bayshorecreations
New Member
You asked for it, here they are! http://omaha.craigslist.org/bfs/2108909888.html
And hey, Free Husker Decal to any one who asks! Sweet!
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what is this business coming to
- Thread starter blueben
- Start date
You asked for it, here they are! http://omaha.craigslist.org/bfs/2108909888.html
And hey, Free Husker Decal to any one who asks! Sweet!
SignManiac
New Member
Pretty much have to agree with mosh on this one, if you're worried about a cricket, your future in this business will be a short one.
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
Mosher, I kind of agree but on another note I thought it might be worth mentioning that Shop-Rite is running a can-can sale out here.
iSign
New Member
... guy thinks we "have to be a little scared, because Cricuts are just stepping stones" ... BEING born is a stepping stone to the next generation of lowball hacks... diapers/birth same/same... everything could be a stepping stone...
hilarious to think a cricutter wants us to be scared... did anyone here ever not "agree with mosh on this one"... long before we knew a mosh?? I thoughts that's what all cricut topics are about... laughing at the mere thought that anyone would perceive them as competition.. nobody actually does though!
Sideshow
New Member
And they say pot is the stepping stone to heroin...after 15 yrs and never touching heroin, I dont think its a true statement.
So, your first post is an elaborate way of saying, you dont even belong on these forums. Your a hobby nut, thinking they found a quick buck.
By your own post, you show a lack of appreciation for this industry.
HEY!!!!! They sell those cool testors airbrush kits at walmart....Anyone want me to do custom airbrushing on their Harleys?
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
I'm not scared but I am reminded of a cartoon I once saw that showed Custer at the Little Big Horn. In a thought bubble was his last words:
Holy Sh*t! Look at all those f***in' indians.
It is, in my mind, not a lot different than the onslaught of the Chinese cutters we've seen for several years now. Lots of folks have bought them; many are no longer around; some have continued on and achieved some success.
The Cri-Cut, just like the Chinese plotters, will have some effect on the business many of us do. It's enough of a nibble off the low end of the business to register. I think that those owners who express an interest in becoming professional sign makers and in upgrading their equipment should be greeted with respect and guided into making good choices that will, in general, benefit both them and the sign industry as a whole.
CentralSigns
New Member
Your probably right Fred. Most of the cri-cut companies will for the most part be the flee market decal and free for type church type of job. Many will get started but few will continue. It just cleans up the individuals asking for the stick people type stuff at $2 a decal, not work we want to chase.
prime signs
New Member
I have delt with alot of overnite sign shop sensations in my area. They don't bother me. For the most part they weed out some of the customers I would rather not have anyway. Also their poor layout skills and poor use of color make me look that much better. There have been many times when people have come to my shop and say they will never deal with an overnite sign shop again. The good customers are concerned with workmanship in a timely manner. More often than not they will be willing a little longer for a quality job.
Bigdawg
Just Me
I agree wholeheartedly...
I started out with a Master's Cutter... can't say if I started today that I wouldn't have started with a CriCut just because that was easier to get my hands on...
IMHO if you make crap signs it doesn't matter if that cutter is a Graphtec or a Cricut - the signs are still crap. Just like if you know how to design a good sign a CriCut isn't going to hold me back. Those brochures I posted the other day? They were created on an old Mac with Photoshop 5 and PageMaker.. took forever but my end result didn't say "she's too cheap to upgrade her software" (actually I was too broke)...
It's not the equipment that makes the signmaker. A good sign-maker can use a friggin' CriCut to cut their vinyl if that's what they have to work with - and the majority of us here would never know the difference because they have the knowledge and skill to make the tools at their disposal work.
Paupau - there is one thing you are totally wrong about. Good design and layout isn't from "putting in the hours" designing mommy's scrapbook pages... isn't the same as selling a commercial sign. Crafters and hobbyists ARE amateurs... there's ever so much more to making a sign than just cutting some vinyl and slapping it down.
