Measuring Graphics

[select426]

I was wondering what most people use to line up their graphics on today's vehicles. It seems the lines on the new cars are getting crazier and crazier. When you are doing logos and text what do you guys to to align everything? Do you use the body lines as your reference or do you the ground? We are fairly new in this and are finding with the newer vehicles it is harder and harder to determine to go off your eye/ground or go off the body lines.

Thanks in advance for any help you guys could give us.

 

[J Hill Designs]

body lines then eyeball

 

[jferrell3054]

Anything I can not measure I go eyeball. If it looks good to your eye it should be fine for theirs

 

[natedawg9640]

yup. judgment call. you can also lay it out and ask the customer to approve it.

 

[Mike Paul]

Bottom of door, body lines, windows, a tic up a tic down by eye sometimes.
Don't use the ground.

 

[Mosh]

Bottom of the doors...sometimes just eye. Tape it on and stand back is the best way, even if you have something to measure off of. I HATE when I see van lettering where I know people measure off the top of the van. Vans are smaller at the rear and stuff will go downhill if you measure off the top. Sometimes I even measure from the ground and tape it on and see how that looks.

 

[johnnysigns]

Eyeball and several big steps back. All day. If it doesn't look right and it's "level/measure's out correctly" it still doesn't look right.

 

[cartoad]

We use the line under the windows (or where the windows would be) on vans, usually strait and looks good with the van, if all else eyeball. Always a struggle to find the right line to use.

 

[klemgraphics]

Bottom of the doors...sometimes just eye. Tape it on and stand back is the best way, even if you have something to measure off of. I HATE when I see van lettering where I know people measure off the top of the van. Vans are smaller at the rear and stuff will go downhill if you measure off the top. Sometimes I even measure from the ground and tape it on and see how that looks.

+1

 

[Malkin]

Bottom of the doors...sometimes just eye. Tape it on and stand back is the best way, even if you have something to measure off of. I HATE when I see van lettering where I know people measure off the top of the van. Vans are smaller at the rear and stuff will go downhill if you measure off the top. Sometimes I even measure from the ground and tape it on and see how that looks.

+2 Never go off the roofline on a van...

 

[thesignexpert]

Bottom of the doors...sometimes just eye. Tape it on and stand back is the best way, even if you have something to measure off of. I HATE when I see van lettering where I know people measure off the top of the van. Vans are smaller at the rear and stuff will go downhill if you measure off the top. Sometimes I even measure from the ground and tape it on and see how that looks.

+3 Our rule of thumb for our installers is to "make it look right". This means that it is more important to make sure those graphics look correct on the vehicle rather than trying to later convince a client that it's level. Few things drive me crazier than hearing a guy try to justify a placement by saying they used a level or measured from X,Y or Z... at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that it "looks" right.


Tim

"Useful Sign Forms, Marketing Packets and Clipart for the Sign Professional"
TheSignExpert.com

 

[zapblam]

then you get the one guy who wants it LEVEL meaning with a level. Always sign agreement on those debates.

 

[westpointsigns]

Body lines, door seams, eyeball. I will always take a picture or two and look at it on the camera, as well as walk away from the side I am lining up with the graphic taped in place then come back to it and look at it from a distance if possible.