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Completely New and I just bought a vinyl plotter!
- Thread starter bensmeding
- Start date
James Burke
Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Regardless of what gets said, I think you've got an awesome shop.
JB
JB
SignManiac
New Member
I don't care if you're a legitimate real sign company or not, if you disapprove of the way this site is run... Then leave! Rules are clear and I for one will not help somebody who want to save a buck by makin his own signs internally.
stickerman68
New Member
i caint afford snap-on tools... have got great service from my harborfreight jack stands...holds up same as $500 snap-on jack stands...not as pretty...i also started out with best i could afford equipment in my sign shop..which wasnt very much at the time..but i learned on it...used it till it quit...12 years......went thru bunches of blades..and little teflon strips....but ol cheap ass plotter still went back and forth and side to side...lol..sorry if i have some spellin misspelled...this is just for a one time read and forget...u know...not on some big building or bilboard for a long time...kinda post like i talk....guess thats wrong? sorry
RMXGRAPHIX
New Member
well said my friend. A good forum will be self supporting. I never see bashing in other forums just a great group of people., some have way too much time on there hands. I look at it this way either your good or cheep cant be both at the same time, My slogan is I am not the best I am just the cheapest. I dont advertise and always busy hum come on it was a $400 cutter hell I blow that on a good weekend ......jR
Flame
New Member
It is because the "cheapies" are the ones that are hurting this industry. It's a 1-4 ratio here, legit sign shops....and out of the garage hacks who won't last more than 2 years. It's ridiculous. And the more they come and go, and the more they advertise unrealistic cheapy prices, the harder it is to sell to our customers to get what a product is truly worth. $0.99 banner guys come and go, just people who think they can take over the world to make a quick buck. And despite them usually going under...they leave a scar on the industry when they leave.
And frankly, a lot of us are tired of it. Personally I don't care if you start with a cheap plotter in your garage. I started in my garage with a 24" graphtec and $200 PC. BUT....BUT BUT BUT, I wanted to make graphics/ sign for a living, as do most any real shop. What PI$$E$ us off is people who think they can "make a quick buck" because their uncle "rakes in the money" selling signs and it's "so easy to do" that soon enough they'll be rich "just underselling all those guys who charge too much" and figure why not try it "just on the side" because it'll be "easy money" and they can just keeping working "their REAL job" too if things get slow.
Bigdawg
Just Me
What fun we have here on signs 101.
To the OP... the cutter is crap but it's what you bought. Maybe it will work fine to cut your cheapie decals - I think Fred is being more than generous in letting you stay - it's glaringly obvious that despite your protests you are just another guy that's tired of paying a professional to do what you think is soooooo easy to do by yourself. And then with balls the size of watermelons you walk in and ask those same professionals to help you figure out how to make it work.
Roundman - I hear what you are saying. And if the OP had really been a newbie wanting to learn signs instead of some guy who wants to make his owner "stickers" then I would agree with the help him figure it out. I walked in to this board with a Masters cutter and no real sign knowledge. It's not his tools. It's his attitude.
RMXGraphics... first of all BS. Every forum has it's share of bashing unless it's one that censors the posts with heavy moderation. We don't do that here. And after I got done laughing at your slogan (I'm not the best I'm the cheapest)... all I could do is feel sorry for you. When the way you market your business is to say "I suck but dammit I'm cheap" and you don't see any problem with that... well.. there's not a lot I can say about it that won't be sarcastic and very mean.
To the OP... the cutter is crap but it's what you bought. Maybe it will work fine to cut your cheapie decals - I think Fred is being more than generous in letting you stay - it's glaringly obvious that despite your protests you are just another guy that's tired of paying a professional to do what you think is soooooo easy to do by yourself. And then with balls the size of watermelons you walk in and ask those same professionals to help you figure out how to make it work.
Roundman - I hear what you are saying. And if the OP had really been a newbie wanting to learn signs instead of some guy who wants to make his owner "stickers" then I would agree with the help him figure it out. I walked in to this board with a Masters cutter and no real sign knowledge. It's not his tools. It's his attitude.
RMXGraphics... first of all BS. Every forum has it's share of bashing unless it's one that censors the posts with heavy moderation. We don't do that here. And after I got done laughing at your slogan (I'm not the best I'm the cheapest)... all I could do is feel sorry for you. When the way you market your business is to say "I suck but dammit I'm cheap" and you don't see any problem with that... well.. there's not a lot I can say about it that won't be sarcastic and very mean.
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
Watermelons... LOL. I assume you remember that old elephantitis pic with his buddy helping up the ladder? Sorry it wouldn't be appropriate to post, but it sure would be funny.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
minus well... loved it.
welcome to the forum. if you're serious, i agree with others here - it's good advice to;
*try your hardest to do as much as you can on your own for the beginner stuff - ie, read your manuals 2, 3, 4 or however many times you need to, to make your own signs.
