I'm not too familiar with signage printers... I'm a graphic designer...I'm not looking for a wide format printer... I'm looking to print some bumper stickers... All they have to be is 11" x 3". So wide format is not necessary. I'm not sure what kind of printer or material is used for bumper stickers. I'm thinking it's vinyl..but what about the inks? I want something that will last outdoors for a couple of years like a professional job... but I don't want to spend a lot of money on a printer when I really don't need a wide format..at least for now.. Is there a printer out there like this? Oh..and I need more than one color for inks..that standard cmyk or better. Any help would be helpful thankx..
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Bumper Sticker Printers?
- Thread starter namjagee
- Start date
Kemble
New Member
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
On first blush and from what little you've told us, my first thought is you might want to look into finding a reliable outsource instead of doing them in house. That way you can focus on the design and the marketing while you have a chance to get first hand advice from someone already set up to produce them for you. Then, when cost justifiable, and when you have a better idea of your needs, you can shop for the equipment.
There are several such outsource wholesalers listed HERE that you should consider contacting.
There are several such outsource wholesalers listed HERE that you should consider contacting.
The reason I don't want to go that route is because I want to create hundreds of designs and then print a few and test them on the market... I don't want to make 100-500 bumper stickers with one design and have them in inventory when I don't know if the designs will sell. So I'd rather make 100's of designs maybe create 5 each.. and test the market and then if one particular design does will mass produce the stickers...
Another note..if anyone can tell me...what is the average cost to producing a bumper sticker? Ink and materials..?
Another note..if anyone can tell me...what is the average cost to producing a bumper sticker? Ink and materials..?
Firefox
New Member
Here is a label printer from VIP Color that might work for you.
http://www.morelabelvalue.com/vp485-printer.html
I have not investigated it thoroughly, that will be up to you. I have seen the quality of the graphics from this machine and it looks exceptional.
For durability you will want laminating capability, not sure if this does laminating.
If this machine or one like it from another manufacturer would work for you then you could print to order any label you are offering as needed. No waste because of unsold merchandise.
http://www.morelabelvalue.com/vp485-printer.html
I have not investigated it thoroughly, that will be up to you. I have seen the quality of the graphics from this machine and it looks exceptional.
For durability you will want laminating capability, not sure if this does laminating.
If this machine or one like it from another manufacturer would work for you then you could print to order any label you are offering as needed. No waste because of unsold merchandise.
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
So, do ten or twenty designs and gang them in a nest of five of each. Send it to your outsource and then order more as needed.
Sign Works
New Member
In order to be economical most bumper stickers are screen printed in large quantities.
James Burke
Being a grandpa is more fun than working
I like to use hot stamping for single color, small runs with no mess.
jiarby
New Member
Depends on how you define materials....
Mutoh ValueJet: 18K (when new)
Ink: $2,500/gallon
Laminator: 5k
Roll of Vinyl: $200
Roll of Laminate: $175
Plotter: 3-5k
Knowing what do do with all this stuff: Priceless
My advice: If you have to ask how much ink and vinyl costs, and only want to print 5 bumper stickers you better just job it out. No matter what you pay it will be less than buying even a set of ink cartridges!
Seriously.... what the hell do you expect to learn from "test marketing" five bumper stickers!? I'd like to hear what your testing plan is like and how you quantify results!?
phototec
New Member
There is a used vp485 printer on ebay you could get for a discount, retail is about $3,000, and this guy is asking $2500 after making only 20 lables, or you can make him an offer.
Maybe you could send him one of your files and he could print out a bumber sticker for your approval.
Just a thought!
http://cgi.ebay.com/VIP-VP485-Color-Label-Printer-/260697523162?pt=COMP_Printers&hash=item3cb2c883da
misunderstood
Jiarby you misunderstood me, I don't want to create 5 stickers. I want to create hundreds if not thousands of designs. I just want to print only 5 of each designs to keep in inventory...and try to sell them..I want to weed out the designs that don't sell from the ones that do.. and later I want to just print out thousands of the ones that are good. Right now I have some designs on zazzle that sell once in a while, but they charge $4 per bumper sticker I have to charge like $5 to make any money. Then they have expensive shipping...$7.99 for shipping ... $2.99 for economy... So it's very expensive...per bumper sticker. Plus I don't get to have any contact with customers...nor can I do drop shipping with them...
So I want to test out some stickers..and later down the road have them funnel to my website..and maybe put some stickers in novelty stores on consignment...once the designs have been tested on the market place.
Jiarby you misunderstood me, I don't want to create 5 stickers. I want to create hundreds if not thousands of designs. I just want to print only 5 of each designs to keep in inventory...and try to sell them..I want to weed out the designs that don't sell from the ones that do.. and later I want to just print out thousands of the ones that are good. Right now I have some designs on zazzle that sell once in a while, but they charge $4 per bumper sticker I have to charge like $5 to make any money. Then they have expensive shipping...$7.99 for shipping ... $2.99 for economy... So it's very expensive...per bumper sticker. Plus I don't get to have any contact with customers...nor can I do drop shipping with them...
