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Need Help New to sign making and need lots of advice!

Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
fusiontechs said:
Thank you. This was very helpful. Sounds like its nor worth it in the end...
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I'm not the final word here so no hurt in doing the research yourself. Honestly these guys here won't spoon feed you what they had to do on their own... and understandably so. They won't just start spitting out wholesale costs and do the entire analysts for you, but you got enough now to start doing research. I just doubt you'll find a pile of $$ left on the table after considering what you pay for your signs now VS doing them in house. $2.55 is nothing, keep ordering the signs and have them show up ready to go at your door step. You could probably mow your own yard and make $$ than printing coros.
 
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greysquirrel

New Member
Just read through some of these...pretty funny... if 2.55 includes shipping and the stake I would not even try to shop his number let alone buy a piece of equipment. The only way the equipment makes sense is if you are producing more than just lawn signs. equipment+consumables+labor+electric+insurance+learning curve makes $2.55 look like an ice cream sundae!
That's a lot of wear and tear on a printer for 75-80k in gross business...
 
I

iPrintStuff

Prints stuff
If they’re just two colour you’d probably be better getting into screen printing than digital. Digital is great for personalised signs but if they all say the same stuff get them screened.

Naturally there’s also a considerable learning curve there also.

Printing coro (not always) tends to be bottom feeder stuff. There’s a handful of companies that have spent LOTS of money and can do these dirt cheap. Anyone trying to match those prices is digging their own grave.

If you’re doing 25k signs a year, and got an 8x4 flatbed, you’d print these 8 up on a sheet then cut down. That’s almost 70 sheets a day. EVERY DAY (including christmas) most entry level flatbeds can do a full bed in approx 5-20 mins depending on the printer and quality. That’s 6-24 hours of printing a day. Every day.

Then you either need a flatbed cutter to cut these out, or need to trim them with a knife etc. A flatbed cutter would need another member of staff. So now you have maybe a 50-80k flatbed, a 50k flatbed cutter and you need AT LEAST 2 members of staff to run each machine 6-24 hours a day every single day. Not including any down time. There will be down time.
 
F

fusiontechs

New Member
iPrintStuff said:
If they’re just two colour you’d probably be better getting into screen printing than digital. Digital is great for personalised signs but if they all say the same stuff get them screened.

Naturally there’s also a considerable learning curve there also.

Printing coro (not always) tends to be bottom feeder stuff. There’s a handful of companies that have spent LOTS of money and can do these dirt cheap. Anyone trying to match those prices is digging their own grave.

If you’re doing 25k signs a year, and got an 8x4 flatbed, you’d print these 8 up on a sheet then cut down. That’s almost 70 sheets a day. EVERY DAY (including christmas) most entry level flatbeds can do a full bed in approx 5-20 mins depending on the printer and quality. That’s 6-24 hours of printing a day. Every day.

Then you either need a flatbed cutter to cut these out, or need to trim them with a knife etc. A flatbed cutter would need another member of staff. So now you have maybe a 50-80k flatbed, a 50k flatbed cutter and you need AT LEAST 2 members of staff to run each machine 6-24 hours a day every single day. Not including any down time. There will be down time.
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So screen printing would be the way to go? If I were to do a screen printer would that help with the costs per sign or woukd i still be somewhere in that same price range?
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Not only what he said, but you'll need to get air to it and set up that part. Then you'll need software and ripping software. You need training and til it's all done, it would be a rather dumb investment, unless you consider a 2 year no return a good idea, plus all your lost time and adding another employee. If you were already up and running, it would be a different story, but you don't have a clue as you mentioned as to what to do or where to turn. You will be your only customer. You're gonna compete with yourself to get a better price. That price is already great and free shipping to boot.

The part I don't like is...... a total outsider, by your own admission, coming to a professional sign forum, looking how to screw other sign shops. Doesnt matter if they are big or small..... its the deed itself. You have some big balls coming here asking for this kinda help, while robbing some sign guy of business. Had you had an art department or something of the sorts, maybe, but you sound absolutely nonovice and with NO desire to learn this trade, other than to screw other sign shops,

Again, good luck.


Edit: is this nice and friendly ?? Nope and wasn't meant to be. Was what you came here for friendly ?? Nope, not in the slightest.
 
Notarealsignguy

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
I hate those annoying snipe signs. Its tacky stuff like these that end up being the catalyst for stricter sign ordinances. They are litter as far as Im concerned and you should be charged for every single one of these that you trash up the road sides with. Go get business like a normal company does.
 
I

iPrintStuff

Prints stuff
What Gino said, there’s an etiquette that needs adhered to. Do you go into KFC and have a wander round the kitchen then ask how they make their chicken? What everything costs to make? Most people don’t want to share that on an open forum their customers can see.

