Hello, from Texas! Need Help Please!

[DnDSigns]

Hey Everyone!! My husband and I decided to open our own sign company. He got tired of being in the sign business for over 17 years and working for other people. We are very excited, but nervous too! He knows everything about installing the signs, but we know nothing about actually making the signs. What is the best software? How does it work? Etc. If anyone would be willing to help to help us out, it would be MUCH appreciated!!!! We have a Graphtec CE 5000- 120 cutter and a Roland ESX-52.

Thank you to all that reply for assistance!

Sincerely,
Dixie and Daniel Harris

 

[J Hill Designs]

17 years and doesn't know anything about making signs? ouch...

Welcome from cali...

 

[miguelon.lizarraga]

Hey Everyone!! My husband and I decided to open our own sign company. He got tired of being in the sign business for over 17 years and working for other people. We are very excited, but nervous too! He knows everything about installing the signs, but we know nothing about actually making the signs. What is the best software? How does it work? Etc. If anyone would be willing to help to help us out, it would be MUCH appreciated!!!! We have a Graphtec CE 5000- 120 cutter and a Roland ESX-52.

Thank you to all that reply for assistance!

Sincerely,
Dixie and Daniel Harris

Send me a pm and I can call you and fill you in. Were in Texas too! Good luck

 

[Artildawn]

I was thinking the same thing... surely he picked up more than just installation in 17 years?

What type of signs do you plan on doing?

Oh.. and welcome.

 

[DnDSigns]

17 years and doesn't know anything about making signs? ouch...

Welcome from cali...

Okay, when I say doesn't know anything about making signs, I mean the computer side of it. He knows everything in putting them together. We just don't know what programs to use. Which are the best?

 

[DnDSigns]

I was thinking the same thing... surely he picked up more than just installation in 17 years?

What type of signs do you plan on doing?

Oh.. and welcome.

We want to do everything. He knows how to wrap vehicles, hang channel letters, fix neon, etc. We just don't know how to go about putting want the customer wants to a program and designing it.??

 

[Pro Image]

Howdee from VA.........

Flexi-Sign or Sign Lab are big players in the software game for sign making.......You can also use Coreldraw or Adobe programs to design with.........Its a very wide open question......

 

[Pat Whatley]

DND, that's gonna be trouble. Unless you're just gonna stick letters on a board you're in for a long, painful learning curve that you might never get to an acceptable level on. A web forum like this can help you along but teaching you to use an entire design program? From scratch? To a competent enough level that he can make a living at it? That's practically impossible.

Isag is right, you're really looking at YEARS to get to a comfortable level with the software. Without the design skill side of it you're going to be reduced to selling jobs strictly on price. Your only selling point is going to be that you're cheaper than anybody else.

Good luck to you, though!

 

[DnDSigns]

Okay. well I thought there was at least someone on here that would be nice enough to point me in the right direction with programs that would be the fastest to pick up. And that maybe had a tutorial that I could start learning from. Thanks anyways.

 

[SignTech]

Okay. well I thought there was at least someone on here that would be nice enough to point me in the right direction with programs that would be the fastest to pick up. And that maybe had a tutorial that I could start learning from. Thanks anyways.

I can only speak for myself but I am being nice and doing you a favor ...... how can you quit working for someone and jump into a profession you have no clue how to even start? That's just irresponsible. If that's not a nice way to put then hey sorry ......... but you asked.

Get LXI or FLEXI ........... put it in your computer. read the manual and start makin stickers ............. we all put in countless hours busting our ass to learn ......... again ........... good luck

 

[gnemmas]

They did provide you at least 4 programs. You mean you can not recognized them?

 

[tanneji]

That's the issue though. There is no catch-all learn how to make signs in 24 hours kind of thing. It's like working for a mechanic, being tired of it, and then wanting to go and start making cars. In my experience:

- Flexi is the easiest cutting software to learn. You can do BASIC stuff fairly quickly.
- Corel is the best deal out there pricewise and is really good in comparison to illustrator's cost/usefullness.
- There is also a plugin for Corel called COCUT that people have raved about on here.

Pat is right as well as beating people on price. In order to compete without any kind of portfolio/reputation, you are going to have to do good work, cheap, and fast. Typically with our shop you get to pick 2 of the 3 but for the next couple of years, you guys are gonna have to deliver all three better than anyone else and try to keep your sanity.

VERY good luck to you! No one is trying to get you down or depressed or be mean but merely expressing the reality of the situation. The knowledge you can glean on here about everything from paints to wraps to electrical comes with the years of experience people have and those same years of experience also apply to giving good advice and warnings. If you trust one side of the advice its probably a good idea to trust the other no matter how little you want to hear it. Be patient, read a bunch and ask questions all you want. People will gladly answer. Just don't expect to be rolling in the dough overnight without putting in the time and expecting some quick fix to your issues.