* make heaps of signs till you get good results - yes, you will waste a lot of material.
*youtube - learn alot from there.
*Fred gave you a valuable tip - the search button here on this forum. It will answer just about all of your newbie questions. I gotta say, sometimes I can't find something there and will ask though - but do your best to find it before asking - and it helps to mention that you have searched before asking as well
*Google will also have a lot of answers to your questions.
* I don't know about the supplier you bought from, but they don't sound too good according to some people's opinion here? I suggest finding a serious supplier who can give you advice (you will find that your supplier can help you with a lot of things too - if they're a good one).
Another piece of advice from my own experience (and I imagine there are others here who have experienced differently), is that I find if we spend our time and invest it into what we already know and do well (you have a great looking business already it looks like), then we can focus on that more and make more money out of that, than trying to find ways to make some 'extra' or 'side' money.
For example, you might spend 8 hours trying to figure out how to make a decal, then next week you might get busy with engines... and not be able to make any decals or signs. Those 8 hours you spent on learning your cutter, you could have spent making phone calls or sales visits to people who want to buy your engines... your $ per hour, in your existing biz, will be much more than making some small signs.
If you think you wanna close the engine building side of things, and go with signs... that's a different story! (if it's the case, let us know, instead of conveying to us that you just wanna make some extra $$$ on the side)
In any case, best of luck, and happy reading!
welcome to the forum. if you're serious, i agree with others here - it's good advice to;
*try your hardest to do as much as you can on your own for the beginner stuff - ie, read your manuals 2, 3, 4 or however many times you need to, to make your own signs.
* make heaps of signs till you get good results - yes, you will waste a lot of material.
*youtube - learn alot from there.
*Fred gave you a valuable tip - the search button here on this forum. It will answer just about all of your newbie questions. I gotta say, sometimes I can't find something there and will ask though - but do your best to find it before asking - and it helps to mention that you have searched before asking as well
*Google will also have a lot of answers to your questions.
* I don't know about the supplier you bought from, but they don't sound too good according to some people's opinion here? I suggest finding a serious supplier who can give you advice (you will find that your supplier can help you with a lot of things too - if they're a good one).
Another piece of advice from my own experience (and I imagine there are others here who have experienced differently), is that I find if we spend our time and invest it into what we already know and do well (you have a great looking business already it looks like), then we can focus on that more and make more money out of that, than trying to find ways to make some 'extra' or 'side' money.
For example, you might spend 8 hours trying to figure out how to make a decal, then next week you might get busy with engines... and not be able to make any decals or signs. Those 8 hours you spent on learning your cutter, you could have spent making phone calls or sales visits to people who want to buy your engines... your $ per hour, in your existing biz, will be much more than making some small signs.
If you think you wanna close the engine building side of things, and go with signs... that's a different story! (if it's the case, let us know, instead of conveying to us that you just wanna make some extra $$$ on the side)
In any case, best of luck, and happy reading!
RMXGRAPHIX
New Member
Thanks I am glad you feel sorry for me.
First of all you don't know me, or my sense of humor nor do I have to explain it. The people/clients I deal with know EXACTLY what I mean if I was to say "I am not the best just the cheapest" Like I said I didnt come here to argue or get into a my artwork is better than your artwork pissing match or for someone to feel sorry for me. Am I the best no by far. Do I take care of business and have a great time doing what I do Hell Ya. Do I come here to offer help and learn Yes. I will keep doing what I do, Its working for me. Again Thanks for feeling sorry for me and hope I can some day return the favor ...Jamie
ProWraps
New Member
so they know your some jagg'off with s**t equipment that sucks at what he does and sells his garbage for less because its crap?
seriously? i mean really? you suck, but your cheap? i sure as f*ck hope thats not your pick up line at the bar as well.
to the OP, i think homeboy just described your new plotter.
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Many newbies unintentionally project an ignorant, childish image. Many of the questions asked indicate that the poster has expended virtually no time or effort solving their own problem... why bother when I can demand an instant answer from someone online?
If you can't be @rsed to expend a single drop of sweat or tear fluid solving a problem which ultimately belongs to you why should anyone else lift a finger? Why should I care about your problem when it's clearly beneath you to even attempt to solve it yourself?
If I may add a rider to this general point; spelling. If you post a question which looks as if it's been composed by an 8 year old child or a drunken, dyslexic adult do not expect an avalanche of helpful replies. Maybe I'm a pedantic sour puss but pi$$ poor spelling, poor grammar and the incorrect application of words instantly relegate you to the idiot bin, at least in my book. Language and the written word are the fundamental building blocks of this industry, if you aren't bothered about your status as a semi literate buffoon I am not going to waste time even struggling to finish the incoherent drivel you've posted. If you want to be taken seriously SPELLING is your calling card.
