Are the cheap vinyl cutters worth it?

[Notarealsignguy]

I make good money cutting for people who want to apply it themselves
But I dont charge pennies on the dollar. I remove a few pennies from the dollar. I also tell this type of customer that it's a filler job and ask them to.pick it up next week, or when I call them. If a customer comes in and starts asking all kinds of HOW TO questions. I simply tell them this is a business and I am behind on orders. Its NOT a school.

Yes but in itself, you couldn't survive on just cutting vinyl and you wouldn't go out of business if you lost that guy.

 

[Jeremiah]

Please dont compare ours to other business plans that some people call successful. Some companies have huge equipment payments, some could write a check for a new piece if equipment. We try to eliminate waste in payroll and materials. This requires us to do the work ourselves. Some people work to live. Some live to work and then the lucky few love life and enjoy the work they have chosen.

 

[ikarasu]

It's impossible to do everything though. If someone comes in wanting powder coated signs... Do you turn them.away? Or.if you're slammed and a customer needs a roll of.covid decals... Do you outsource it and keep your customer happy, or tell them you're too busy and look elsewhere?

Our shop is good at signage and vinyl. We've dabbled in 3d signage and illuminated.... But our quality of work isn't up to omwhat our standards are set to. We don't turn down work.... We sub it out to a shop that we know does good illuminated signs.

There's plenty of reasons to sub something out, it's,not.just about time or money. Sometimes knowing what your limits are is better for the customer.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I get a sense of pride when I finish any job. More if I did it all start to finish. I'm not sure how much value put on your time. But I personally have been let down by some companies that I trusted to do a job for us. Not to mention the % of profit that I would give up. I am surprised as to how many hours some business owner members are on this site.

Don't be surprised how others spend their down time... if you outsourced more you too could have more S101 time

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Don't be surprised how others spend their down time... if you outsourced more you too could have more S101 time

I waste my time on here then bitch about being so busy and not having enough time to get it all done

 

[kcollinsdesign]

let’s break down your comment since I believe it was unnecessary.
not once did I say I was a sign shop
I’m not skirting around the local people and trying to screw them. I posted on this forum trying to get some advice to see if getting a cheap cutter for myself would be worth it. I contacted a few local shops and told them what I wanted and they gave me a price, and after pricing out how many I’m going to need, I started to consider getting my own cutter to do them myself.
2ndly I didn’t say I cannot afford to have them done by a professional, again I got pricing and did some math, and if I got my own cutter it would be cheaper in the long run, plus I can make the lettering whenever I need vs waiting and making a trip to the shops. Never said I could do it better.
3rd. With my attitude, what are you talking about? And with the way I tried to obtain my info?
I didn’t realize posting on a forum to obtain info is apparently the wrong thing to do. But thank you for your reply!

Go ahead. Buy the plotter. It will work fine. Get some 10 yard rolls of vinyl and a roll of transmask tape. Buy a sign making computer program and learn how to use it (it will likely run fine on your existing computer). Buy some font licenses (or steal some online, they are availble but with no license to use). Get a few extra rolls of vinyl because you will screw a lot up when you are learning. Make sure you have a big, flat rigid table to apply your transmask (trapping air is a bitch). Learn how to set your plotter blade for accurate weeding, and practice weeding for a while until you get the hang of it (once vinyl sticks on something, it is done). Make sure you have air-conditioned space to store your vinyl, and make double sure you vacuum and dust before attempting to cut, weed, and mask your vinyl (you will be in an airconditioned space, so it should not be a problem). Make sure you use the right vinyl for the job (cast, calendared, hi-tack tape, low-tack tape, etc.).
Or order your cut vinyl from a local shop and save several thousand dollars and several weeks of time.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

Go ahead. Buy the plotter. It will work fine. Get some 10 yard rolls of vinyl and a roll of transmask tape. Buy a sign making computer program and learn how to use it (it will likely run fine on your existing computer). Buy some font licenses (or steal some online, they are availble but with no license to use). Get a few extra rolls of vinyl because you will screw a lot up when you are learning. Make sure you have a big, flat rigid table to apply your transmask (trapping air is a *****). Learn how to set your plotter blade for accurate weeding, and practice weeding for a while until you get the hang of it (once vinyl sticks on something, it is done). Make sure you have air-conditioned space to store your vinyl, and make double sure you vacuum and dust before attempting to cut, weed, and mask your vinyl (you will be in an airconditioned space, so it should not be a problem). Make sure you use the right vinyl for the job (cast, calendared, hi-tack tape, low-tack tape, etc.).
Or order your cut vinyl from a local shop and save several thousand dollars and several weeks of time.

Or better yet, let the local sign shop do the whole job and save even more time and money!

 

[Geneva Olson]

let’s break down your comment since I believe it was unnecessary.
not once did I say I was a sign shop
I’m not skirting around the local people and trying to screw them. I posted on this forum trying to get some advice to see if getting a cheap cutter for myself would be worth it. I contacted a few local shops and told them what I wanted and they gave me a price, and after pricing out how many I’m going to need, I started to consider getting my own cutter to do them myself.
2ndly I didn’t say I cannot afford to have them done by a professional, again I got pricing and did some math, and if I got my own cutter it would be cheaper in the long run, plus I can make the lettering whenever I need vs waiting and making a trip to the shops. Never said I could do it better.
3rd. With my attitude, what are you talking about? And with the way I tried to obtain my info?
I didn’t realize posting on a forum to obtain info is apparently the wrong thing to do. But thank you for your reply!

You'll have to buy the vinyl, transfer tape, make space, cleaning supplies for the dumpsters and truck...and then when you go back 9 months later the vinyl and transfer tape will not be as pliable and you may have to replace it. Shelf life is not forever. Put a dollar value on your time thinking about what you can do to bring money in, and it almost certainly is cheaper to have some else do it for you. If you want to save money aren't picky maybe consider doing just the install yourself.

Then while you're weeding and the letters start getting stuck to each other. When you start to feel like a toddler with a ball of tape. Or you lose a dot on an "i".
good times! LOL

 

[Jeremiah]

I have this image in my head, of Mr Drewster going in and asking for prices, 1 sticker at 25" x 7", 1 at 16"x25" etc. They priced him one off pricing, or a minimum. He does the math for the 100 dumpsters he needs to letter, and sh*ts his pants over their stupid high quote. Proceeds to invest multiple hundreds of dollars on a $150 job if he had just provided quantity.
Here's the real question: Why didn't anybody point him to a cricut?

Cricut. Have you ever added up the total cost of a Cricut? A friends wife started using a Cricut. She regrets it. She told me she has about 1000.00 into it and their material and accessories are crazy expensive .