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1/4" plate glass. I draw a grid underneath to help line things up. Cut as much as you want on it. I also do small paint jobs on mine, and just scrape them clean when done. You will go through more knife blades, though!

Use a cleat. Easier to install and will be easier to repair later. Plus a cleat allows for easier removing for cleaning or re-positioning.

Corel Draw became standard in the sign industry very early because it ran on PCs. Adobe products were Mac only, and in the beginning all the CAD/CAM programs for signmaking ran on PCs. Corel Draw and Painter are nice programs, and are fun to play with (I have them both), but in the graphic...

You need to spend a little time understanding your device and how its capabilities can make your life easier and improve your workflow. I have an iPhone 6, and despite being a little slower than my wife's newer phone, it works flawlessly. Apple's updates usually involve security concerns and...

Aerial service equipment, bucket trucks, and electricians. Get the right kind of insurance and hook up with some national accounts (sign forwarding companies). Most everything else is $15/hour stuff and you will flow through employees. Or set up an automated specialty production shop, market...

Most shops these days are making their money on installation, service and maintenance. A well equipped local shop with trained technicians will do well. Original design often takes a back seat, and is considered an additional overhead cost. The bigger shops may have some talent in the design...

In the contracting business the GC spends all their time preparing bids, getting insurance requirements and lien waivers, scheduling, and working with attorneys to collect payments. If you are good, you will get about 1/5 of the projects you bid on. Actual production is a seperate line item...

There is something very "un-casual" about using casual script fonts. I admit to using them, but when I have a chance I prefer to write my own!

If what you have works for you, then use it. It is possible, however, that updating to the latest version will work better for you (and likely it will work much better). I use both Adobe and Corel products for different projects, but mostly stay with AI and PS for day-to-day tasks. Adobe...

It all depends on how experienced your sales person is. An experienced salesperson, with at least 5-10 years in the field doing installations, will be able to anticipate what info will be needed for design, fabrication, permitting, and installation. That person may likely be an owner, or an...

I'm assuming you mean 12 gauge aluminum (0.08081", commonly known as .080). 0.81 would almost be an inch thick! Use screws. 3M does not recommend VHB tape for cold weather applications, but it can work under certain circumstances. The faliure point will be the paint surface you are bonding...

For most of us, every job is different. Different locations have different permit requirements. Different clients have different information requirements (especially national and corporate accounts). Different types of signs require different design, engineering and installation details. I...

Anything flat and straight works for me. It's all in how you hold your knife and visualize your cut. If you need something more accurate than that get a Fletcher.

HDU is not porous, it is a closed cell urethane foam. Machining it opens up the cells at the surface, creating a "toothy" texture. I use a high-build latex primer (Coastal enterprises recommends FSC 88 WB, SignFoam peddles a similar product). Probably not the best solution if you are on a...

I know the engineer grade reflective vinyl uses a more aggressive adhesive than regular cast vinyl film, and that that plasticizers in the first layer of black vinyl are effected by the stronger adhesive. I have had similar results removing reflective materials that have been placed over black...

If that were my job, I would use steel tube and clad with cedar for appearance. When doing the windload calculations I came up with a minimum required elastic section modulus (" cubed) of 3.75, which would allow the use of 4x4 x .188 commonly available square steel tube. Remember that all the...

On wrap jobs I just do the design. I let others print and install, based on my specifications. That way if something goes wrong, or they fail to comply to spec., it is on them and the client, not me. I do not want or need the liability of subcontracting, especially in something as...

Once you get to around $5k/month in shipping, the shipping companies will start to notice you. Still no serious discounts until you get to the $10k+/month level, but the real savings at smaller shipping volumes is having them pick up the packages. You will need a registered scale and the...

The crating and shipping would be inbound. I rarely ship out, but when I do it is just a seperate line item that is at cost. I had "handling costs", usually around $25.00, depending on who I am shipping to and why. Shipping and the time it takes can managed profitably. It is important to...

I want a 40% margin on a small order (1-2 faces), I would consider going down to 35% or even 30% for quantity order that can be managed at the same time. In addition, I would charge for my time to measure and produce layouts and proofs. Any knucklehead can order faces off the internet; what...