Baffling as it may be we can also see a proudly made admission that "I might not be the best, but I'm the cheapest". (comma added). Throughout my 20+ years in this industry I have always taken great pride in my work and sought to increase the quality I am able to deliver constantly. I am shocked that anyone in this industry should settle for such a low bar, even more so that someone would actually admit publicly this sorry state of affairs to their peers. Given the repeated incorrect application of the simple English word "cheep" I cannot say that I am surprised at the later revelation.
This industry keeps families fed, children sleeping safe in warm beds and prevents many people to avoid penury and destitution. Newbies should remember this and approach their peers in a suitably polite and deferential manner... after all, you need the information they posses whilst they have no tangible benefit to be reaped from giving up their secrets. If you want helpful replies show that you are a professional who wants to contribute to this industry rather than mounting your one man smash & grab raid.
If you can't be @rsed to expend a single drop of sweat or tear fluid solving a problem which ultimately belongs to you why should anyone else lift a finger? Why should I care about your problem when it's clearly beneath you to even attempt to solve it yourself?
If I may add a rider to this general point; spelling. If you post a question which looks as if it's been composed by an 8 year old child or a drunken, dyslexic adult do not expect an avalanche of helpful replies. Maybe I'm a pedantic sour puss but pi$$ poor spelling, poor grammar and the incorrect application of words instantly relegate you to the idiot bin, at least in my book. Language and the written word are the fundamental building blocks of this industry, if you aren't bothered about your status as a semi literate buffoon I am not going to waste time even struggling to finish the incoherent drivel you've posted. If you want to be taken seriously SPELLING is your calling card.
Baffling as it may be we can also see a proudly made admission that "I might not be the best, but I'm the cheapest". (comma added). Throughout my 20+ years in this industry I have always taken great pride in my work and sought to increase the quality I am able to deliver constantly. I am shocked that anyone in this industry should settle for such a low bar, even more so that someone would actually admit publicly this sorry state of affairs to their peers. Given the repeated incorrect application of the simple English word "cheep" I cannot say that I am surprised at the later revelation.
This industry keeps families fed, children sleeping safe in warm beds and prevents many people to avoid penury and destitution. Newbies should remember this and approach their peers in a suitably polite and deferential manner... after all, you need the information they posses whilst they have no tangible benefit to be reaped from giving up their secrets. If you want helpful replies show that you are a professional who wants to contribute to this industry rather than mounting your one man smash & grab raid.
iSign
New Member
To that mothercussing guy a few posts ago (who really ought to just take a hike if he finds this place so objectionable) what you might be missing is this... A lot of us have a long history of taking 5, 10, or even 50 or 60 minutes out of our lives, spontaneously, repeatedly, and with pure generosity and kindness... To post lengthy answers around here... for the last ten or more years to help people in this trade... and after a while that adds up to a legitimate excuse for discerning when or whether to cast pearls before swine who may not really have ANY other interest in this trade besides cutting out their local sign guy to cobble together the poor facsimile of a sign for themselves... after wasting a lot of our time figuring out how to do that...
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CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
RMX, Question for you. You don't have that registered do you? I couldn't find reference with the USPTO. If not, I'd like to borrow a small variation of it for a small project I'm working on.
bensmeding
New Member
I Talked to Signwarehoue today and they upgraded me too a graphtec fc8000 48" cutter and Lti Master Plus. Cant wait to get it! Little hefty price tag, but they say its good! 
grafixemporium
New Member
Don't you guys think this is a little unprofessional? Sure, I know some members here can't always bite their tongues. But this type of situation should probably be handled in private. What is the purpose of ops/mods giving the guy 30 lashes in a public forum for asking a question? Why not just kindly inform him this is a professional forum and show him to the door? The site ops/mods should determine his membership status behind the scenes... not out here in a public thread.
grafixemporium
New Member
Just the usual. A newbie asks a dumb question. Every member, op and mod stops everything they are doing to unleash a fireball of fury on the newb. There are probably a thousand other threads just like this one on here.
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
Personally I don't think Fred is capable of doing something even remotely unprofessional. I see your point. But once again, either someone couldn't read or lied to sneak in. I don't see that he got lashed, but it is kind of nice to know the final outcome without just seeing "BANNED" without an explanation. I'm quite sure he was emailed the same. I was wondering if he'd be allowed to stay or not but the way it was summed up at least we see why the choice was made.
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
The purpose of public discussion is to reach a larger number of people. Thus, it is my hope that this thread will prevent a hundred potential new members from joining a forum where they are not qualified or wanted. I doubt you have any idea of how many are handled in private and some of the nastiness I have hurled at me.