what are some decent art packages?

[proline51]

hi there and thanks for checking out this thread.

ok i am a newbie in the sign industry. i started with a pcut 630. and i just recently picked up a roland vp-540. as i was getting to busy to keep up with multi colored decals and signs. but my background is not in computers or graphic design at all. i still work full time as a power engineer at a pulp mill. and i am running this business on the side.
now before some of you, that really know what you are doing, slam me too hard. i live in a small center approx 7000 people, with a trading area of about 25000. i want to get more unique signs to my customers, and try to run the other sign guy out of business. i don't have access to corel draw courses, but i am slowly finding my way around it, and getting better all the time.

now to make a long story a little shorter, i am looking for high quality fills and graphics, plus sign templates, rivets and screws. to add to my collection. so i can speed up my turn-around, and offer a better service to my clients, until i can learn to do some of the graphic art myself.

i was strongly looking at some of the aroura graphic packages, until i read a post, that did not paint a pretty picture of them.

what direction would you businesses,(that use fills and art packages) point me for high quality products, that are not going to break the bank.

thanks in advance for any of you that have helpfull information, for me to keep learning, in this this exciting new trade!:U Rock:
i have already learnt so much just lurking around these forums. thanks

 

[Ken]

Proline ..welcome to S101.
Firstly, stating you wish to run the other guy out of business is kind of ..crass..don't you think? I wish you would have stated that another way. Perhaps something a little more cooperative might be in order...outsourcing back and forth etc... It is very presumptuos of you to look at you new-fledged business in this way. So much for the sermon.
Express Clipart...one of the founding members of this site, has a wide selection of individual fills, clipart etc..I would check that out.
You haven't mentioned Photoshop, but I would seriously consider that as a tool to use with the Roland. There are so many little add-ons to that ( many of them free) to boggle the mind.
BTW..my Pcut 630 is still very useful to produce vinyl graphics that last , thereby using hours that would be more costly with a Versacamm.
Cheers!
Ken

 

[Pat Whatley]

Here....I added what my understanding of your post was. I may be far from what you meant but it's how it comes across to me. Especially the part about putting someone out of business.

but my background is not in computers or graphic design at all. Hi all...I don't know what I'm doing but it doesn't matter...I'm in the sign business now, Woo Hoo!

i still work full time as a power engineer at a pulp mill. and i am running this business on the side. I'm not actually trying to make a living at this or advance the industry. I'm doing as a HOBBY what you people are trying to do for a living

i want to get more unique signs to my customers, and try to run the other sign guy out of business. I'm an asshole. Instead of just running my own business (as a hobby) and ignoring my competition I've decided my stated goal will be to destroy his livelihood which should be easy because I've got another full time job so I'm not relying on crazy things like profit to keep the mortgage paid.

high quality products, that are not going to break the bank I want good stuff cheap because I don't have the talent to do it on my own. Hopefully I can find some good, cheap, (possibly bootleg) clipart that will replace actual talent and fast track my destruction of the other sign shop

just lurking around these forums replace lurking with LEACHING

but like i said...that's just me.

 

[VinylCraft]

:ROFLMAO:

 

[Linedesign]

Who cares about running someone out of business, but if thats where you get your inspiration go for it. Do what you enjoy and what you are good at, or what you want to become great at and the skys the limit. What I got from your post is how many newbies buy a 540 so you must be some what competent or have a little cash to throw around. Or have some decent business coming in to pay for it. And with only 5 posts you have done a lot of lurking otherwise you would have asked alot of questions prior to the purchase. Either way good luck. I found the harder I work the luckier I get.

 

[Cadmn]

think Pat was right on in his comprehension of the postthat was how I read it.

 

[Flame]

Hate to say it, but I have to agree with Pat. Not a good way to kick things off here bro.

