Now, that's low..................................

[bomaboat]

Yep, OldPaint writes like he is on AOL. It's irritating enough that I've got him on ignore. I'd love to go on but you're not supposed to offend people on these forums.

Regarding the cheap banner maker: meh. They're surely of the cheapest quality. Besides, who really wants to make banners anyways?

 

[Pat Whatley]

Besides, who really wants to make banners anyways?

Me. All day long.

 

[bomaboat]

Well, crud. PM me your info and I'll be sure you get all my banner work.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

Just wait in a short time all dimensional signs will b 3d printed.

Lasers and cnc machines will be as useful as a jigsaw and a quill.

+1

Just a matter of time.

 

[Sign Works]

((((((((((((((((((((wink))))))))))))))))))))))))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvUOgIgLqOQ

 

[TimToad]

Don't know what planet OP was living on but if he was selling 2x8 banners for $160 in 1980 that's worth $489 today. Every time I hear OP mention those insane profit margins I wonder why I never hear about any of those old sign painters retiring to their mansions in the Hamptons.

Hey Gino....care to share some info on where you got that price?

Especially when they were burying all those wheelbarrows of money in the backyard after not having to pay any taxes on any of it either. All completely legally though. I sure wish I could find my a CPA who could work the magic like a few of the guys around here. Mine are all too scared to possibly go to jail. Me too.

 

[TimToad]

Me. All day long.

+1. Just started the Roland again with the fourth 4'x8' banner today. At $244.00 each, banners are easily one of our biggest profit makers for us when its all said and done.

While those have been printing, we put the finishing touches on a 42" x 102" HDU sign, mounted some 18"x30" real estate signs, met with several customers, did some quotes, answered the phones, etc. etc. Even sat down and ate lunch.

 

[TimToad]

This sounds intriguing. Tell me more.

Well, between loading more banner material on the Roland, getting a new file started and touching up a few letters on the HDU sign, I made the wife and I a couple of sandwiches while she took the dog for a walk between the six other things she was doing while our employee went to a nice relaxing lunch down the street. She and I then sat down for 15 minutes and ate while I finished a layout and she went over some of the bills.

I swear though, once we find the same CPA that does 'OldPaint's taxes, we're gonna treat ourselves everyday and take at least a half hour for lunch. You know, like the good old days.

 

[Rick]

\Even sat down and ate lunch.

You had a busy day...

What did you have for lunch?
I had Carls Jr, 1/2 pound burger, Chicken Strips, fries and a large Diet.... yeah that's right, I'm on a diet!!!

As far as Old Paint... I need to have another look at him in his green speedo, that puts things in perspective...
(of course he could alway dig up me in a monkey suit)

 

[OldPaint]

MY CPA........ was me...........i did my own taxes every year......in october/nov, and guestamated DEC, as most work in dec comes to a stop bout dec 20, till jan 4th 5th. like i said my mother taught me how to do bookeeping. so filling out a long form income tax was no biggie. never got an audit, and when i say i never paid taxes......let me be more specific. i paid my SOCIAL SECURITY..... but never paid a tax on the profits......as i said i rolled em back into something year end. plotter/vinyl/vehicle/computer/printer/scanner......tools, hand saw/radial arm saw/drill press/big air compressor/ sata spray gun/hilti/dewalt/makita hand tools etc.........all legal deductions. and like i said, you can DEDUCT the full price of a used vehicle that is over 4-5 years old......instead of DEPRECIATING it over 10 years, like you would with a new vehicle. this could be a van/car/bucket truck.

 

[TimToad]

MY CPA........ was me...........i did my own taxes every year......in october/nov, and guestamated DEC, as most work in dec comes to a stop bout dec 20, till jan 4th 5th. like i said my mother taught me how to do bookeeping. so filling out a long form income tax was no biggie. never got an audit, and when i say i never paid taxes......let me be more specific. i paid my SOCIAL SECURITY..... but never paid a tax on the profits......as i said i rolled em back into something year end. plotter/vinyl/vehicle/computer/printer/scanner......tools.........all legal deductions.

That must be one helluva big warehouse storing all those plotters, computers, vehicles, printers, trucks, etc.. that you bought each and every year to zero out the profit line over the course of your long and lucrative career.

I'm in total admiration of your tax saving abilities. You really missed your calling. You could have bankrupted the Treasury by now if you had shared your skills and wisdom with the masses. Mitt Romney would be proud.

 

[OldPaint]

well........you can make all the remarks you wish to cause you dont know how to do what i did.....but where all the wheel barrows of money are buried is again NOBODYS BUSINESS but mine.......and where i spent all that money, again.......is nobodys business.......but i was never broke.......i made sure of that. point was the profits i made per job.....were a hell of a lot better then baby sitting a printer to do 10 jobs......that makes the same amount of profit as we did THEN...... on one job...........and didnt work as hard or have a boat load of money and equipment invested. in turn created a high profit per job...............so we didnt work to pay others))))))))))

 

[Pat Whatley]

 

[TimToad]

well........you can make all the remarks you wish to cause you dont know how to do what i did.....but where all the wheel barrows of money are buried is again NOBODYS BUSINESS but mine.......and where i spent all that money, again.......is nobodys business.......but i was never broke.......i made sure of that. point was the profits i made per job.....were a hell of a lot better then baby sitting a printer to do 10 jobs......that makes the same amount of profit as we did THEN...... on one job...........and didnt work as hard or have a boat load of money and equipment invested. in turn created a high profit per job...............so we didnt work to pay others))))))))))

Let's end this right here and now. You have no idea of my abilities and I have nothing to prove by showing you up. I upload photos of work I do currently, and am happy to add some from my days as an exclusive hand lettered specialist if it will shut you up about this misconception that you possess some special talent that others don't have.

 

[shibby]

 

[player]

Please leave Old Paint alone. He is making a point from his many years experience.

 

[David Wright]

I am sure not taking tax advice from OP. Experience is useful from the right person.

 

[Rick]

I've been reading old paint stuff for 17 years, in fact he was calling himself old paint at my age. I have to admit that a few times he's been right on the money, I also know quite a few times where I question his sanity and maybe perhaps he should get a brain scan. You do some mighty fine work Tim, it's obvious you've been doing it a very long time. In 10 or 15 years I'm sure you'll appreciate old paint's quirkiness, but I also understand the urge to pound your head against the wall reading his rambling rants.

 

[sardocs]

When I was younger I did handlettering exclusively from the early seventies up until around the late eighties when I added computer cut vinyl to my trick-bag. I still swing a brush on occasion, but I'll never miss kneeling in the mud to paint vehicle weight numbers on greasy dump trucks. Nor will I now print banners for under $10 per square foot. If you do good work, charge a good price. If you hand paint signs, and can do a good job of it fairly quickly charge even more. But if your hand painted work resembles the truck lettering in post #21, you should stick with vinyl.

 

[Steve C.]

Anyone, besides me, think OP posting his work helped make Marlene's point?

These days it seem forgotten, by most, that the value of signs, banners is much
more than just the materials and time involved. It's not the vinyl, paint, etc. I'm selling, its
advertising. One customer who thinks my $200 banners are over priced will go spend
$300 for a 3 day week end 3"x5" news paper add.....

 

[OldPaint]

that truck was........painted......without any thing other then a stabilo drawn on the door)))))then painted......owner said get it done........in a couple hours so i can use it)))) he was happy, as for anyone else.......i got paid....well))))
AGAIN........LIKE STEVE SAID............its all about how a well paying profession as turned into a real cluster f.......with everybody working for less and less money..........and spending more ..........