• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Is there anything you won't print/paint?

G-Artist

New Member
Today I got a call from an old colleague asking about an editor of a political blog. That "editor" was one of the very few folks/entities I have tossed out of my shop and banned for life.

Anyway the blog itself was interesting and one of the topics was of Clear Channel rejecting some gay-themed artwork for billboards promoting St. Pete Pride which is a local gay pride movement. I saw the pics in question and I failed to see what was objectionable (just several folks smiling).
The issue will be interesting as there was a contract in place and I assume just one person at CC doing the censoring.

That got me to thinking back to a day before I had a plotter. I needed a sign bud to quickly make me a few film bumper-strip size pos's on his Gerber Edge. He did three. The 4th he wouldn't print. He was the religious type and a JW (if it matters). Yes, the text was smutty. So, he, like Clear Channel, became a censor (and we were friends!).

Let me start off.

I graduated from print trade work which towards the end included re-building large printing presses and went on to ad specialties and eventually into signage with a few other semi-careers in between. For most of my life I have been associated with graphics arts in one form or another.

When I hung my shingle as an sole proprieter entrepreneur the first philosophy I instituted was that we would "print" anything for anyone. I believed then and still do today that everyone, regardless of political affiliation or personal view(s), has a right to publish even w/o the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. Not necessarily a right to be heard or read but certainly a right to publish.

The second principle I adopted was there are no black, white, brown or yellow clients....they are all green as that is how they pay.

I sometimes have to explain that philosophy to customers who see work on the walls we did for organizations that can be considered racist, violent, anti-government or all of those combined. I tell them they should be thankful that we do not care who they are or what color they are or what their religious or personal beliefs are, we will print/publish your message. Not everyone will.

I don't censor, even if I am a bit repulsed by the copy.

Do you censor? Have you ever censored even if you normally don't?
 

Fitch

New Member
Other sign companies artwork. That's about it.

just today I saw a sign of my artwork. To the lawers on Monday.
 

Flame

New Member
Sure, I do not print nudes, artwork for adult companies, vulgar or anything I would consider "over the top racist, or detrimental to society".

Smiling gays... eh, I might throw up a few times but I'd probably run it off.

Had a guy asking for a naked chick getting blown apart by a shotgun for some bike graphics. Even under threat of being sued, no way. I don't want to do it.
 

Bigdawg

Just Me
I don't do racism or outright sacrilege. At all. Totally my call and if you don't like it? Tough...

Could care less about the nudity end of it - have done some adult themed things in my offset printing days and my clients had problems getting them printed. The human body is a beautiful thing in all it's many forms :smile: Actually just doesn't bother me but again - always my arbitrary call.

Political - will do anything for either side as long as it's paid for before you walk away with it... but might decline outright hate speech.

Bottom line is that you do what you're comfortable with. What allows you to sleep at night... or at least I do!
 

Pro Image

New Member
Ill print anything......but the issues that I dont care much about or offend me pay MORE.......Money is Money.......

But me being in a small town I don't get much of the out of the way requests........LOL.....
 

ddubia

New Member
I haven't refused anything yet, but I don't consider it censoring if I would refuse to print/paint a message that is promoting something of which I don't wish to play a part in promoting. That's not censoring. I don't have the power to do that. Nor do I feel I'm qualified or authorized to supervise the morality of others. But I do have the right to remove myself from the willful promotion of such.

I attend church every Sunday and play bass guitar in the church band. I'm there on Wednesdays too for our rehearsal. Would I print/paint or otherwise play any part in producing something sacrilegious? No.

I do feel everyone has the right to their opinions and beliefs. I may not agree with them but do agree they have that right. But produce a product to help them make their statement public; to help them in their cause? No.

Helping them make their statement is an act of helping to weaken mine. Let someone of like opinion help with that. I won't hold it against either of them. They have that right. They don't have the right to expect me to help.

None of us has the right to censor others. I'll leave that to the officials and authorities who think they do. But none of us need bend our own tenets or moralities nor to pander to those of others.

Sure it's a job. Sure it brings money. But there is a lot of things I could do for money that I choose not to get involved in. Same with the message in my printing and painting.

Neither do I have to be the neutral one who must, in the name of freedom or equality, provide a product simply because someone needs it. We all choose our customers. We do it in the way we market our skills; we do it in the way we refuse to do shoddy work for a cheap buck. We do what we want to do. Nothing's forcing us to be everything to everybody.

I don't mean to sound like a religious nut, an authority on morality, a hater or even like I've turned down work before. Truth is, I've never been asked to print/paint anything that fits into the scope of this argument.

But if I ever am I'm going to remain true to myself.
 

CES020

New Member
:goodpost:

I don't go to church, but I do agree with just about everything said above.