 

[proline51]

whoa!

ok ok. yes you are right that came across in the most wrong way. which you have all pointed out!:iamwithstupid
you don't know the circumstances, and i did not want to bore you with the details, as my post was long enough already.

we had a pcut for our RV dealership, to do our own small decals, very basic stuff. the other guy was taking to long on jobs and not letting the customer know where they stood. so as people found out that we had a plotter they started asking me if i could please help them out of a jam. so it wasn't an "i'm in the sign business now, woo hoo" thing, but i kinda just fell into it, as i wasn't looking for it at the time. and i still use the pcut for certain jobs for the durabilty, as stated by others here.

now that i have my foot in the door of this business, though still very green, (you probly didn't notice) i would like to try and make a living at it. but it is very risky to just quit my job and give this a go, with our small population. it started as a hobby, but it is definately more than that now! just ask my wife. who rarely sees me as i am either at the mill or working on signs.

granted "run the other guy out of business" was quite inapropriate. but he does not do this full time either. he did once, and then he took on a different full time job, which is when he started having unhappy customers. i have helped him out of a few jams already. so it is not quite what it seemed. my bad.

i never once mentioned bootleg, so please don't put words in my mouth. i can screw things up bad enough myself. just in the aroura thread people said they were way over priced. i am willing to pay, as i was looking at purchasing from them, until i read the post and thought there might be other alternatives. but i will admit i don't have the talent at this time do do it all by myself.

as for not asking more questions about my purchase of the 540. so sorry, but i did make alot of phone calls to my suppliers and even took in a roland course, which was waaay over my head at the time, and i had to travel 4 hrs to see. before i purchased it. sometimes it is hard to sift through the bs on some forums. so i went to the city to see a few different printers in action. and made my decision from a shop that had used quite a few different brands over the years, so i really valued his opinion.

as it goes right now there is enough business to keep us both going part time. but he obviously does not want to do it full time or he would not have taken a different full time job as a parts man. i on the other hand would like to make it full time, and "would like to get a bigger piece of the market" (which is how i should have stated it!) to make it my full time occupation. as far as having money kicking around to purchase this thing, not likely. i was subbing out initially, but as we are 3-4 hours away from the the city, i was starting to have upset customers with the tunaround time with shipping, and the shipping costs. so i thought i would try it out(buying the 540). initially it 30" model, but agian after talking to a few shops that had them, they said if they were to do it again they would buy the 540. and if this didn't (doesn't) pan out, several shops said that the 54" would be an easier sell than the 30".

thanks for pointing out my mistake, please forgive me!

i did not want to start off on the wrong foot like this!

not leaching, just trying to learn!

Proline.

 

[Fred Weiss]

ProLine51 ... please take the time to visit my digital art sites to get an idea of what we offer. And standby for a new subscription site that should be opening shortly.

ExpressClipart.com - for a variety of individual images.

Allcompu.com - for a variety of digital art collections of CD/DVD with printed user guides.

 

[Cadmn]

It will stay a hobby untill you jump in with both feet& depend on it then you will understand where most of us are with the hobbyists

 

[sarge]

being an american i really dont know what is available in canada .. if your tryig to learn coreldraw i would strongly recommend you buy Advanced Artist Corel DRAW Tutorial Training from www.advancedartist.com .. tom knight does a good job teaching this tutorial .. on a personal note . even if you want to put the other guy out of business it is best to keep it to yourself .. some would think that as being arogent .. the good thing is most people here are really nice .. and a handful are .. well you know

 

[Air Art Girl]

here is a link to that you might find interesting and helpful to use as backgrounds and other applications. They are on sale too!
http://www.digitaljuice.com/products/product_volumes.asp?pvid=9

 

[GAC05]

Maybe some here should not be so quick to apply the welcome smack down.
Flamey made a similar statement when he first showed up... something about taking down local sign shops one at a time....... and he turned out to be a pretty good egg.
Then again it could have been the trial by fire that made him the outstanding 101 lister that he is today.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Digitall]

I second the digital juice, I was introduced to them awhile back and now am waiting for them to come up with new ones I can buy as fast as they can produce them.

welcome from Cleveland Ohio

Note" go to the tutorials section of this forum, there is a new corel draw tutorial link. Look around this place and you will find alot of great info. If you become a contributing member you will get more than you can imagine

Rick