I'm Austin from Missouri. I am 18 and got my first experience in vinyl cutting at age 15. I raced at a small dirt track in a hobby stock class and was needing numbers and I knew a guy that had a plotter. I walked a mile from school and asked if I could use it he said if you can figure it out you can do whatever you want because they bought it and didn't really know what they were doing. 20 minutes and I walked out with my first decal. I walked that mile every day after school and kept messing with it. I was using flexisign not sure of the plottter. I started getting pretty good in my opinion for learning on my own, and then I was introduced to someone with a much nicer set up with a newer computer corel draw with cocut and a summa plotter. This was nice and I loved doing it, I learned more and came up with some pretty amazing stuff. I lettered 12 or more cars that year and began doing other stuff like business vehicles, all kinds of stuff but I was doing it with someone else's stuff I only had access to it at certain times and was not getting any of the money and this didn't really bother me because I just liked doing it. Now I am realizing how much they were making off of me. I feel that I have a natural talent I have not cut any vinyl in over a year and I still have people asking me if I do it. I am wanting to get my own set up and get back into it. I am only 18 and do not realy have a lot of money to get started... Any advice on getting started? I know it wouldn't be smart to go really cheap but would it be smart to go cheap to get started then upgrade? Any suggestions would be awesome!!! THANK YOU!!!
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Hello-Missouri
- Thread starter Austin3c
- Start date
DOGraphics
New Member
:Welcome: 2 :signs101:
Doug Pulver
New Member
Hello Austin and Welcome to Signs101. I would have to agree with BobM see if you can work for a sign company, it will give you experience and will allow you to save for the equipment you need. I wouldn't buy the cheep stuff, go for Summa Graphtec or Roland.
J Hill Designs
New Member
Welcome from Cali - Good luck out there! I'd say find a shop to work for also - get payed while you learn
The Big Squeegee
Long Time Member
Welcome from OK
Avoid leases until you are well established. Work for someone else or have them prepare the graphics for you. There are many members here that are willing to supply you with graphics as long as you have them ready in a format they can use to make them.
Avoid leases until you are well established. Work for someone else or have them prepare the graphics for you. There are many members here that are willing to supply you with graphics as long as you have them ready in a format they can use to make them.
Thank you for the information. I am working on saving just tough going to college living on my own and i have narcolepsy and thats 330 dollars a month on medicine on top of all the bills. Its a lot for my age but i will manage. I work at Golden Corral, I'm the crew leader of the kitchen and work my 40+ hours a week too. The only problem with working for a shop is around here or at least in my town there are only a couple shops and very few people they don't like new people and one of them actually got upset with the fact that I was capable of doing what I was and that I was taking business from him. Ha well getting the business seems like it should be a worry but it really isn't on my mind, as quick as I got the business that I did and how much I was getting was overwhelming I just didn't have my own equipment or anything so it was a when I can kind of thing. I think I'm just going to save to get started maybe sell some un-needed stuff. I already have all the software I need I just need the plotter and vinyl. Thanks for the advice again. I'm open to any more suggestions also.
Austin
Austin