Help getting into digital printing.

[Gino]

Nope just a girlfriend lol. She actually helps out quite a bit. We are both college students so the revenue is to help pay the bills/college.

Wow.... ya da man.

You're in college, have a girlfriend and already you have a house under your belt that you can mess up by putting equipment in it ??

 

[toomeycustoms]

we were hoping to replace these 20 rolls of 631 with 1 or 2 rolls of printable

In theory that sounds nice, but once you see how much longer it takes to produce a printed die cut wall decal compared to using the 631, you will go back to using colored vinyl for those designs.

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

http://signwarehouse.com/color-printers/mutoh-valuejet-48packages.html

How sadistic. Where did he mention he was a gluten for punishment?

 

[401Graphics]

How sadistic. Where did he mention he was a gluten for punishment?

Not sure what you mean.
I never had problems with my equipment or signwarehouse.

 

[bdawg8527]

Wow.... ya da man.

You're in college, have a girlfriend and already you have a house under your belt that you can mess up by putting equipment in it ??

Everything except the house part. I have a large 2 story apartment. I go to Ohio State University. (hoping to get some local college jobs)

and toomey yea I have realized that we are going to have to keep our 631 rolls. Some of our designs would be ok, but things with cut lettering we will still have to use 631.

Here is the link to our ebay to what we mostly sell currently.
http://stores.ebay.com/StuckonWalls?_rdc=1

Ive done about 10 trucks with cut vinyl lettering. With summer coming up me and my girlfriend will have 3 months to put 40-60 hour weeks in growing and making use of a digital printer.

 

[401Graphics]

link no worky

 

[Gino]

Everything except the house part. I have a large 2 story apartment. I go to Ohio State University. (hoping to get some local college jobs)

and toomey yea I have realized that we are going to have to keep our 631 rolls. Some of our designs would be ok, but things with cut lettering we will still have to use 631.

Here is the link to our ebay to what we mostly sell currently.
http://stores.ebay.com/StuckonWalls

Ive done about 10 trucks with cut vinyl lettering. With summer coming up me and my girlfriend will have 3 months to put 40-60 hour weeks in growing and making use of a digital printer.

Well, ya just might wanna look into your lease and your conditions of being a renter. I have no idea if this is a campus housing deal or if you live off-campus, but bringing in the kind of equipment you're talking about, your landlord might not have you covered if something gets stolen or lost in a fire. With a little cutter like ya already have, you're probably covered, but not many landlords will cover big ticket items. That's when your insurance will come into play. Instead of keeping your renters insurance costs down.... are you going to tell them you're running a business out of someone else's property without proper coverage ?? Ya gost some thinking to do, there kiddo.

 

[bdawg8527]

Well, ya just might wanna look into your lease and your conditions of being a renter. I have no idea if this is a campus housing deal or if you live off-campus, but bringing in the kind of equipment you're talking about, your landlord might not have you covered if something gets stolen or lost in a fire. With a little cutter like ya already have, you're probably covered, but not many landlords will cover big ticket items. That's when your insurance will come into play. Instead of keeping your renters insurance costs down.... are you going to tell them you're running a business out of someone else's property without proper coverage ?? Ya gost some thinking to do, there kiddo.

I updated the link.

And my aunt is an insurance agent so I'm talking to her. Its off campus housing so it should be allowed. If any home based sign shops would care to share what their insurance cost is that would be great. My buddy in another state said he pays about $50 a month which does not sound bad.

 

[toomeycustoms]

But does the landlord/management company allow home based business in the apartment and what about your local zoning regulations? Sometimes for home based businesses you have to get your landlord signatures on the application if you do not own the residence. It only takes one neighbor complaint or a visit from the maintenance man and then you will quickly need to find a new home for all that equipment.

 

[bdawg8527]

My landlord is fine as he knows I currently do vinyl work. I would double check with him before I made a purchase. I am currently trying to find out about zoning regulations.