I had someone that wanted a pornographic picture, and I don't mean an artful nude photo, but rather a hard core sex act engraved on their laptop. I wouldn't do it and they were quite upset.

I'm sorry, I just have no desire to add to the pollution that kids are bombarded with in public on a daily basis. Do I want someone taking their kids into a McDonalds for a Saturday happy meal and their kids looking over and seeing you with your laptop open on the table with a sex act photo on it? Nope. Not me. You want to do it, knock yourself out, but it's not happening on my watch.
 

Gordy Saunders

New Member
I use to live in an ultra conservitive community up north. An adult theater called me to repair their pylon sign. Some of my ultra conservitive customers saw me repairing the sign and threatened to not give me any more work. I was young, it scared me and I stayed away from working for questionable businesses again. I guess I censored myself.
 

round man

New Member
If I don't feel comfortable doing it,..it ain't gonna happen,..and it takes one helluva oddball screwy scenario to make me feel uncomfortable,...them's my rules,.......
 

neato

New Member
That got me to thinking back to a day before I had a plotter. I needed a sign bud to quickly make me a few film bumper-strip size pos's on his Gerber Edge. He did three. The 4th he wouldn't print. He was the religious type and a JW (if it matters). Yes, the text was smutty. So, he, like Clear Channel, became a censor (and we were friends!).

He wasn't censoring you. Jehovah's Witnesses don't get involved in censorship, or protesting of any sort. He just felt strongly about his beliefs (as we all should) and didn't want to do anything to offend God or ruin his good conscience. We should all feel so strongly about our beliefs.
 

Wrapture

New Member
My 12 year old son works with me during the summer. We produce nothing that I would not want him to be exposed to. I don't care who has a problem with this.
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
There is nothing, at least nothing yet discovered, that I'd refuse to do on any grounds save non-payment.

I'd do work for the Prince of Darkness if he paid up. Anything, filthy pictures stressing togetherness, pro-abortion, anti-abortion, any flavor of god nonsense, libel, slander, anything at all. It's none of my business what some else wants to say as long as they pay. I make signs, I do not make moral judgments. At least I don't let them get in the way of doing business.

I have less use for self-righteous twits who proclaim that that would never do work representing this or that point of view than those with that point of view. They are much like convenient vegetarians who unctuously proclaim they'd never eat this or that. They simply haven't been sufficiently hungry. Yet.

I firmly believe that freedom of speech is absolute. Including the fire in a crowded theater nonsense. If it doesn't protect that, or things like that, then it's a miserable penurious right. Ollie Holmes must have been having a bad day when he uttered that particular edict. Moreover, it's unpopular speech that needs protection, not just that with which you might agree or at least don't disagree.
 

Flame

New Member
There is nothing, at least nothing yet discovered, that I'd refuse to do on any grounds save non-payment.

I'd do work for the Prince of Darkness if he paid up. Anything, filthy pictures stressing togetherness, pro-abortion, anti-abortion, any flavor of god nonsense, libel, slander, anything at all. It's none of my business what some else wants to say as long as they pay. I make signs, I do not make moral judgments. At least I don't let them get in the way of doing business.

I have less use for self-righteous twits who proclaim that that would never do work representing this or that point of view than those with that point of view. They are much like convenient vegetarians who unctuously proclaim they'd never eat this or that. They simply haven't been sufficiently hungry. Yet.

I firmly believe that freedom of speech is absolute. Including the fire in a crowded theater nonsense. If it doesn't protect that, or things like that, then it's a miserable penurious right. Ollie Holmes must have been having a bad day when he uttered that particular edict. Moreover, it's unpopular speech that needs protection, not just that with which you might agree or at least don't disagree.

I am just curious if it's sociopathy or pathalogical narcissism? :flamey: :ROFLMAO::scream::Big Laugh:toasting::notworthy::peace!::rock-n-roll::thumb:
 
Last edited:

signgal

New Member
Well, fortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to refuse to print anything. I'm not a religious woman and I don't agree with many "christian" views but I've printed all manner of religious material. I'm not a political woman but have printed many a political campaign. I can't see me agreeing to print anything promoting violence of any kind or anything racist... we try not to pass judgement on what we are hired to print. We're not always proud of what we are hired to produce, regardless of the subject matter. let's be honest, sometimes we're not given good stuff to work with. But my husband comes from a highly censored society where he couldn't stay in business without a portrait of the countries fanatical "leader" on the lobby wall. It makes you think of things a little differently I suppose... and see how we take the right to get such signs made at all for granted. :)
 

Malkin

New Member
We refused to put lettering on a truck rear window that was directed at Muslims and basically said that they would be shot if they were within 300 ft.
 
Top