It's all competition. If they can install these for material cost, and throw away the cost of labor... Let them. Eventually he'll realize it's not worth the money, and someone else will get the business.
This is why serious sign shops diversify. My company doesn't just do wraps, or signs, or cut lettering. One of our cities decided it'd be more cost effective to do everything in house. I learned about it because when I first went to a wrap course, a guy from the city was there also learning how to wrap. They make all their own city signs, wrap all their own utility boxes, etc. Thats a huge, huge chunk of business that sign makers can no longer do.
HP now sells a latex printer for $10,000, that can produce prints just as good (Albeit not as fast) As our $60,000 printer. The market is changing, and people are starting to do their own stuff. That's just the way the world works... Which is why as sign makers, you're supposed to find the niche market that you're good at, and offer them services.
Think of it like screen printers. Imagine how they felt when wide format printing came out. Their job is almost obsolete (I say almost because we do A LOT of screen printing, We're one of the few shops around that still do in our area... It's a niche market now, and actually brings in a ton of cash). I'm sure they hated all these new sign makers who used printers... or plotters... or anything else.
In the future, most jobs will be done by robots. We can sit here and cry about it, or try to adapt to it. (No offence, I don't mean you're crying about it, I just mean we can try to keep the "Sign making secrets" as secret as possible, but in reality, no matter how much we wish our business stayed the way it is, reality is it's changing. 3M/Avery is making wrapping way easier with their conformable, and controltac than it used to be too.
And I hate to say it, but it's the digital age... Signs 101 isn't the only place to learn. He could go on youtube and watch one of the 10,000 videos on how to wrap a truck, do rivets, or pretty much anything. I'd rather signs101 be a friendly place that teaches people the PROPER way to do a job, than some schmuck watching someone wrap a truck on youtube, then goes out and buys a $100 roll of vinyl that's going to cause more harm than anything. Mhester asked all the right questions, He's not trying to do the job as cheap as possible like most places these days. He may be a newbie, but he knows more than the average joe. Everyone has to start somewhere... Maybe he'll love wrapping, and open up a wrap shop next.
This is why serious sign shops diversify. My company doesn't just do wraps, or signs, or cut lettering. One of our cities decided it'd be more cost effective to do everything in house. I learned about it because when I first went to a wrap course, a guy from the city was there also learning how to wrap. They make all their own city signs, wrap all their own utility boxes, etc. Thats a huge, huge chunk of business that sign makers can no longer do.
HP now sells a latex printer for $10,000, that can produce prints just as good (Albeit not as fast) As our $60,000 printer. The market is changing, and people are starting to do their own stuff. That's just the way the world works... Which is why as sign makers, you're supposed to find the niche market that you're good at, and offer them services.
Think of it like screen printers. Imagine how they felt when wide format printing came out. Their job is almost obsolete (I say almost because we do A LOT of screen printing, We're one of the few shops around that still do in our area... It's a niche market now, and actually brings in a ton of cash). I'm sure they hated all these new sign makers who used printers... or plotters... or anything else.
In the future, most jobs will be done by robots. We can sit here and cry about it, or try to adapt to it. (No offence, I don't mean you're crying about it, I just mean we can try to keep the "Sign making secrets" as secret as possible, but in reality, no matter how much we wish our business stayed the way it is, reality is it's changing. 3M/Avery is making wrapping way easier with their conformable, and controltac than it used to be too.
And I hate to say it, but it's the digital age... Signs 101 isn't the only place to learn. He could go on youtube and watch one of the 10,000 videos on how to wrap a truck, do rivets, or pretty much anything. I'd rather signs101 be a friendly place that teaches people the PROPER way to do a job, than some schmuck watching someone wrap a truck on youtube, then goes out and buys a $100 roll of vinyl that's going to cause more harm than anything. Mhester asked all the right questions, He's not trying to do the job as cheap as possible like most places these days. He may be a newbie, but he knows more than the average joe. Everyone has to start somewhere... Maybe he'll love wrapping, and open up a wrap shop next.
I'm hear to learn and get advice from pro's like you, but not steal your work or your clients. So, before y'all jump in and complain about a newbie and bitch about the owners of signs101 and how they could let me in, please step back and be a bit more kind. You didn't know the back story and you just assumed I was trying to steal your work. The print shop I'm running is just for making decals and menu signs for our 3000 customers (carwash owners), NOT the public...like who your customers are. Chill. And thank you.
