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Number Plate Style Signs…??
Hi all
Can anybody advise me on how I can obtain number plate blanks(adhesive faced acrylic type) without being registered 😕 . We have been asked to supply quite a few Number Plate look/style signs to put here and there in a car breakers yard. Toilet, Sales etc.etc.Thanks
Kev -
15 Replies
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You may get a supplier to agree to sell you them for ‘show plate’ use only, but I think it may be a case of ringing round the suppliers til one agrees 😕
Cheers, Dewi
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I think you’ll strugle Kev with the new rules and regs it makes it an offence for anyone to sell you component plate parts if you are not registered yourself. However you might be able to make a contact somewhere who will help you out. Do you have the roller/laminator already ? Because this will also be difficult to source if not 😥
If you really just want to make some signs that look like plates then why not just put reverse cut vinyl graphics onto the back of some 3mm clear acrylic ? It’s a lot cheaper method than using expensive reflective and adhesive coated number plate blanks.
Nigel
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Was thinking along the lines of sticking reverse cut letters onto acylic, but the customer asked for reflective ones like the ones already in place (or whats left of them). Thats why i was thinking along the lines of number plates themselves.
Maybe it may be worth our while getting registered with the DVLA, as this customer wants about 40+. Also it will be another string on our bow as the nearest number plate supplier to our shop is at least 6 milesCheers
Kev -
Don’t know how much that costs Kev but why not just laminate reflective vinyl onto the face of some foam/acrylic and then put the letters on top of that – I know it’s not properly laminated but what are they going to throw at it !!
Nigel
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Registering with the DVLA may be an option, its £40 and takes them a few days to mail across your number 😀 The plus point is you can do reg plates as well as the job you’re quoting for!
Cheers, Dewi
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Hi Kev,
I was in a car accessory place called Macsess they had blanks and numbers etc, (Mitcham london) you could also try your local camping shop, they used to the blanks and numbers for trailers caravans etcSimon
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Hi Kev
if you still need them PM me, have you got rollers etc for putting them togetherKev (sounds like i’m talking to myself)
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Nigel
I done what you suggested, stuck it (reflective) on to a piece of acrylic put clear vinyl over the top shaped/rounded the edges and i thought it looked great and so did many other people who came in while we were finishing it off. Took it down to the customer and he then said
“The plastic is on the wrong side”
ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!If this was not our first (sort of) sign job I would have slapped him with it.
So just sent £40 to the DVLA
Cheers
Kev -
Oh well mate, it was worth a try 🙄 theres no pleasing some customers…. but at least you will be able to drum up some business by making legal reg plates too. If you need a source for the components try –
http://www.signam.co.uk/default.asp
http://www.europlate.com/
or
http://www.jepsonandco.com/Nigel
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I get all my supplies from AutoMarQue at http://www.uknumberplates.com/
Good quality supplies, rapid delivery and a good range of sundry products, ideal for me with having a retail shop 😀
Cheers, Dewi
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Just hope other customers are not like this one 😆 😆
mind you thinking of it now its quite funny, looking at this bloke staring at the back (clear acrylic) wondering why the letters were stuck on the what he thought back 😮 . I knew i should of stuck it on a bit of foam boardAnyway
Thank you everyone for all the help
Cheers
Kev -
Thats the bummer of it Kev, the one thing that could go wrong, usually does! 😆 😆
Most ppl are pretty straight forward and they’ll explain what they want, leaving a small margin for your own artistic license, but you have the type who’ll say “Do us a nice job, you know, a nice job!” but don’t actually tell you what they’re expecting to see and then the other “I know exactly what I want and here is a scale drawing my 12yr old did on his PC, make it just like that!” … either way, I tend to just smile and get on with it 😉
My favourite customer, and he’s a character, plods on in through the door, shoves a scribbled bit of info on the counter, slaps £50 on top of it and walks for the door with the words “Do us a nice job Dewi!” 😆 No colour info, no info on graphics, font type… nothing, just a few words with a title along the lines of “A BORD” or “BIG SIGN” 😀 Mind you, least now he leaves the measurements for those “BIG SIGNS” 😆 😆
Cheers, Dewi
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Dewi
I know what you mean there.
We had a customer in the other day who ordered a silver salver @ £145 and told us it was for his son who scored 107 goals through the season for his under 12’s team. When we asked him what he wanted engraved on it the reply was ” oh something along the lines of scoring 107 goals”
So put the thinking cap on and came up with various ideas as this was some achievment, when the chap returned a couple of days later I showed him what I thought would sound/look the best.
NO NO NO he said just put (wait for it)107 GOALS
In my 16 years of engraving I have never been lost for words..
Cheers
Kev -
Just to let you know, the numberplate font is on:
named as uk numberplate,
the edges aren’t perfect, will need some tidying up of the points.
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