Pressing Your Own Vinyl: Cost, Quantity and Calculator

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In short: under 100 records, go for one-off cutting instead: there are services online. 300 is the safe choice for a first record, 500 is the best value because the fixed costs are well spread, but it ties up more money and it can take a long time to sell before you break even.

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A pressing quote can be confusing: here's every line, with what it costs. Always compare two quotes like for like (vinyl weight, plating and lacquer). For the steps of vinyl pressing, read our article.

1. 1. Cutting: a fixed cost

   First line of the quote: cutting sides A and B onto a lacquer (acetate). It costs the same for 100 or 1,000 records. Some plants offer lower prices with DMM (Direct Metal Mastering, cutting straight onto copper): always compare like for like.

2. 2. Stampers: another fixed cost

   The lacquer is used to make the stampers that press the records. Depending on the plant, the quote line is called electroplating, matrices or stampers. Like cutting, it doesn't depend on the quantity.

3. 3. Test pressings: included or not?

   The first 5 records of the run, to listen to before you approve and start the pressing. They're included in the calculator. Watch out for teaser prices: some sites charge them separately.

4. 4. Pressing: the price per record

   This is the line that follows the quantity: black 140 g vinyl, the standard, at 33 rpm. 180 g costs more. 45 rpm doesn't cost more, but it's rare in techno.

5. 5. Centre labels

   Printed in full colour (CMYK). The plant gives you templates.

6. 6. DJ sleeve or printed sleeve

   The DJ sleeve (discobag in French) is the simplest card sleeve, white or black, unprinted. It comes with no hole, 1 hole or 2: check the number of holes on the quote. A DJ sleeve is used without an inner sleeve. A full-colour printed sleeve instead: count about €0.77 excl. VAT more per record.

7. 7. Shipping: often forgotten

   Delivery of the boxes to your door. It's often left out when comparing prices: it's included in the calculator, so you get the real final price.

The price of a pressing splits in two. On one side, the fixed costs (cutting, stampers, test pressings). On the other, the price of each record (vinyl, labels, sleeve). The more you press, the more the fixed costs are spread.

Result: 300 records cost about €1,620 incl. VAT with shipping, 500 records €1,950. For about €330 more you get 200 extra records, and each record drops from €5.40 to €3.90. On paper, 500 is the sweet spot.

Also watch out for price tiers: some plants charge 400 records at the unit price of 300, which makes them more expensive than 500. Always ask for the price of the next tier up.

But a pressed record isn't a sold record. In 2026, a new label without a following will struggle to sell more than 300 records. To avoid tying up too much money, especially when you press under your own name, 300 is a good choice. If you're sure the record will fly, or if your budget allows, go for 500.

There are two ways to sell. To a professional (record shop, distributor), expect €8 to 9 per record: they have their costs, taxes and margin. Direct (at parties, on your socials, on your website), €10 to 12; if you ship, count €1 per parcel for good packaging.

Direct sales pay more, but in reality, selling 100 records isn't that easy. So the calculator uses a realistic scenario: two thirds of the records sold to a shop or distributor, one third direct. And it assumes a small business that doesn't charge VAT (like a French micro-entreprise): the price including VAT is your real cost, plus about 15% charges on sales.

It gives you the profit if everything sells and, above all, the number that matters: how many records you need to sell to break even. With 100 records, even if you sell them all, you lose money. But then, you press a record for the love of it, or to get known, not to make money.

Before pressing, the record must be declared to the SDRM (the French society for mechanical reproduction rights, linked to Sacem). It's mandatory and the plant needs it, even for your own tracks. The process is explained in our article on the steps of vinyl pressing.

If none of the authors is registered with Sacem (or a foreign collecting society), there's nothing to pay. Otherwise, the SDRM charges a fee on each record: 7.40% of the retail price, or 9.009% of the wholesale price, with a minimum of €0.30 per record and €25 excl. VAT per request, plus VAT.

Good news: the fee is paid per record, not per track. For 300 records sold at €10 to 12, count about €220 to 270 excl. VAT. Tick the Sacem box in the calculator to add it. 2025 rates published by Sacem, to be checked when you apply. This is the French system: other countries have their own collecting society.