vid
New Member
...so now I know even less of what I used to know.
I started a new job a couple weeks ago working in a commercial print shop. The shop had bought an HP 8000s inkjet printer a while back to satisfy the specific demands of a manufacturing customer. The customer manufactures motorized vending carts. Typically, the carts are pre-sold and then four printed advertising panels are installed for delivery. The layouts are designed by the end user or an agency.
After the print shop got their printer running and kicking out some prototypes, they had one demanding end user where they couldn’t quite match colors to spec. I was approached to help with a couple of the more complex samples as an outside consultant. --- I had previously, done a few prototype panels for the printer when he was brokering the work to the sign shop where I was employed.
Being in strictly the sign business 4-1/2 years, I had almost forgot about other aspects of display graphics. My previous tenure in the field was in garment printing and dabblings in commercial printing and occasional sign designs. For the most part, my career has been spent drawing “pictures” and putting it on posters, t-shirts, vehicles, and buildings, with a pleasing arrangement of graphic elements.
My most recent work at the sign shop, was more production oriented. I laid out a range of work from simple decals to monument signs becoming familiar with vinyl application, some modest fabrication and design work for electrical signs. Heck, I was getting real fat and sassy at the sign shop – good wage, good benefits, expanding company, bright future, generous employer and co-workers.
...... buuuuuuuuuuuuuut, I was missing the broad scope of design work I had previously enjoyed. At the sign shop I was setting type, making it red, superimposing it on a building and writing specs on fabrication. There were opportunities to go beyond that of course, however, I started getting bored and cranky with the production environment.
After doing the consulting work for the print shop, both the owner and I saw an opportunity to expand our offerings. He could explore more elaborate signs – I could do more diverse design work. So, I was hired to split my time between the design department and the sign shop.
There’s 2 other print designers, which is nice. Both are sound and proficient. Each has their own specialty within the shop as well a cross over capabilities. There’s only one fulltimer in the sign department, but she’s experienced and capable. And, there’s a strong culture within the shop of offering assistance when needed to get the jobs out --- there’s some “hitmen” within the shop that can crossover with the varied tasks.
Sadly, I’m the weak link in the chain right now trying to get in sync with the equipment and work flow. I feel like I’m starting over with both design and signs.
Because the print shop is reasonably new to the sign business, I been tasked with performing due diligence searching for local suppliers and sub-contractors. ....AND WOW, what a PITA it is to get going with that stuff. I was able to take a lot of things for granted with my former employer. He had everything in place before I started. We could really do some serious C45 sign-fu – It was a great shop for churning out work. I kinda miss having a stack of work and racing to the end of it... and knowing what I was doing.
I’ve got some neat projects in the works, though --- A non-illuminated monument sign, some specialty site signs, some logo work, a marketing project flyer and mailer --- So it should be diverse enough to keep me from getting cranky.
...and of course, I’m still looking forward to learning more about the business from my favorite sign forum!
I started a new job a couple weeks ago working in a commercial print shop. The shop had bought an HP 8000s inkjet printer a while back to satisfy the specific demands of a manufacturing customer. The customer manufactures motorized vending carts. Typically, the carts are pre-sold and then four printed advertising panels are installed for delivery. The layouts are designed by the end user or an agency.
After the print shop got their printer running and kicking out some prototypes, they had one demanding end user where they couldn’t quite match colors to spec. I was approached to help with a couple of the more complex samples as an outside consultant. --- I had previously, done a few prototype panels for the printer when he was brokering the work to the sign shop where I was employed.
Being in strictly the sign business 4-1/2 years, I had almost forgot about other aspects of display graphics. My previous tenure in the field was in garment printing and dabblings in commercial printing and occasional sign designs. For the most part, my career has been spent drawing “pictures” and putting it on posters, t-shirts, vehicles, and buildings, with a pleasing arrangement of graphic elements.
My most recent work at the sign shop, was more production oriented. I laid out a range of work from simple decals to monument signs becoming familiar with vinyl application, some modest fabrication and design work for electrical signs. Heck, I was getting real fat and sassy at the sign shop – good wage, good benefits, expanding company, bright future, generous employer and co-workers.
...... buuuuuuuuuuuuuut, I was missing the broad scope of design work I had previously enjoyed. At the sign shop I was setting type, making it red, superimposing it on a building and writing specs on fabrication. There were opportunities to go beyond that of course, however, I started getting bored and cranky with the production environment.
After doing the consulting work for the print shop, both the owner and I saw an opportunity to expand our offerings. He could explore more elaborate signs – I could do more diverse design work. So, I was hired to split my time between the design department and the sign shop.
There’s 2 other print designers, which is nice. Both are sound and proficient. Each has their own specialty within the shop as well a cross over capabilities. There’s only one fulltimer in the sign department, but she’s experienced and capable. And, there’s a strong culture within the shop of offering assistance when needed to get the jobs out --- there’s some “hitmen” within the shop that can crossover with the varied tasks.
Sadly, I’m the weak link in the chain right now trying to get in sync with the equipment and work flow. I feel like I’m starting over with both design and signs.
Because the print shop is reasonably new to the sign business, I been tasked with performing due diligence searching for local suppliers and sub-contractors. ....AND WOW, what a PITA it is to get going with that stuff. I was able to take a lot of things for granted with my former employer. He had everything in place before I started. We could really do some serious C45 sign-fu – It was a great shop for churning out work. I kinda miss having a stack of work and racing to the end of it... and knowing what I was doing.
I’ve got some neat projects in the works, though --- A non-illuminated monument sign, some specialty site signs, some logo work, a marketing project flyer and mailer --- So it should be diverse enough to keep me from getting cranky.
...and of course, I’m still looking forward to learning more about the business from my favorite sign forum!
