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Most of the reason the light is "blowing through" is because most electric sign cabinets are designed for pan faces, which lift the surface of the face further from the light source. You can clean off an old pan face, but the better plan is to buy a new one. You may be able to find somebody to...

I did it for a number of years. It worked out fine, but that was before you could get free layouts and discount prices by shopping on the internet. I am a nationally known sign designer with multiple awards. I have a degree in fine art from the University of Illinois. I have helped hundreds...

I do not know what your application is, but for backlit outdoor signs the only thing that works and allows me to warrant my product (5 years) is UV cured pigmented ink (image/white/image) on clear PSV (if not printing directly to substrate). Printed correctly on the right film, this is a decent...

Those online quote request form are aggravating, especially for people who aren't familiar with sign design. The poor customer doesn't know what standard practices are or how the prices break down (they'll ask for a 50" x 50" sign, and have no idea that a 48" x 48" will be substantially less...

My cost is $75, my sell price is $125.00. That's a 40% margin. That leaves me 20% for overhead and 20% profit. Note: I outsource the printing and fabrication, and we pick up finished work once or twice a week. A permit is rquired in my town. That would be the cost of the permit added to a...

Gino – you must be in Philly. Nobody else throws widdies.

Direct printed on aluminum composite material with top laminate the signs would cost around $75 (I can get around $125 in my market). Installation with site survey and permit will be around $250 – $450 (depending on whether a bucket truck is involved, drive time, etc.). The money is in...

Most customers want quotes (not estimates). But often they have no idea what they want. The first order of business is figuring out what they need, which usually involves a discussion about their business and a site survey. Several options are usually appropriate, and each needs to be...

116' x 9' banners? Even with a 35% flow-through you are lucky the ties broke instead of the fence falling down!

I have had great success using Alumiweld for simple frames and repairs. Most of our fabrication is out-sourced. If you have enough business you might be able to justify adding a welding area, buying TIG equipment, and staffing qualified welders. You will also need a large paint booth, the...

I think it is still technically illegal (in Illinois) because you are not required to pay it (opening the door for fraud), but if you collect the tax and remit it I don't imagine the state will complain too loudly. In any case, the collected tax (whether legal or illegal) is still a burden on...

I stay with 3M 180. I can get $6.50 sq/ft (laminated). There are plenty of guys who charge less, but we stick to our guns and stay with quality, 3M warranted materials. It pays off in the end! Note: We only use calandered vinyl for temporary and promotional graphics.

Grinnell Mutual. About a 35% increase over the last five years due mostly to a hardening of the market. A 120% increase would likely be due to audit discoveries or increased coverage. General liability and Workmans comp insurance are sky-high in the sign business (if you use aerial equipment...

I don't think you can do them for 25¢ each. But a factory screen printer could probably do them for around 17¢ each, cut and packaged. You could probably negotiate for a price around 25¢, but most factory printers aren't interested in a measly $2k job. Stouse or Sticker Mule would probably...

I'm in Illinois. I don't have to pay retail tax on things I buy for resale, but I do need to collect retail tax when I sell my products to the consumer, the exception being if the item sold becomes part of a real property (most signs). In that case, I must pay use tax when I purchase the...

1. Ease the corners and edges with a file or corner rounder (or router) before you do anything. Sharp edges will not allow enough surface area for a proper film of paint to form. The sharp edge corners will fail first. Lightly sand and throughly clean all surfaces with a tack cloth. 2...

For some reason I can get a pretty good sense in the interviewing process what the intentions of a potential employee are. If I feel they will be a good fit, I share with them a salary matrix we came up with and ask them where they think they fit. I start them there. Same thing for all the...

Are you confusing "gamma" with "gamut"? Common beginner mistake. Gamma: Gamut (color gamut): defines a range of colors within a spectrum of colors.

Neither will work. Silicone is not glue, and epoxy is too rigid. Try lexel (don't ask me what's in it, but it works).

Indians are wonderful people, but they have some quirks that need to be understood. Wealthy Indians use Family Offices rather than banks to manage their business affairs, and dealing with them is not as straight forward as we are used to in the U.S. It is common for a family representative...