 

[Jester1167]

The least expensive design software is Corel Draw X4 at about $500. It will allow you to design vector (for plotters or routers) or raster (for printing)

It includes:
Draw - for vector drawing/designing
Photopaint - for raster pictures
Fontnavigater - for managing fonts
Fonts fonts and clipart.
There's some other stuff that I never load.

You also have Adobe Creative Suite at about $1300. It is the industry leader especially in Photoshop. The suite can do everything that the software above can do.

The you have sign specific software that works with vector and raster such as Signlab and Flexi. They are several thousand dollars and require dongles.

Most shops have both Corel and Adobe and at least one of the Flexi or Signlab.

Talk to vendors when buying a plotter. Some of them come with lite version of Flexi or you can get a package deal.

My vote is for Corel. There are people on this board who can help you cut vinyl straight out of Corel.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

to the original poster. start developing a library of design books, buy one digest it and buy another. the hard part is not learning the software. subscribe to a few trade publications and until you have developed the skills to design a sign you are happy sending out the doors with your name on focus on installation and service., there is a tremendous amount of work out there for good installers and servicemen. go install for all of the quicky sticky guys that don't want to get 2' off the ground. farm out your design work.

 

[DnDSigns]

- Flexi is the easiest cutting software to learn. You can do BASIC stuff fairly quickly.
- Corel is the best deal out there pricewise and is really good in comparison to illustrator's cost/usefullness.
- There is also a plugin for Corel called COCUT that people have raved about on here.

Thank you for your help! We have Flexi 8.5 and the cutting software that came with our graphtec 5000-120. I will study these. One more question, maybe someone could answer me please. If I have a logo that the customer wants, how do I convert it into a file that the flexi software will recognize and pull up??? Thanks!!

 

[tanneji]

Thank you for your help! We have Flexi 8.5 and the cutting software that came with our graphtec 5000-120. I will study these. One more question, maybe someone could answer me please. If I have a logo that the customer wants, how do I convert it into a file that the flexi software will recognize and pull up??? Thanks!!

Well, it needs to be vector-based meaning eps or pdf. (Not all pdf's are vector based) Flexi will open both of those file types. If you drop them into an open document in Flexi you need to right click on the logo and click unmask. This should make it so Flexi can use it. It just depends on many many variables but this should get you started. The first thing though is to make sure and get good artwork from the customer. JPG's will not work for cutting. It reallllly needs to be a vector file.

 

[Jester1167]

File / import.

If its a raster file you will have to hand trace it in the computer. Rarely is an autotrace good enough.

If its vector your lucky. Now all you have to do is take a print designers mess and weld, trim, convert the thick outlines in to something useable. You will have to think in terms of layers for multi colored decals.

Also watch the Flexi site for classes and ask your suppliers if they have a class. Mark Rogen sp? travels around and teaches one day Flexi classes. They will show you things about your software that you weren't aware it could do.

 

[Artildawn]

"but hey anyone can make stickers right?"
... actually, yes, but quality will vary greatly.

Back to the topic, which of you is more computer literate, you or your husband? Since he already has the install side down, YOU might want to become the designer so that you'll have less down time working around projects.

Since you flexi already, you might as well invest your time learning it. Eventually you'll most like grow into other programs. The others are right though, just about anyone can learn to use the software, but not everyone has the aesthetic sense to create something visually appealing. Do you have any family or friends with an artistic bent that you could tap into to help you get started? Having someone you know and trust and get on with would be great.

For formal training in the software then you're probably better off with the Adobe suite (Illustrator/Photoshop) as those are more readily available in classroom settings. Tutorials for the Corel Suite can be found online, but there really isn't much online nor in classrooms on any of the sign-making suites such as flexi. You may be able to get some training from the software vendor/distributors but thats iffy.

Forums are a good place to ask questions, just be thick-skinned about it. If answers like, RTFM get to you then forums may not be for you. If you can take a little bashing about your lack of experience/knowledge/whatever then you'll be fine in the forums.


BTW, the shop in work in during the day was started by people with zero signs and graphics experience. The designs were done by the owner and his brother, neither of whom were artists. The designs weren't great, but they were able to fill a niche of doing quick and simple, mostly text based, signs. It limited their customer base but they at least had customers. So it can be done... those that have put their blood, sweat, and tears into over several years may not like admitting it though.

Just be sure to keep striving to improve your quality and ability and don't settle for "good enough."

Best of luck.

 

[Artildawn]

http://www.saintl.biz/pdf/about/financial_info/FlexiTrainingDVD.pdf

 

[Pro Image]

Okay. well I thought there was at least someone on here that would be nice enough to point me in the right direction with programs that would be the fastest to pick up. And that maybe had a tutorial that I could start learning from. Thanks anyways.

What did I do.......Not give you enough INFO.....If you don't know how to design then PAY someone to do it for you......You have a 4500.00 program Flexi get the manual and start reading......This site is here to get you going in the right direction....It up to YOU to take the steps to get there......