Don't make the mistake that the Cricut scares us on the level you seem to think. It doesn't. What scares us is the potential for so much more visual eye pollution put forth by wanna-be sign makers that don't know what they are doing. The majority of CriCut owners who think they are sign people fall squarely into that category.
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Timing is everything.... a cheap small scale vinyl cutter might have been a great business idea 25 years ago.... Roland even made the Dr Stika machine just for this niche application.
25 years ago this technology was brand spanking new, not many people had the machinery... those who managed to pony up the not inconsiderable purchase cost made very decent money, thank you very much.
Having wasted 10 minutes watching a TV "presentation" about these machines I was struck by how the makers of this digital junkery like to pretend that the capability to cut sticky backed plastic into shapes is somehow new and exciting... it isn't.
Professional sign makers have had 25 years to push vinyl cutting to the limits... a hobbist using a toy machine isn't going to make a major earth shattering discovery... I mean, let's be honest a vinyl cutter cuts vector shapes onto vinyl.... um, and that's all.
Vinyl suppliers WILL drop onto cricut users with gusto... and why wouldn't they.... they sell tiny bits of material with the kind of markup they just can't get from the professional market.
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate.
We may be living in an era soon to be dubbed the Calvin Boom.
Clear Choice
New Member
Interesting discussion.
Reflects what has happened to the printing/copying industry in the past 10 years.
Started with the advent of the first low end office copy machine...
then home printers...and on to home printer/copier/fax machine.
The equipment got more sophisticated & cheaper as the years went on
and now many companies/offices are "printing" most of their own forms
on demand.
AND, yes, the same people that sold equipment/supplies to printers
were out there selling similar equipment directly to individual companies...
to cut down on "printing" costs.
Started small and snowballed. Same thing happened with film cameras...
technology provided cheaper/faster "digital" cameras...
add to that computer photo editing programs for home users......
People are "processing" their own photos and printing them at home.
Is the quality the same as when a professional prints forms or photos?
No....but it is so close it is acceptable to the average customer
thinking he is saving big bucks.
This 3 year recession has forced companies to look for more ways
to save money. It is nice to promote professional quality and service
but right now most companies are first looking at the bottom line cost.
Value added experience takes a back seat.
So, should you be scared...you be the judge.
Just don't laugh it off or ignore the possibilities.
Many other industries have been greatly affected by seemingly small
entry level introductions/technology.
Reflects what has happened to the printing/copying industry in the past 10 years.
Started with the advent of the first low end office copy machine...
then home printers...and on to home printer/copier/fax machine.
The equipment got more sophisticated & cheaper as the years went on
and now many companies/offices are "printing" most of their own forms
on demand.
AND, yes, the same people that sold equipment/supplies to printers
were out there selling similar equipment directly to individual companies...
to cut down on "printing" costs.
Started small and snowballed. Same thing happened with film cameras...
technology provided cheaper/faster "digital" cameras...
add to that computer photo editing programs for home users......
People are "processing" their own photos and printing them at home.
Is the quality the same as when a professional prints forms or photos?
No....but it is so close it is acceptable to the average customer
thinking he is saving big bucks.
This 3 year recession has forced companies to look for more ways
to save money. It is nice to promote professional quality and service
but right now most companies are first looking at the bottom line cost.
Value added experience takes a back seat.
So, should you be scared...you be the judge.
Just don't laugh it off or ignore the possibilities.
Many other industries have been greatly affected by seemingly small
entry level introductions/technology.
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CES020
New Member
So is it just the cricut brand people hate? If they bought a CraftRodo from Graphtec, would it be the same?
http://www.graphteccorp.com/craftrobo/
That's $299 from Graphtec. Same price range as some of the Cricuts.
After all, then you could say "I own a Graphtec plotter and I need some help" and it would be "Welcome, let's see if we can help" ???????
http://www.graphteccorp.com/craftrobo/
That's $299 from Graphtec. Same price range as some of the Cricuts.
After all, then you could say "I own a Graphtec plotter and I need some help" and it would be "Welcome, let's see if we can help" ???????