Yes, the price drops considerably screening large quantities (which is likely how your current supplier is doing it) but if I were you I wouldn’t touch screen printing with a barge pole.

Again, places like firesprint have the machines and capacity to do these jobs and deliver them to your door dirt cheap. Without you having to drop 100k+ on equipment, hire extra staff etc.

Unless you were making a go of the actual sign business and doing at least ACM signs, Coro really isn’t worth your time. Unless you really doing like spending time with the family. Probably at least 3-5 years to actually make any savings too.
 
J

Jeremiah

New Member
fusiontechs said:
I own a company that uses standard sized yard signs as our primary source for advertising. We use a LOT of signs per year, somewhere in the range of 25-30k signs a year. I've gotten our sign supplier down to quite a low cost on these but lately I'm starting to wonder if I were to purchase a machine for myself and print them myself if I were to save enough money to make it worthwhile.
Problem is I have no knowledge in this industry and not really looking to sell signs to anyone, rather just save myself some money over the long run. I understand there's an upfront cost to purchasing such a machine and I've come across global garage but I have no idea what I'd be looking for.
From what I've researched (which I'll admit isn't much) it seems like the flatbed printer with an LED UV bulb is the way to go? I've heard there are even printers with hoppers as well?
So if someone could point me in the direction of what kind of printer I should be looking for as well as suppliers I could get the coroplast and stakes from as well as ink that would be awesome! Thanks in advance
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signage

signage

New Member
Fusiontech I make and install signs could you give eme list of equipment needed to install satellite. If you can afford to buy $80,000.00 for signs i think it would be very profitable for me to get into this business, I already have most of the equipment I would bet so I go do these installs for a lot cheaper them most. Also my kid is moving to Texas an is very energetic so I could set him up to under cut all installers in Texas! Looking forward to hering your info.
 
N

netsol

Active Member
fusiontechs said:
Yay! the first post that's not being mean! haha
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IF I WERE YOU, I would consider looking into a ebay/craigslist/offerup purchase. it is a calculated risk, of course, but you can find a good service company near you, and limit your risk with a square trade or other 3rd party warranty

there is a delicate balance with price difference between new and used equipment & the number of hours of your time you are willing to dump into a black hole

i have done this many times, but it doesn't always have a happy endong

possibly find an unrelated (not competing with you) business and work out a "time sharing" arrangement. purchase the new machine & jointly operating it. spreading the risk and the reward. you didn't say if your need for signs is seasonal or all year round
 
F

fusiontechs

New Member
signage said:
Fusiontech I make and install signs could you give eme list of equipment needed to install satellite. If you can afford to buy $80,000.00 for signs i think it would be very profitable for me to get into this business, I already have most of the equipment I would bet so I go do these installs for a lot cheaper them most. Also my kid is moving to Texas an is very energetic so I could set him up to under cut all installers in Texas! Looking forward to hering your info.
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Sure, youll need to get a contractvwith a satellite company if your choice, get all of the required insurance they need. If they want a store front youll need one of those. You'll need to hire technicians unless you just want to be a single technician operation. If so you won't be purchasing anywhere near that many signs. Trucks, tools, ladders, meters. The list goes on. But if you were really interested I wouldn't be a jerk about it, I would help someone that was really wanting help.
 
F

fusiontechs

New Member
netsol said:
IF I WERE YOU, I would consider looking into a ebay/craigslist/offerup purchase. it is a calculated risk, of course, but you can find a good service company near you, and limit your risk with a square trade or other 3rd party warranty


there is a delicate balance with price difference between new and used equipment & the number of hours of your time you are willing to dump into a black hole

i have done this many times, but it doesn't always have a happy endong

possibly find an unrelated (not competing with you) business and work out a "time sharing" arrangement. purchase the new machine & jointly operating it. spreading the risk and the reward. you didn't say if your need for signs is seasonal or all year round
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Not a bad idea. Our sign need is all year round
 
BluetailGFX

BluetailGFX

Journeyman
At the cost you are getting these for, you should stick with that.

I guarantee you will lose money and more importantly, Your Time, by trying to beat that cost with producing yourself. That is a fantastic price you are getting. Only the volume you are ordering is giving them a profit, because they have the machines, the knowledge, the bulk purchasing of inks and materials to do so.

$2.55 is less than most of us can order wholesale, in the industry, for the same product LOL...........

Instead of trying to cut them out of your marketing costs, you should buy your salesperson a steak dinner and concentrate on cutting other costs in your operation.
 
mkmie

mkmie

Lost Soul
Buy the biggest best printer and CNC machine you can, top of the line. Then when it gets to be too much of a hassle/work. Call me and I'll buy your equipment at 10 Cents on the dollar. Talk to you in six months.
 
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