Instant ImprintsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Instant Imprints franchise requires a total initial investment of $188K – $365K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $465K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 48.9% charge-off rate across 48 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $188K – $365K
- 45th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $465K
- 10th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 9th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 45
- 30th pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- 48.9%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
48.9% of SBA loans charged off across 48 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
The system contracted 13% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $188K – $365K including a $40K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $465K/year (median $426K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 48.9% across 48 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- No Frill Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- II Transatlantic, Inc.
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Ralph Askar
- CEO experience
- 2011 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7310 Miramar Road, Suite 102, San Diego, CA 92126
- Auditor
- Hinzman & Associates
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $959K
- vs $1.1M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
Instant Imprints franchisees operate embroidery, screen printing, and promotional product customization shops, managing production equipment, customer orders, inventory, and local sales/marketing. Day-to-day involves order fulfillment, quality control, team management, and revenue generation targeting B2B clients (corporate apparel, event merchandise) and B2C retail customers.
- CEO
- Ralph Askar
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 41 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Establishment Fee (Brand Center)not refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Training Fee (Brand Center)not refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Attending Training (Brand Center) | $0 | $5K | |
| Equipment Package (Brand Center)not refundable | $44K | $164K | |
| Design, Buildout Coordination and Management Fee (Brand Center)not refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Bookkeeping and Accounting Fee (Brand Center)not refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Leasehold Improvements (Brand Center) | $25K | $50K | |
| Opening Launch Program Deposit (Brand Center)not refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Rent (Brand Center) | $8K | $12K | |
| Security Deposit / Utility Deposits / Licenses (Brand Center) | $2K | $5K | |
| Business Insurance (Brand Center) | $350 | $600 | |
| Miscellaneous Supplies (Brand Center) | $2K | $3K | |
| Professional Fees (Brand Center) | $1K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - Initial Period 3 Months (Brand Center) | $35K | $50K | |
| Franchise Establishment Fee (Growth Center)not refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Training Fee (Growth Center)not refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Attending Training (Growth Center) | $0 | $5K | |
| Equipment Package (Growth Center)not refundable | $32K | $100K | |
| Design, Buildout Coordination and Management Fee (Growth Center)not refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Bookkeeping and Accounting Fee (Growth Center)not refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $420K | $778K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$70K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
22%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.6 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $188K – $365K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $475 |
| Training fee | $10K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $25 |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $465K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $426K
- Item 19 type
- Actual Sales
- Sample size
- 20 units
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $72K→$1.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $142K→$919K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Instant Imprints Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 45
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 4
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 8.9%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 91%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -12.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -8.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 6.1%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 4.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 10.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 48
- Loan volume
- $7.7M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 48.9%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 51.1%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 24
- Defaults
- 22
Vintage analysis
Instant Imprints charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Instant Imprints's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 8-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 48.9% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 2 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Instant Imprints presents moderate-to-cautious risk: contracting franchisee base, missing profitability data, litigation history, and high capital requirements with unclear path to positive ROI for median performers.
Litigation (Item 3)
Gunther Graphics, Inc. v. No Frill Franchising, Inc. (settled February 2024); Hamid Lotfollahi v. Ralph Askar, John Tillger, II Transatlantic, Inc. (status incomplete in provided text)
Largest disclosed settlement: $84,115
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hinzman & Associates⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 12.5% YoY (45 units), indicating system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDNo average net income disclosed in Item 19 — prevents ROI validation and suggests weak unit economics or franchisor reluctance to disclose profit data
- 03HIGHMultiple litigation cases including breach of contract and shareholder disputes signal operational friction and potential governance issues within franchisor leadership
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($187,903–$364,862) combined with declining unit base creates elevated risk of poor capital recovery
- 05MINORTiered royalty structure (6%→4%→2%) incentivizes high-volume sales but only benefits top 20% of franchisees; median franchisees likely cap at $1M revenue paying full 6% rate
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Demographic and Zip Code based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 30,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Gunther Graphics, Inc. v. No Frill Franchising, Inc. (settled February 2024); Hamid Lotfollahi v. Ralph Askar, John Tillger, II Transatlantic, Inc. (status incomplete in provided text)
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 55 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 201 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- shopVOX
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: shopVOX
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
53 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Instant Imprints · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Instant Imprints franchise?
The total investment to open a Instant Imprints franchise ranges from $188K – $365K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Instant Imprints franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Instant Imprints FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $465K. The median is $426K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Instant Imprints's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Instant Imprints has a charge-off rate of 48.9% across 48 loans, meaning 48.9% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Instant Imprints franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Instant Imprints has 45 total units in the United States, including 21 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Instant Imprints a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Instant Imprints as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.