• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Search results

  1. Todays school aged kids get gentle grades...

    "Liberal Arts" is a shortened version of "Liberal Arts and Sciences." I don't recommend you go to college and just read philosophy and English literature; most quality schools will require a range of courses including math and science. Read the Georgetown study and it will make more sense.
  2. Landscape Logo input

    I would re-evaluate the name. It's been done to death (like "Landscapers R Us"). Keep the logo clean. If you want to be creative, Dan over at Kickcharge Creative has a decent portfolio that is easy to rip off ideas from (he must not mind because I see his style everywhere).
  3. Buying a Dimensional Sign Business

    I have dozens of sources for routed dimensional letters. Gemini has been the most reliable for acrylic, composite, and metal with high quality and consistently good service. I use other sources for HDU foam and cedar (yes, cedar is still very popular in the midwest). Most of my clients give...
  4. Todays school aged kids get gentle grades...

    It's worth noting the students with liberal arts dgrees fare better (almost $200,00 in lifetime earnings on average) than those with any other degree. According to this study ( https://1gyhoq479ufd3yna29x7ubjn-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Liberal-Arts-ROI.pdf ), career earnings of...
  5. Todays school aged kids get gentle grades...

    I think I understand... In the world you describe, a 4.0 GPA is like a 5.0 GPA back in my day (straight As, not a single B or lower, ever, not even one B+). Now you can get a B in an AP class, but still report a 4.0 GPA (a perfect GPA), and it is even possible to get a better than perfect (?!)...
  6. Super Noob HANGING SIGN

    My problem with Lustreboard is with the factory finish failing after a few years. If you paint the boards or cover them with a vinyl print they work okay (still wood, water will eventually find its way in through the edge trim or, especially, the holes where the clips are attached). I've used...
  7. Need Help Finish outdoor timber sign

    Osmo makes a nice line of finishing oils that would be worth taking a look at. Regular old tung oil would be a second choice. The wood will turn gray from UV exposure. Amber tinted spar varnish will preserve the color longer and provide a thick, gloss finish. All of these will need to be...
  8. Super Noob HANGING SIGN

    I would weld a steel or aluminum frame with engineered attachments to the post (which also must be engineered correctly before I will agree to use it). Spending $300.00 – $500.00 for stamped drawings is a small price to pay if you do not understand the material qualities, environmental...
  9. Another One Bites the Dust...

    I could care less about UX design. Since the advent of no-code development anybody who cares to can develop their own app. The bar to entry is so low that it is not worth my time. Back in the day, you needed to grow wheat, thresh it, store it, and mill it before you could bake a cake. Now...
  10. Ok...Who has the IVB with a starting bid of $2k?

    You can buy a Cricket (or even better, a Silhouette Cameo) for under $300 (Cameo on sale right now for $279.00 and can cut 12" x 10', 15" available). A 28" U.S. Cutter ( a much better choice for sign making) can be had, new, for $329. Any of those things will smoke a 4b (I had two and spent...
  11. Arial

    Before the internet and peer-to-peer sharing, font licenses were purchased by printers and typesetting companies. You couldn't just find a font on the internet and download it for nothing (note: most "free" fonts you find on the internet are not licensed for commercial work). With the advent...
  12. Price check on sign

    I guess if the customer will install the sign, they can remove it as well (and take accurate measurements of the aluminum frame so the new sign fits). Take a picture of it square on with a telephoto lens, use that photo to inform the profile vector. Print the sign on 10mm PVC using UV inks...
  13. Illustrator Performance

    The advantage of AI (artificial intelligence) generated art is that now anybody can create awesome sci-fi and fantasy images, or Pokémon style graphics. Relieves us of the burden!
  14. Hockey puck labels

    Laminated adhesive vinyl. It will work great for a "presentation" puck, but for actual match use nothing will hold up! I would order these from a jobber (around $10 plus shipping for a page of twelve 2.5" x 2.5" stickers, much less if bought in quantity).
  15. site surveys

    For most local jobs, we will build the survey expense into the price estimate (if we don't get the job the expense is added to overhead). For some complex jobs (wayfinding systems, jobs requiring extensive analysis and /or engineering, etc.) we will sometimes charge for the service up front...
  16. Good evening folks, looooong time lurker here

    You are going to have do a lot of printing to cover your costs. Working from home, it seems unlikely you have a crew of installers. Also a home is not the best place for customer visits and picking up and paying for printed materials (to say nothing of the fumes of vinyl off-gassing and the...
  17. How do you guys keep track of orders/jobs currently in your shop?

    All the info for a job is in a manila folder placed in tickler file (filed by date the next action is needed). Every morning I sort the files (only takes a few minutes). All digital info is stored in an A – Z directory. Estimates are prepared in Quickbooks (a paper copy is printed and put in...
  18. Price check... real estate sign

    Less than $55.00 cost for a vinyl version, add $25.00 for a double-sided direct print 18x24 ACM sign, $25.00 for shipping and you come up with a total $105.00 cost. I can sell these, finished, for about $175.00 (and so can, and do, my competitors). The cool thing about the ones I get (4Ever...
  19. Using PVC for an exterior dimensional sign

    I use EX-Cel exterior grade PVC and either glue it to an ACM panel or build an aluminum frame (you can use Alumawald and a propane torch if you don't have a welding rig). Lexel is a good adhesive to attach PVC elements; I will usually drill some small holes on the glueing surfaces to create a...
  20. People asking for logos...I'm getting irritated

    When I vectorize a logo for a customer, I charge for the work and offer the customer all rights. It is a line item on the invoice. I send them the artwork in a logo package which includes the source file (usually vector art but sometimes a combination of vector and bitmap files). It becomes...
Top