Travis Stanley
New Member
I'm not afraid of the CriCut. I'm afraid of the (Computer Generated Exato knife 3000 TM.) That thing can cut through Shamwow material, CNC route a Chia pet, and do embrodiery on the Snuggy. Now thats going to hurt...
Paupau
New Member
Good Morning, yes Gypsy...I'm not one for entering a room quitely.(if I had Smilies, I would insert a BIG GRIN here) Sideshow, please check the "Welcome message at the registration to the forum"
BigDawg/Stacy....EXACTLY, I agree with you 100%. Let me restate the point is was trying to make. Yes there is a skill to design and signmaking, scrapbooking and commercial signage are two different animals, but a hobbist/crafter will put in the time
and effort to improve their skills and learn ore about that interest. Ametuer is relative, is it due to the lack of skill or the desire to profit, just because your getting paid doesn't mean you're good.
Is it the fear of "Eye pollution" and the degradation of your craft or the fear that gees, that cricut guy got $$$ for that. Come on, will anyone admit that back in the day, (or yesterday) they made one butt ugly sign. I just hate it when people feel the only way to make themselves look good is to try to make other look bad. Time will tell.
The majority of cricut owners don't think they are signmakers. We aren't trying to steal your business away.The "majority" is doing their own thing. That's one reason I said, check out the boards and see what they are doing.
What I meant by being scared is that Cricuteers are evolving, this machine has the introduced to an entirely new set of people to the vinyl and signage world. We are becoming more educated, skilled and putting in the effort. The cricut is quickly being outgrown and people are moving on to the USCutters, GCC and Rolands. As more is being discovered able the capabilties of the machine and the user, yes some will be focus entering "your" world of signage, of garments, of screenprinting or of wrapping. So be prepared. so be "Shaq" in your game, but know back in the school yard there's a new kid coming up. The same suppliers that have been servicing you are playing to that market, encouraging use of the cricut, do what they can to get their materials into the cricuteers hands. "You Can Do It", I machine suppliers are coming onto the craft boards. if you like the cricut, see what our model XXX can do. "You Can Do It!!" Even the software makers that focused on cricuts only, are crossing over so the design software we use can be used with multiple cutters. (I'm using 2 cricuts, a shilouette, a gazelle, a refine and a bengal) Many cricut users have multiple cutters, in efforts to find what suits their need to do "Their Own Thing"
It's not my intention to step on any toes, (to know me is to love me), it's just that on every board I go to there is always so bashing or negativety aimed at the "cricut user" "What a joke that person is". When I've put in the time to design artwork, hand draw, vectorize and pick over details be it in Illy, Corel or inkscape and then to be "dismissed" for saying yeah this was cut on a cricut, is just as offensive to me as the "cricut sign maker" saying I'm going to put you out of business.
Then when statements are made like, well let them have those "low ball piddly jobs that I don't want anyway, those are beneath me", it's offensive, like we're some kind of scavaging bottom feeder....oh, but wait, shrimp, crab and lobster do fetch a pretty good price. You take the dollars, I'll take the change, I like food, water and shelter, by any means necessary.
Gypsy, here's my How-dee-doo. (Smile again) just so you have an idea of where I'm coming from. I am a crafter/hobbist and looking to take my business to the next level. A level which will include but not focus on signage. At this time I focus on "Life" events, so if you need invitations, cute favor boxes and a "Susie's PARTY is here" sign, Just Married banner or a dance floor/wall Monogram, call me I have a package for that. I think Stick Figure People and Memorial Decals ROCK! I also use cutters for food items, fabrics, stencil for etching/sandblasting and I am looking dabble into that airbrush kit not from Wally world, but Harbour Freight. I mostly do small run jobs for churches and groups who's budget or piece count is to "low" for the big boys" I am the "Queen of Fake It, Til You Make It" for small start-ups and the 10PM call, "Can I have it in the Morning". (Vista Prints is not my friend).
