posted
I've got 51 little signs (4" x 18") for a greeting card shop. simple vinyl on Sintra job, but I have no idea how to price it. how long does it take to cut and stick one or two words (each one is different)? anybody got any reference points? I'm guessing the whole job is 1 day - including the cutting, weeding, applying and checking the list twice to see what i missed. does that sound right? (the font is Benguiat Gothic Bold, so it should cut and weed quickly)
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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One day Scooter? Just yourselve or you have others helping? If it's just you, Remember phones ring-people walk in,stuff like that slows you down.
posted
i didn't say i could DO the work in a day, just that it seemed like a day's worth of work. (an idealized day, when all you do is work, ie, 8 hours billable time. or, if i had a production worker, a full day of his time). my actual day is 2 or 3 hours of billable time, so that would make this a three day job.
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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I get asked to do small coroplast name signs 4" x 15" for a Giant Xmas card every year. It takes a surprisingly long time to do these and I'm always finding that I loose on them. I think that if the lettering is all the same size and font and color that you are probably close on the time. BUT if you have to adjust the size of the text to fit the signs it takes a lot longer. I'd guess that even if they all use the same size text you may still be underestimating the time. It takes a bit of time to center each one - doubt I could do it in that much time. It might be worth your time to make a quick jig for placing the lettering. I used a piece of coroplast with strips glued around the perimeter of the sign and marked the center line horizontally and vertically. After you mask the lettering make a cross hair marking on the center and use a ruler to line it up with your marks on the jig. This really speeds things up.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Hiya Scooter, I would quote it first as 1 sign for about $68. When you add up your time and effort that goes into making 1, you may find that to be cheap. In production mode, you may find it very easy to complete 2 or 3 in the same time it takes to make one. Anyway, 1 sheet 3 mm pvc $25 cut to size, 32 sq. ft. intermediate vinyl & tape $32, corner rounder $275. $553. retail for materials, a days labor plus misc supplies - cleaners, rags, etc., would give me a retail price of about $27 each. Trust me, a corner rounder will be a worth while investment on a project like this.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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This sounds like the kind of "mass customization" job that digital printing was invented for.
A couple of ideas:
Get someone you know to print graphics onto vinyl, apply to sintra, trim to size.
Contact Oce Display Graphics or Sericol Imaging to get a list of people who own their flatbed inkjets. Have them printed directly onto sintra, trim to size.
You will save time and the job will be more profitable.
-------------------- Jon Aston MARKETING PARTNERS "Strategy, Marketing and Business Development" Tel 705-719-9209 Posts: 1724 | From: Barrie, ON, CANADA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Let's say that you cut out 4 slaps of vinyl with your text and add some cutting marks so that you stick on 4 panels of 18 x 48 that you then cut to size. first set up estimate 1.5 hrs text set up .5h cut strip and mask 2hrs sticking 4 pannels .5 48 cuts on sintra 2.5hrs max of 7 hrs (maybe less) 6 yard of vinyl 6 yards of premask +mu 1 sheet of sintra+mu a couple of blades
-------------------- Élaine Beauchemin scrip Lettrage Scripsit inc. St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada www.scripsit.net Posts: 1096 | From: Saint-Hubert, Québec, Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Hey Jon, I have to disagree with you on your approach with the digital printing for one reason. If the client decides at a later date that they want to add 1 sign, it's going to cost a lot of more money to reproduce than the job's worth. The flat bed digital printers I deal with won't touch small jobs. I beleive our main source charges a $100+ minimum.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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You're probably right about the flatbed suggestion, but you know that you could bang little graphics like that out on a Gerber EDGE (with precisely matched spot colours and repeatable 1-off accuracy) all day long...and for next to nothing in relation to what they will sell for, right?
Calling all EDGEheads!
-------------------- Jon Aston MARKETING PARTNERS "Strategy, Marketing and Business Development" Tel 705-719-9209 Posts: 1724 | From: Barrie, ON, CANADA | Registered: Sep 2000
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(and to think some people probably hoped I would quit banging on that Gerber drum after leaving ND GRAPHICS...)
-------------------- Jon Aston MARKETING PARTNERS "Strategy, Marketing and Business Development" Tel 705-719-9209 Posts: 1724 | From: Barrie, ON, CANADA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Hey Scooter, that only works out to 8.5 min each in an 8 hour day. I am thinking you can't cut the board, cut vinyl weed apply tape, apply vinyl, remove masking, etc... that fast. It's the lining up that takes some time, and is easy to under estimate.
-------------------- Brian Crothers CR Signs 1790 C Tamarac St. Campbell River B.C. V9W 3M6 briancrothers@crsigns.ca Posts: 82 | From: Campbell River B.C. Canada | Registered: Apr 2002
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If it were me I'd do like what Jon said except do it in vinyl. Layout it out with the right demensions and spacing and cut as many as will fit on your layout. Weed and stick to substrate. Get a straight edge and get to cutting. At least you'll have an idea of your time and then just keep adding ie: materials, installation and value.
-------------------- Chuck Gallagher Pro Graphics Signs by Design Cabool, MO 417.962.3291 "I grew up in Letterville" Posts: 776 | From: Cabool, Mo. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Scooter, anyone with an Edge would use it for this job. Faster and better result.
However, having done thousands of signs like you mention for a number of retail chains, you can speed up the vinyl application by making an application template.
Take some scrap sintra the thickness of your sign panels. Tape two pieces on a backer board to form an inside square corner. This will be the bottom left corner of you signs.
On the bottom horizontal strip, tape a piece of thin stock to form a hinge. When the hinge is folded up against the sign substrate, the edge of the hinge should be on the text baseline.
Mark the centerline of the substrate on the hinge and on the app. tape of each strip of text.
To apply the vinyl, fold the hinge away from the substrate, peel back the backer sheet enough to tack it to the hinge. Align the centerlines. Place the substrate in the template.
When you swing the template onto the substrate, the vinyl will be in position and ready to apply without measuring or applying masking tape.
Make sure the hinge has something like scotch tape along its edge, so the round letters or descenders don't accidentally stick to it.
You'll find you can apply each line of text in a minute or so.
-------------------- Paul Luszcz Zebra Visuals 27 Water Street Plymouth, MA 02360 508 746-9200 paul@zebravisuals.com Posts: 483 | From: 27 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 | Registered: Jul 2003
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