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Are they any machines that can help to produce a lot ready-to-use decals?

Alex R.

Alex R.

New Member
Hello,

I client of mine ordered 180 decals. then changed the number to 240.
They are all simple. but involve lettering without a background so that means when we print, cut, clearing outward and inner bits and the put application paper. That's a ton of work. each small decal can take almost a minute to take all the inner bits from O's, A's @'s etc. And the smaller the size, the slower it goes for picking.
How do you guys do decals for such jobs?
Is there any equipment that somehow can magically clear inner bits for me? I told the client, listen it takes a lot of manual labour, don't expect me to deliver it by today. He replayed with a snobby face "Oh I didn't know you do it manually. I ordered similar decals before from another company and they did it very quickly ".
So, I didn't know what to think. I am only for a year in this business, don't know all the bells and whistles of the industry. but if I do it manually it's gonna take me a day or two to finish them. That means the cost will be 2 days of my work + material + print + company profit. So it's about 500-600 euro at least. Looks expensive for such small thing. And client needs it for an event that gonna last just a couple of days.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience guys.

Alex
 
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AKwrapguy

New Member
Alex R. said:
Hello,

I client of mine ordered 180 decals. then changed the number to 240.
They are all simple. but involve lettering without a background so that means when we print, cut, clearing outward and inner bits and the put application paper. That's a ton of work. each small decal can take almost a minute to take all the inner bits from O's, A's @'s etc. And the smaller the size, the slower it goes for picking.
How do you guys do decals for such jobs?
Is there any equipment that somehow can magically clear inner bits for me? I told the client, listen it takes a lot of manual labour, don't expect me to deliver it by today. He replayed with a snobby face "Oh I didn't know you do it manually. I ordered similar decals before from another company and they did it very quickly ".
So, I didn't know what to think. I am only for a year in this business, don't know all the bells and whistles of the industry. but if I do it manually it's gonna take me a day or two to finish them. That means the cost will be 2 days of my work + material + print + company profit. So it's about 500-600 euro at least. Looks expensive for such small thing. And client needs it for an event that gonna last just a couple of days.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience guys.

Alex
Click to expand...

So it would take you 2 days to cut/weed/&mask 240 decals? You would have to supply a pic of the sticker to determine how difficult they would be. It also depends on material. Something like Gerber 220 is going to be much cheaper and easier to weed than lets say something like 3MIJ180.

If your machines are set up properly, and your using the right material, and it's not a crazy font or small text, 2 days sounds like a long time.
 
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unclebun

Active Member
Automatic weeding machines exist but they still don't pick the holes. Before I opened my own company 12 years ago, the one I managed had a manufacturer client which used us for cut vinyl decals that went on their satellite domes. They were done from 2 colors of vinyl which had to be weeded, assembled, have application tape applied, and then be cut apart accurately. We did it all by hand, and could turn out 300 pieces in about an hour and a half, with two people. If it's taking you two days to do 240 of them, you're not working fast enough, or your using vinyl that doesn't weed well, or your cutting is off.
 
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clarizeyale

New Member
I love weeding, it does take a bit of time though and sadly, I don't do it as much since I have to set up prints and run the machines.

I don't understand why people pick the holes out first, those are a lot harder to find vs weeding the outsides first. I get it's easier to pull the holes out first too but it's like looking for waldo sometimes and one of my guys does this and takes FOREVER.

In flexi, you can set up your cut file to cut weed lines horizontally or vertically, to cut a border around the entire job, or to cut a border around "groups" or words... This has helped speed up production for those slower than me who weeds... The holes do take some time.

The downside about it is that print and cut jobs don't get those above options.. but if you're doing it in cut vinyl, this is the way I go.

I hope this helps even just a little bit!
 
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ewded

.
240 decals that takes 1 minute to weed takes you 2 days of work? Boy either you suck at math or you work 2h/day. When I have batch orders I always offer two solutions, one is convenient for both of us like printed decals for $0.50 contour cut, and one inconvenient for both parties like die-cut for $3-$5 each.
 
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clarizeyale

New Member
JBurton said:
I find that if I have a massive quantity to do, I'll draw my own weed borders and if the text is laid out in somewhat consistent spacing, I can make a Z shape that allows me to start on one row, and as I lift one row, there is a tag that goes to the next row, so I am just peeling a long ribbon worth of weeded vinyl. Then find the insides. Taking the extra time to set up is always a good idea.
Click to expand...

Yes! I should try this. Even with super longgg print and cut stuff, I make sure to take the time to change the cut order so things cut smoothly. I don't think anyone who doesn't do this part of the job realizes the time and effort it takes to make THEIR job easier...
 
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