 

[Gino]

You say it's an apartment. Is there anyone else living in this building.... anywhere, third floor, basement, another wing ??

 

[bdawg8527]

Yes its a multi unit building.

 

[Gino]

In that case, I'm sure your zoned residential only. It could still be commercial/residential, but not commercial in the sense of your operating a business of this or any size where others live, breath, eat and sleep. Zoning won't allow first because of parking restrictions and probably your ADA non-compliance.

No matter how you want to paint it, no matter how many blessings you get from your landlord, other tenants or your insurance aunt.... if something happens because of you running a business in there with inks, chemicals and other partially dangerous elements, you would be crucified in less than 10 hours after anything happened.

It's great that you have these ambitions, but ignorance of the law will only not help you, they will sometimes make you into a poster child so others don't do the same thing.

Right now, you're flying under the radar and no one cares, but your inks might have a slight smell along with your cleaners and other things you need to conduct business. Therefore, somebody could blow the whistle on you and get you closed down in a matter of hours. Then your insurance would probably drop you for stretching the truth and the landlord could be forced to evict you.

If I were you, I'd stay under the radar, and sub this stuff out, until you can afford your own place, a garage or some place to set up legitimately.

Good Luck.................. ​

 

[bdawg8527]

I'm calling to find out about running a home based business in my zone. Rolands Eco-sol is not classified as a hazardous material so I don't see that being a problem. We do not and will not have customers coming to our business regarding foot trafic/parking. We will do on location installs and possibly rent a storage unit to do car installs if we need to. Also according to the manual the vp-540 runs at a max 64db and uses 8.3A, so noise and electricity shouldn't be a problem. I want to make sure that I am operating things properly with accordance to the law. I will also get written permission from the landlord if everything else goes smoothly.

I appreciate all the advice and information

 

[CanuckSigns]

I'm calling to find out about running a home based business in my zone. Rolands Eco-sol is not classified as a hazardous material so I don't see that being a problem. We do not and will not have customers coming to our business regarding foot trafic/parking. We will do on location installs and possibly rent a storage unit to do car installs if we need to. Also according to the manual the vp-540 runs at a max 64db and uses 8.3A, so noise and electricity shouldn't be a problem. I want to make sure that I am operating things properly with accordance to the law. I will also get written permission from the landlord if everything else goes smoothly.

I appreciate all the advice and information

Forget what it says, I have had 3 roland printers, here is the truth:

1- the VP-540 is a loud machine, to the point where you can't have a phone conversation while it's printing if you are close to it, if you live above someone else, your neighbours will not appreciate the constant noise.

2- Eco-Sol Max ink is not something I would want in my house, ask anyone who has printed with it in a small room, they will all tell you they get headaches after a short time.

Do yourself a favour, find a wholesale printer and let them do the printing.

 

[MichaelAlmand]

Ya I love my gx-24 so I wanna go roland. Plus I want print and cut in one machine. Im leaning towards the vp300 because of budget and outsource larger prints. Anyone have experience with removable wall decals? Most our business is online wall art sales

No no no,,,, Since we switched from a SP540V to a Versa-art Re640 and a GX-64 I will never purchase a printer/cutter (all in one machine) again. The freedom to keep the printer going and not having to stop and load in cut material is well worth it.....

 

[Gino]

I'm calling to find out about running a home based business in my zone. Rolands Eco-sol is not classified as a hazardous material so I don't see that being a problem.

Not in a well ventilated area designated for a working environment only. Statistics will show you your statement is mostly false. Do people do it ?? You bet they do, but it's usually in their own house where only their own family can be exposed to such an environment. I'm surprised your landlord won't be a little upset with your moving printers and laminators in. You are going from a small harmless shop to a chemically run facitly. Even if the inks aren't too bad for you, what about the cleaners you have to use..... or the chemicals you need to store ??

