How do you store / organize your overs?

[White Haus]

Okay so here's another angle, I like to keep samples/extras for 2 reasons:

1. Regular/reorder parts. Some decals/kits take hours to print then need at least a day to off-gas and finish. Having some repeat/re-order parts in stock can turn a 3 day turnaround to a 1 day turnaround for our good customers, making them happy and saving their ass when they're in a pinch.
2. Color matching / Quality Control. Inevitably printers die or environments/media/etc change and for me it's very important to accurately reproduce jobs for our clients. (Call it OCD, but I take pride in supplying identical jobs for our clients, even if they don't care/demand it) Having (somewhat) neatly organized extras/samples for our good clients allows us to quickly verify that current output matches what we've previously done.

I understand the urge to keep overruns or extras for other frugal reasons, but those 2 are my main motivation for keeping and organizing our extras.

Pictures to follow when I get my lazy ass down to the production area and take a break from staring at a screen.

 

[Signstein]

Throw out what you can. You know you want to!

Yes! We have a big shared roll-off dumpster outside the shop and there is nothing more enjoyable than chucking stuff into that sucker. Throwing stuff away is so much fun.

 

[Sign Pro Salina]

Okay so here's another angle, I like to keep samples/extras for 2 reasons:

1. Regular/reorder parts. Some decals/kits take hours to print then need at least a day to off-gas and finish. Having some repeat/re-order parts in stock can turn a 3 day turnaround to a 1 day turnaround for our good customers, making them happy and saving their ass when they're in a pinch.
2. Color matching / Quality Control. Inevitably printers die or environments/media/etc change and for me it's very important to accurately reproduce jobs for our clients. (Call it OCD, but I take pride in supplying identical jobs for our clients, even if they don't care/demand it) Having (somewhat) neatly organized extras/samples for our good clients allows us to quickly verify that current output matches what we've previously done.

I understand the urge to keep overruns or extras for other frugal reasons, but those 2 are my main motivation for keeping and organizing our extras.

Pictures to follow when I get my lazy ass down to the production area and take a break from staring at a screen.

I understand the color matching. Same here. Although for the critical clients, we keep a print sample in their job folder with their previous job invoice/paperwork for reference to match back to should we need to.

 

[White Haus]

I understand the color matching. Same here. Although for the critical clients, we keep a print sample in their job folder with their previous job invoice/paperwork for reference to match back to should we need to.

That's what I'd like to move to. Have a laminated and unlaminated swatch of their critical colors with all print settings/color adjustments notes etc.

 

[JBurton]

They can pile up all too easily and be a mess to sort thru taking more time to do so than they are worth to keep.

This!
I get the idea that an extra print is like 'free money,' but when you spend more money to find the free money than it's worth, what's the point?

Throw out what you can. You know you want to!

Or maybe, ya know, spill some rapid remover on the pile. Or even just a cup of coffee...

 

[Stacey K]

This is exactly how hoarding starts! "But, I might need it someday"

 

[jochwat]

This is exactly how hoarding starts! "But, I might need it someday"

And as everyone knows, you'll NEVER NEED ALL THE STUFF YOU KEEP!

You only need it after you get rid of it.

 

[JBurton]

This is exactly how hoarding starts! "But, I might need it someday"

Starts? More like the beginning, middle, end, and afterlife of a hoarder. Gotta keep all the core holders, fluorescent lamp packing cardboard, and plastic little tubes that the engraver bits come in, never know when you'll need them, and this is just what gets hoarded out of the trash companies use to ship stuff.
Anybody else find themselves at the end of page 2 on most threads and start wondering what the thread was started about? I'm proud, this one is still on point!

 

[Boudica]

mostly on point - it started with "how" to store them, now we are discussing "why" to store them. but it's still relative I suppose.
I think I may be a boarder-line hoarder. I find it hard to throw anything a way. You should see how often I empty the dump trailer at work of perfectly usable materials to use for my imaginary sign shop at home. My boss is the king of purge, I keep everything.

 

[Chichia96]

Thank you all so much for the input, all of it was quite helpful and even more entertaining. Defs gave me some insight and ammo to bring to my boss when I try to convince her to let me throw it all away You just KNOW if she finds it in the dumpster without a discussion beforehand there will be hell to pay

 

[Stacey K]

I hoard plants. I have a problem and I don't care because it's not hoarding if your stuff is cool - and my plants are COOL!

 

[Notarealsignguy]

You just KNOW if she finds it in the dumpster

Don't let the boss find them.

 

[JBurton]

Don't let the boss find them.

Agreed, ever wonder were the term 'dumpster fire' originated? Just be certain to act shocked...

 

[CanuckSigns]

I use hanging file folders, 1 for each client. i have a few clients that order say 200-300 decals from me at a time, i run them with other jobs and store them till they order, it works well.

 

[DL Signs]

If there are a few over, I just throw them in with the order. If you lay out print files to try to hit the target number most efficiently, there's usually not that many anyway. Plus if/ when they mess a few up, they appreciate having a couple extra.

It was hoard central station here before I came in. I'm here by myself alone most of the time, so I fed the dumpster till they were gone except some for select customers that I kept some for color references. Can't tell you how many cardboard tubes and ends I threw out, how many do you need? Had a bunch of rolls of media that had a couple feet or less, none marked, partial rolls of stuff that was discontinued 10 years ago... All gone. It's too easy to get into the "maybe we'll need it some day" mindset and end up wasting time & space storing everything till it's past it's prime, and never get used. Now I get praised because everything is so organized, which it really isn't, but there's so much less clutter.