit. If your box turns green, you made money. Yellow means you're barely breaking even. Red means you lost money on that signing.

The effective hourly rate is the number that tells the real story. If you drove 45 minutes each way, spent an hour at the table, and dropped docs at FedEx — that's nearly three hours. Divide your profit by three and that's your real hourly wage. A lot of notaries discover they're working for less than they thought.

The point of all this

You're running a business, and businesses track their costs. Once you know your cost per page and your cost per mile, you can look at any signing fee and know in two minutes whether it's worth your time — before you say yes.