One not only has to run their business efficiently, but responsibly..... and if you're hurting others in your building, that's not very responsible or professional.




We do not and will not have customers coming to our business regarding foot trafic/parking.

For a business to be legally licensed, one has to submit the drawings of the building and parking facilities. Matters not how many people ever show up at your door, but how many you need to possibly prepare for. If you put down it's a two-person business, cause your girlfriend will count, you might need 2 spaces per employee for customers, 1 space per employee and then probably 1 or maybe 2 designated handicapped spaces. That could mean you need to provide 7 or 8 spaces to be legally set up.

At our place we need 4 spaces per employee and 2 handicapped spaces with complete ADA sidewalks and entryway.


We will do on location installs and possibly rent a storage unit to do car installs if we need to. Also according to the manual the vp-540 runs at a max 64db and uses 8.3A, so noise and electricity shouldn't be a problem. I want to make sure that I am operating things properly with accordance to the law. I will also get written permission from the landlord if everything else goes smoothly.

I appreciate all the advice and information

Believe me, this is not a lecture, but what is supposed to be done in order to be legal. There are countless other things you need to do before opening your doors, and that's why I mentioned about staying where you're at and flying under the radar.

How many home based shops do this ?? Not many. Main reason is, they don't have the money to become completely legal. It appears a good way to get started, but as you mentioned, you're into this for 2 years already, so your feet are more than wet. It's time you become legit, huh ??

 

[Robert M]

Little help

Look to see who sells printers in your area and give them a shot at your business. Having someone come out and do an install and on site training will save you tons of time if you are new to the business.

 

[toomeycustoms]

For a business to be legally licensed, one has to submit the drawings of the building and parking facilities. Matters not how many people ever show up at your door, but how many you need to possibly prepare for. If you put down it's a two-person business, cause your girlfriend will count, you might need 2 spaces per employee for customers, 1 space per employee and then probably 1 or maybe 2 designated handicapped spaces. That could mean you need to provide 7 or 8 spaces to be legally set up.

At our place we need 4 spaces per employee and 2 handicapped spaces with complete ADA sidewalks and entryway.

This usually doesn't apply for a home based business license. There are different regulations for home based businesses and they usually have a limit on the traffic/foot traffic if they allow any. Again this varies by county/state. When we ran out of the house, we had no parking requirements and didn't have to submit plans to the city.

I agree with everyone about the ink smell and noise. You will get headaches if you are running in a small space. The whole house would smell when we ran anything with decent ink coverage, even with all windows open and fans on.

My suggestion is to build up your current business until you can get an actual office space or house with a shop/large basement and then look into the printer. If you are only selling on ebay, that is going to be tough. We don't even bother with ebay anymore. We sell some of the same myvinyldesigner designs as you, but are able to get 2-3 times the amount you are selling them for on ebay.

 

[bdawg8527]

This usually doesn't apply for a home based business license. There are different regulations for home based businesses and they usually have a limit on the traffic/foot traffic if they allow any. Again this varies by county/state. When we ran out of the house, we had no parking requirements and didn't have to submit plans to the city.

I agree with everyone about the ink smell and noise. You will get headaches if you are running in a small space. The whole house would smell when we ran anything with decent ink coverage, even with all windows open and fans on.

My suggestion is to build up your current business until you can get an actual office space or house with a shop/large basement and then look into the printer. If you are only selling on ebay, that is going to be tough. We don't even bother with ebay anymore. We sell some of the same myvinyldesigner designs as you, but are able to get 2-3 times the amount you are selling them for on ebay.

You are selling them on a website I take it then? We have been having a website built for us and it should be done soon. That coupled with good facebook marketing we hope will get us a lot more purchases and allow us to sell for more. With ebay we have to compete with everyone and have good deisgns. We have quite a few successful designs. (we have a phone decal that is .25in by .75in that we have sold nearly 300 of at $7 ea.) If you sell using a website could you post/pm a link?