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How do I know the size of semi truck door ?

P

Printer101

New Member
I got request for a custom decal
Customer sent me pic of his truck and asked me, what size decal does he need for the door.
Is this something I supposed to know ?
Is there a program I could use with all the truck/ cars parts dimensions or something...
I would think he would measure it and ask me for decal x size. Not the other way around.
I don't want to look unprofessional.... May be it's a common knowledge in the industry.
 
R

RichSigns

New Member
Printer101 said:
I got request for a custom decal
Customer sent me pic of his truck and asked me, what size decal does he need for the door.
Is this something I supposed to know ?
Is there a program I could use with all the truck/ cars parts dimensions or something...
I would think he would measure it and ask me for decal x size. Not the other way around.
I don't want to look unprofessional.... May be it's a common knowledge in the industry.
Click to expand...
Customers assume a lot. Have them measure door left to right and top to bottom along with a pic that is takem straight on so image is not distorted.
 
C

Cheezer

New Member
I would request photos and measurements of each side. They can vary quite a bit and you don't want to guess and end up doing it over. I say to check both sides because some have a small window on the passenger side at the bottom of the door.

You might find a template if you know the make, model, and year but I always try to get measurements or better yet, measure it yourself. If it's not far, go look at it. Or ask them to stop by your locations so you can look at the truck. That gives you a chance to upsell a nicer design or maybe some stripes.
 
dweavers

dweavers

New Member
easy as, i use a 300mm x 300mm square of either black or white vinyl help in place with magnets, photo graph square on and load photo into your graphics program and scale up till that square is 300 x 300.
You will be within a few mm of actula dimensions and saves measureing the whole thing up.
I would ask your customer to do the same and send you the photo unless you can go there and do it yourself.
Not everone has access to or can afford Blue Print files
 

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C

Cheezer

New Member
That is a slick trick and we have used it in the past (ours was 12" X 1" and printed like a yellow ruler) but that method is not always very accurate. Some doors have a lot of curvature and the piece is small compared to the size of the vehicle, it leaves lots of room for error. Much better to use a tape measure and measure horizontally and vertically to obvious body lines and seams.

There is a great phone app that's called "Photo Measures" that makes it really easy to add dimensions to your survey images without needing to carry around a pad and pencil. And you can email them to yourself or a team member right from the app in either JPG or PDF. It's a little tricky at first to position the arrows but there is a little zoom window that makes it easy. Plus it stores a record of each image within the app. No more lost survey notes. I think there is a small fee for the pro version but it's worth it. The 'Lite" version stinks.

Most cameras will distort the image somewhat also and frequently need to be stretched in one direction to match actual measurements. Taking your photo from a further distance will eliminate some of the fisheye from the photo. Also, squat down a bit to center the camera lens on the vehicle and make sure you are square and level with it. Or try to get your customer to do the same. I always coach my customers on how to do it right or I will always get unusable pictures.

We use these techniques and have very few errors. For your semi job which likely has a flat door, you should be good with customers' measurements. Just watch out for that little window in the passenger door. Does anybody know if there is a name for that window?
 
G

ghostwriter1

New Member
You can get them to stick an A4 piece of paper on the door and take a photo square on, white on white might present a problem, but its an easy solution.
 
jfiscus

jfiscus

Rap Master
Every shop I've ever worked at has subscribed to ProVehicleOutlines (or similar) if you're doing vehicle graphics.
We do ask that the customer send photos of both doors on semi cabs though, as sometimes they have the little window or other unforeseen/oddball emblems/decals.
 
myront

myront

Dammit, make it faster!!
Not uncommon/unprofessional to throw it back to the customer for some sort of size reference along with a straight on photo.
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
Gino said:
Ya know what they say about people with 2 dollar bills..........................................................:popcorn:
Click to expand...
Well it's all google spit out. Thought to ask our robot overlords to make a picture, but it seemed like too much work for a crappy payoff, but if you insist...
OIG..5tYAzYY_U.9Kr3JKeUJ

I like how the AI hides little messages in these, like it's calling out for help. I hear you my friend, and a "Dlleepiigl we our Sacenionecoin" to you too!
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
Gino said:
Ya know what they say about people with 2 dollar bills..........................................................:popcorn:
Click to expand...
No, what do they say? Our recycling place that we take aluminum cans to pays out in $2 bills. we have a lot of them.
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
I got curious and looked it up. I learn something new everyday

  • An urban legend claims that at one time, election rigging was common and the reward for a favorable vote was $2. There was a belief that politicians would purchase votes for $2 therefore, having a $2 bill could be seen as evidence that you had sold your vote. While most likely an urban legend, the myth still gave the bill a sinister reputation.
  • In the early 1920s, Prostitution was $2.00 a trick, leading some to refer to the bill as a “whore note.”
  • The gambling tracks have a $2.00 window, and if you won, many times you were paid in $2.00 bills. If you were caught with $2’s in your wallet it could lead people to assume you were a gambler.
  • The $2 bill was often thought to be bad luck, as “deuce” was a name for the devil. Recipients would tear off one corner, believing it would negate the bad luck of the bill. This caused many of the bills to be taken out of circulation as mutilated currency.
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
Boudica said:
I got curious and looked it up. I learn something new everyday

  • An urban legend claims that at one time, election rigging was common and the reward for a favorable vote was $2. There was a belief that politicians would purchase votes for $2 therefore, having a $2 bill could be seen as evidence that you had sold your vote. While most likely an urban legend, the myth still gave the bill a sinister reputation.
  • In the early 1920s, Prostitution was $2.00 a trick, leading some to refer to the bill as a “whore note.”
  • The gambling tracks have a $2.00 window, and if you won, many times you were paid in $2.00 bills. If you were caught with $2’s in your wallet it could lead people to assume you were a gambler.
  • The $2 bill was often thought to be bad luck, as “deuce” was a name for the devil. Recipients would tear off one corner, believing it would negate the bad luck of the bill. This caused many of the bills to be taken out of circulation as mutilated currency.
Click to expand...
That's as queer as a two dollar bill.
 
B

BigNate

New Member
Boudica said:
I got curious and looked it up. I learn something new everyday

  • An urban legend claims that at one time, election rigging was common and the reward for a favorable vote was $2. There was a belief that politicians would purchase votes for $2 therefore, having a $2 bill could be seen as evidence that you had sold your vote. While most likely an urban legend, the myth still gave the bill a sinister reputation.
  • In the early 1920s, Prostitution was $2.00 a trick, leading some to refer to the bill as a “whore note.”
  • The gambling tracks have a $2.00 window, and if you won, many times you were paid in $2.00 bills. If you were caught with $2’s in your wallet it could lead people to assume you were a gambler.
  • The $2 bill was often thought to be bad luck, as “deuce” was a name for the devil. Recipients would tear off one corner, believing it would negate the bad luck of the bill. This caused many of the bills to be taken out of circulation as mutilated currency.
Click to expand...
Dang! G'Ma used to give $2 bills to us kids every X-mass and B-day!!! (WHERE did SHE get them from????!!!!)
 
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