Font matching on van repairs !

[Andy Gorman]

Been there. I don’t touch it with a barge pole any more. It was a constant pain trying to match fonts, logos, colours etc. Sometimes they would even expect the vehicle manufacturers’ graphics to be replaced. As for the fonts, one design program’s version of a font can be very different from another’s. Only easy solution is to have the vehicle owner agree to you replacing the whole side, rather than just individual panels, and accept that sometimes one side may be very slightly different from the other.

Man, I hated doing crash repairs. 😕

[Henry Barker]

Font Expert is quite a good little program it searches about 30,000fonts to find a match, not always a success but can save lots of time, and if this is something you run into alot or maydo in the future it might be something to look at.

http://www.fontexpert.com

[Ian Higgins]

Hi
We do a lot of this work as we are next door to Yorks largest accident repair center.. I always take digital photos and measurements (from the good side) then put them on the PC.. you get to know fonts after a while but if I don’t recognize it then I trace it and scale it up to size.
I always replace whole lines of text though, if it was a side door on a Transit for instance that had been replaced and the phone no runs straight through it I get the body shop to take off the whole number and replace the lot.

It can be a pain but I always charge a premium for doing this. If I had to replace one side of a van I charge almost the same as doing a whole van so it is a good number for us.
The problems are now coming with vehicles that have been wrapped or those with large format prints as a print from a picture is never as good as the original..

One other thing to watch out for is that all these body shops want the stuff out asap.. But if you do not give the paint at least 24 hours to go off the chemicals in the paint can effect the vinyl…BE WARNED!!!
Cheers
Ian

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Hiiggi That is exactly what I was going to say. Love….Jill

[Robert Lambie]

we do a fair bit of this stuff also… higgi just echoed my thoughts too..

never replace half a line, if you cant match the vinyl, get it very close and replace a full side.
if you have to match it, give them an exagerated price and let them turn their nose up. then give them the above options.

digital camera and some onscreen editing is always a must…

[John Childs]

This is a pain, especially as the nearest bodyshops to us are over five miles away and they expect us to do all the running around.

My solution is the age old one – charge plenty and let them decide whether they want us to do the work, or not.

[autosign]

I’ve just been doing a Dyno Locks van repair. It won’t be exact, but near enough and we will charge a fair wahck for it – it all goes on the insurance anyway. Plus you have to pay a visit to take pics etc.

[Peter Normington]

Just got back from such a job, Went out to measure up yesterday spent a couple of hours on the replicating process, and fitted the graphic this afternoon. It was a printed stripe for a vitara, Aftermarket kit, Made one for each side just in case the customer notices the slight difference. Good thing though is the repair shop is owned by one of the big insurance companies and they have no problems in paying what is necasary, and pay on time everytime by bacs. At the end of the month it all adds up to a nice little earner.
Heres a tip for matching the existing signs, its worked for me on lots of occasions, just phone the owners of the vehicle and find out who did the original signs, As sign people are such a friendly lot I’ve never had a problem getting them to email the bits I need, when I explain its for a repair.
Peter

[Ian Higgins]

Hi Peter,

Have had a few where the original sign company has a sticker on it so have rung and tried to talk to them but most just want to stick it in the post and charge a fortune(obviously not UKSB members)!!!
The garage that we do the work for do not like to ask the customer where the graphics came from .. they just like to present a job 100% done. not sure why but that is how they are.
Cheers
Ian.
PS. If you ever have to do a ChemDry van you have to get in touch with their head office and they send them out…. 1 set for the back door os a belingo….£145 + Vat… 😮 😮 😮

[autosign]

I wouldn’t give out artwork that I’d done if someone asked me for it to do a repair.

They could then contact your customer and offer to do their vehicles cheaper than what they’re currently paying – seeing as you’ve just saved them the hassle of doing the artwork.

[John Childs]

Higgi..

A very good friend of mine was a ChemDry franchisee until very recently.

Very easy to copy. 😀 😀 😀

[Ian Higgins]

John wrote:

quote :

Very easy to copy. :lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

Yes it is… but the odd green colour was hard to match!!
If I get another to do I know where to come :lol1:
Cheers
Ian

[Shane Drew]

I agree with what everyone else said

Ian’s advice is spot on.

Cheers

[Shane Drew]

quote johnchilds:

Higgi..

A very good friend of mine was a ChemDry franchisee until very recently.

Very easy to copy. 😀 😀 😀

I do some ChemDry franchisees here too. Got the file in eps if you need it. If it is the same there as it is here of course 🙄

[Andrew Ward]

As said before, Digital camera. I aslo do a rubbing of the font/graphics using paper & crayons. That way when you get back to the office you measure the cap height, length & width of letters.

You can aslo scan the rubbing into your sign software, then overlay fonts over the top of the rubbing untill you get a good match. (Same can be done with a Digi picture)

Hope that helps. ( I worked for 5 years for a paint shop, in their graphics dept) 😉

[Robert Lambie]

good tip wardie.. i some times do this with some app-tape. find it easier.. and as you say helps with width of letters etc incase the font is compressed.

[dannyflint]

Thanks for all your help. Especially the tip on leaving the paint for 24 hours. Youre right the body shops do want to get the vans out quick, so we’ve been putting the vinyl on almost as soon as they’ve finished.

Thanks all

[magpie]

Rob, how about making these tips appear on the front page, they’re too good to lose.

[Marcus]

Hi All,

Rather than using ‘paper & crayons’ or app tape to take an accurate copy of the lettering, we use fax roll.

If you tape it in place (the correct way up) and rub a squeege over you get a perfect copy of the text.

[Peter Normington]

quote autosign:

I wouldn’t give out artwork that I’d done if someone asked me for it to do a repair.

They could then contact your customer and offer to do their vehicles cheaper than what they’re currently paying – seeing as you’ve just saved them the hassle of doing the artwork.

Maybe im soft,
but I like to think that if a reputable firm has originally done the art work they will have a good relationship with their customer and will not worry about being undercut by another reputable signmaker that is working for the body shop, I could copy the design from the van, charge the bodyshop for the artwork and still phone the customer to undercut the original, I have sent my artwork to other signmakers without a problem.
I work for the bodyshop, They will pay me to do it, because they do not want the hassle of asking the question.I just try to keep the cost down, and my customer happy 😛
Peter

[John Singh]

Maybe there’s no underhandedness on both sides
Scenario: The new transport manager can’t source the original firm cos his predecessor didn’t keep records. His task is to get the job done. He’s only too happy when you say: “I can fix it Jim”

Bit like the french polished table in your home (not my home) that some herbert has gone and scratched. You just want to find a french polisher who’ll sort it out and make it like new again. Imagine trying to source the original french polisher!

Bernhard Friars 1845-1890 R.I.P. :hung:

[dannyflint]

Hi guys, could someone have a brief look at these fonts taken from the van, and let me know if they know any of them.

They are all familiar but I just cant find anything similar

http://www.uniquegraphics.co.uk/fonthelp.jpg

Help

Thanks again

Danny

[Peter Normington]

Hi all the stiff in black is from euro group of fonts.
the Pneumatics is carlnabr
The are both cadlink fonts.
I could e mail an ai file of the pneumatics etc. if you pm me your addy
Peter