So I want to test out some stickers..and later down the road have them funnel to my website..and maybe put some stickers in novelty stores on consignment...once the designs have been tested on the market place.
iSign
New Member
we understand... you have a get rich quick scheme.. and we all have all the right equipment and you don't... but you still believe in your scheme, and we don't...
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that right there should tell you something
jwright350
New Member
Geeze, lots of haters on here!
Easy fix my man. They make laser printer white vinyl now. Print it out on a $299 color laser printer, cut it out with a paper cutter. It lasts 3-6 months with no fading. If you don't want it to fade spray some clear UV on it like "Frog Juice" out of a rattle can.
I print it quite often on my big KM6500 digital press...but really it will work on any laser printer.
I buy the material from my paper supplier xpdex (its showcase brand). But I think you can get it from rippedsheets.com as well (and they'll die cut the material for you)
Easy fix my man. They make laser printer white vinyl now. Print it out on a $299 color laser printer, cut it out with a paper cutter. It lasts 3-6 months with no fading. If you don't want it to fade spray some clear UV on it like "Frog Juice" out of a rattle can.
I print it quite often on my big KM6500 digital press...but really it will work on any laser printer.
I buy the material from my paper supplier xpdex (its showcase brand). But I think you can get it from rippedsheets.com as well (and they'll die cut the material for you)
Techman
New Member
Nope not haters.
We all been there done that. We all looked for ways to make a buck. We all know that onsies and twosies is a waste of time.
But, I was planning on offering the same idea as you.
If I was so inclined.. I would print these thru my phaser 850 printer all day long two up. I would use the same coated vinyl I run on my encad and test away.
But, I also know it would be a waste of time trying to make a living this way. The laber involved is too costly.
jwright350
New Member
Give the guy a break... if he has 25 cents in a sticker and the rest is his labor and he sells 10 a day for 5 bucks each then he has a good little side business.
Stouse only exists (i'm told) becuase the owner divorced the owner of Gill Studios. It was done as an in your face! (again, that is just something I was told years ago) And dang, I wish I could sell stuff for the prices they get. My market is cheap cheap cheap. $40 bucks for a freakin yard sign, $70 for a door magnet. sheesh!
I started out by printing 1 at a time. Now guess what Jiarby...I print for all of the certain chain restaurants in the Phoenix/Mesa area...including the one in Queen Creek. Not a bad side business at all.
Oh and by the way... can you guys get a good hotel there?
Stouse only exists (i'm told) becuase the owner divorced the owner of Gill Studios. It was done as an in your face! (again, that is just something I was told years ago) And dang, I wish I could sell stuff for the prices they get. My market is cheap cheap cheap. $40 bucks for a freakin yard sign, $70 for a door magnet. sheesh!
I started out by printing 1 at a time. Now guess what Jiarby...I print for all of the certain chain restaurants in the Phoenix/Mesa area...including the one in Queen Creek. Not a bad side business at all.
Oh and by the way... can you guys get a good hotel there?
Joe Diaz
New Member
Wait, let me get this straight? You want to create hundreds or thousands of designs that you aren't sure will sell yet?
Let's say on average it takes 15 minutes to do a simple design. multiply that by 100, you've got 25 hours. Now lets say you want to get $50 an hour for design time (and that is a low rate). That would be $1250. So not including material costs of the stickers themselves, you have invested $1250 worth of your time for 100 different designs or $12500 worth of your time for 1000 different designs that your aren't sure will sell yet???
Now in that example I have weighed those figures heavily in your favor. The reality is, you will probably invest much more time and need to have your rate set much higher, which basically means every design is that much more of a gamble, when you don't know if they will sell.
Check out any print company and it will be the same, printing only 5 of 100s of different designs will cost you more then 100s of only 5 designs. And you yourself will invest much more time designing 100s of different designs vs 5 designs.
So graphic designer to graphic designer, my advice would be to not do bulk design work. Do the math, there is no money in it. Find out what sells before you spend the time designing anything.
Locals Find!
New Member
I seen a lot of people bashing the OP for wanting to make lots of small runs of many different designs. How else would you figure out what bumper sticker is going to sell??
Bumper stickers are impulse purchases people want to see lots of choices. Then you weed down those choices based on what sells and what doesn't till you end up with your core product line.
I am just confused as to if there is a better more economical way to do this would someone mind explaining it too me??
Bumper stickers are impulse purchases people want to see lots of choices. Then you weed down those choices based on what sells and what doesn't till you end up with your core product line.
I am just confused as to if there is a better more economical way to do this would someone mind explaining it too me??