Again I will state I didn't intend to step on toes, I did join this board because I do care about the quality of the work I do. I wish to grow and hope to bebefit from the exprienced signers on this board...but as Patrick would say, "No body puts Baby Cricut in the corner"
Typed messages don't always convey true tone or expression, so know that this is written in a very light hearted manor.
BigDawg/Stacy....EXACTLY, I agree with you 100%. Let me restate the point is was trying to make. Yes there is a skill to design and signmaking, scrapbooking and commercial signage are two different animals, but a hobbist/crafter will put in the time
and effort to improve their skills and learn ore about that interest. Ametuer is relative, is it due to the lack of skill or the desire to profit, just because your getting paid doesn't mean you're good.
Is it the fear of "Eye pollution" and the degradation of your craft or the fear that gees, that cricut guy got $$$ for that. Come on, will anyone admit that back in the day, (or yesterday) they made one butt ugly sign. I just hate it when people feel the only way to make themselves look good is to try to make other look bad. Time will tell.
The majority of cricut owners don't think they are signmakers. We aren't trying to steal your business away.The "majority" is doing their own thing. That's one reason I said, check out the boards and see what they are doing.
What I meant by being scared is that Cricuteers are evolving, this machine has the introduced to an entirely new set of people to the vinyl and signage world. We are becoming more educated, skilled and putting in the effort. The cricut is quickly being outgrown and people are moving on to the USCutters, GCC and Rolands. As more is being discovered able the capabilties of the machine and the user, yes some will be focus entering "your" world of signage, of garments, of screenprinting or of wrapping. So be prepared. so be "Shaq" in your game, but know back in the school yard there's a new kid coming up. The same suppliers that have been servicing you are playing to that market, encouraging use of the cricut, do what they can to get their materials into the cricuteers hands. "You Can Do It", I machine suppliers are coming onto the craft boards. if you like the cricut, see what our model XXX can do. "You Can Do It!!" Even the software makers that focused on cricuts only, are crossing over so the design software we use can be used with multiple cutters. (I'm using 2 cricuts, a shilouette, a gazelle, a refine and a bengal) Many cricut users have multiple cutters, in efforts to find what suits their need to do "Their Own Thing"
It's not my intention to step on any toes, (to know me is to love me), it's just that on every board I go to there is always so bashing or negativety aimed at the "cricut user" "What a joke that person is". When I've put in the time to design artwork, hand draw, vectorize and pick over details be it in Illy, Corel or inkscape and then to be "dismissed" for saying yeah this was cut on a cricut, is just as offensive to me as the "cricut sign maker" saying I'm going to put you out of business.
Then when statements are made like, well let them have those "low ball piddly jobs that I don't want anyway, those are beneath me", it's offensive, like we're some kind of scavaging bottom feeder....oh, but wait, shrimp, crab and lobster do fetch a pretty good price. You take the dollars, I'll take the change, I like food, water and shelter, by any means necessary.
Gypsy, here's my How-dee-doo. (Smile again) just so you have an idea of where I'm coming from. I am a crafter/hobbist and looking to take my business to the next level. A level which will include but not focus on signage. At this time I focus on "Life" events, so if you need invitations, cute favor boxes and a "Susie's PARTY is here" sign, Just Married banner or a dance floor/wall Monogram, call me I have a package for that. I think Stick Figure People and Memorial Decals ROCK! I also use cutters for food items, fabrics, stencil for etching/sandblasting and I am looking dabble into that airbrush kit not from Wally world, but Harbour Freight. I mostly do small run jobs for churches and groups who's budget or piece count is to "low" for the big boys" I am the "Queen of Fake It, Til You Make It" for small start-ups and the 10PM call, "Can I have it in the Morning". (Vista Prints is not my friend).
Again I will state I didn't intend to step on toes, I did join this board because I do care about the quality of the work I do. I wish to grow and hope to bebefit from the exprienced signers on this board...but as Patrick would say, "No body puts Baby Cricut in the corner"
Typed messages don't always convey true tone or expression, so know that this is written in a very light hearted manor.
jimmysigns
New Member
that's it, we're doomed